Former Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett was selected in the third round of the NFL Draft on Friday by the New England Patriots with the 74th overall pick.

Also:

• Matt Jones: Mallett Drafted By Patriots
• Robbie Neiswanger: Mallett’s Slide Ends With ‘Good Fit’
• Chris Bahn: New England Patriots Select Former Razorback QB Ryan Mallett In Third Round, Mallett’s Patience Tested, Then Rewarded As Patriots Select Him In Round 3
• Razorback Nation (Video): Mallett and Family React to Draft Process
• NFL.com (Video): Why Mallett makes sense, Belichick likes Mallett’s ‘value’
• Boston Herald: Patriots select troubled Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett, Belichick Reaction, Mallett Conference Call
• USAToday.com: Patriots choose Arkansas QB Ryan Mallett with 74th pick

Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett will forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL Draft.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: UA football statement
• ESPN.com: Ryan Mallett declares for NFL draft
• Chris Bahn: Ryan Mallett Declares For 2011 NFL Draft
• Robbie Neiswanger: Mallett Off to NFL Draft
• Razorback Nation (Video): Ryan Mallett Going Pro
• 4029TV.com (Video): Ryan Mallett Going Pro

ESPN.com: Arkansas states BCS bowl case by tipping LSU

Ryan Mallett threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns as No. 12 Arkansas made its case for the school’s first BCS bowl game with a 31-23 win over No. 6 LSU on Saturday.

Also:

• ESPN.com: No. 5 LSU Falls To No. 12 Arkansas, 31-23 (Video)
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: #12 Razorbacks defeat #6 Tigers, 31-23, Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes, Post-game Quotes
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Game Highlights, Post-game Press Conference
• Razorback Nation (Video): Post-game Interviews — Ryan Mallett, Knile Davis
• ArkansasOnline Focus: Arkansas vs. LSU Photos
• Dudley Dawson: Arkansas 31, LSU 23
• Matt Jones: Arkansas Notches a Sweet Win
• Robbie Neiswanger: Sweet Statement: Arkansas Inches Closer to Sugar Bowl
• Scott Faldon: Big Pass Plays Lead to Big Win
• Dennis Byrd: Offensive Line Dominant on Decisive Drive
• Harry King: Play calling too much for LSU
• Chris Bahn: Petrino Shows Off Big Calls In Razorbacks’ Victory Against LSU, Two-Minute Drill
• Jim Harris: Razorbacks’ Defensive Plan Was Simple and Ultra-Effective, Nothing Fluky About This Arkansas Win Over LSU in Little Rock
• New Orleans Times-Picayune: LSU’s 31-23 loss to Arkansas foils BCS bowl aspirations, Arkansas powers its way past LSU in second half
• The Baton Rouge Advocate: Razorbacks outplay Tigers in season finale, Arkansas QB fires three TD passes to spark victory, Rabalais: No BCS for Tigers after loss to Hogs
• AOL FanHouse: Travis: Arkansas Pounds LSU 31-23 as Karma Deserts Les Miles

ESPN.com: Arkansas fights off Miss. St. in double overtime

Ryan Mallett threw for 306 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner to Knile Davis in double overtime, and No. 13 Arkansas beat No. 22 Mississippi State 38-31 on Saturday night.

Also:

• ESPN.com (Video): Arkansas Hangs On In 2OT Thriller
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Davis scores three; Hogs in 2OT, Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes, Bobby Petrino Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• Razorback Nation (Video): Post-game Interviews – Ryan Mallett, Knile Davis
• Matt Jones: Arkansas 38, Mississippi State 31 (2OT), Wright Call Swings Momentum
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Answers Bell in Two-Overtime Victory
• Scott Faldon: Despite Fumbles, Davis Leads Hogs To Win
• Dennis Byrd: Key Performers
• Harry King: Arkansas wins ninth
• Chris Bahn: Davis, Razorbacks Show Maturity Against Bulldogs, Two-Minute Drill
• Jim Harris: Razorbacks Save Their Dreams of Sugar in OT at Starkville

The Good

• Saturday night marked only the second time in the Bobby Petrino era that the Hogs had more rushing yards (326) than passing yards (251).  Knile Davis led the way on the ground with an impressive 182 yards on 11 carries.  Quite an accomplishment when you consider the struggles in the running game that this team had to start the season.
• Ryan Mallett continues to set staggering passing records.  In a little under two seasons, Mallett’s five touchdowns against UTEP now gives him 54 for his career.  That leaves him just three TDs short of the all-time school record held by Clint Stoerner (57).
• Chris Gragg showed he is the heir apparent to senior D.J. Williams at tight end.  The third-year sophomore from Warren, who is basically a wide receiver trapped in a tight end’s body, caught four passes for 44 yards, including a 5-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
• On defense, Tramain Thomas turned in another super performance.  Thomas blocked a first quarter field goal attempt, and then followed that up with a second quarter interception — his fourth of the season to lead the team.

The Bad

• Easily the worst play made by the Hogs on Saturday was gifting a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown to UTEP.  Credit talented UTEP returner Marlon McClure for making something out of nothing.  But that’s no excuse for the ‘lowlight’ turned in by what has mostly been a bad kickoff coverage unit all season.
• Not as much bad as it was funny — Hog punter Dylan Breeding was almost ‘missing in action’ for his first appearance of the game late in the second quarter.  Breeding did finally sprint onto the field with about 12-14 seconds left on the play clock.  With temperatures in the upper-30s, that sideline heater must have felt pretty good, huh Dylan?

The Ugly

• While UTEP was hardly a worthy enough opponent to warrant many boos from the crowd, they did do one thing to piss us off.  Before running onto the field, the Miners buried their cermonial axe into the $1.2 million artificial turf of Razorback Stadium.  Yeah…you’ll be receiving a repair bill this week, Coach Price.  And no…we don’t accept company credit cards.

Of course, we can’t possibly mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.”  What did we leave out?

Walking on Sunshine also contributed to this post.

ESPN.com: Mallett breaks TD mark as No. 15 Arkansas rolls

Ryan Mallett threw for a school-record five touchdowns and ran for another as Arkansas (No. 15 BCS, No. 14 AP) defeated Texas-El Paso 58-21 on Saturday.

Also:

• ESPN.com (Video): Mallett Fires 5 TDs As Arkansas Tops UTEP
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Mallett ties school record with 6 TDs, Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Game Highlights, Bobby Petrino Post-game Press Conference
• Razorback Nation (Video): Post-game Interviews — D.J. Williams
• Dudley Dawson: Arkansas 58, UTEP 21
• Matt Jones: Hogs, Tigers Keep BCS Hopes Alive
• Chris Bahn: Final Fayetteville Game Not The Sendoff Mallett, Seniors Deserved, Two-Minute Drill
• Jim Harris: Seniors Step Up Big In Hogs’ Four-Game Run to 8-2
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Rolls To Fourth Straight Win
• Ryan Malashock: Mallett Thrives in Possible Fayetteville Finale
• Scott Faldon: Williams Enjoys Senior Night, Key Performers

ESPN.com: No. 17 Arkansas demolishes No. 18 South Carolina

Ryan Mallett threw for 303 yards, Knile Davis tied a career high with three touchdowns and No. 17 Arkansas handed 18th-ranked South Carolina its worst home loss in five years, 41-20, on Saturday night.

Also:

• ESPN.com: Arkansas Blows Out South Carolina, 41-20 (Video)
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Davis, Mallett crush Carolina, 41-20, Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Game Highlights, Bobby Petrino Post-game Press Conference
• Razorback Nation (Video): Ryan Mallett Post-game Interview
• AP Photos / Getty Images: Arkansas vs. South Carolina Photos
• ArkansasOnline.com Focus: Arkansas vs. South Carolina Photos
• Dudley Dawson: Arkansas 41, South Carolina 20
• Matt Jones: Davis Turns In Another Gem
• Robbie Neiswanger: No Childs? No Problem in Arkansas Rout
• Scott Faldon: Arkansas Stops Run, Gamecocks
• Dennis Byrd: Key Performers
• Chris Bahn: Razorbacks Turn In Complete Game, Crush Gamecocks, Two-Minute Drill
• AOL Fanhouse: Arkansas Embarrasses South Carolina 41-20 Behind Mallett, Davis
• The State: Night to forget for USC
• The Post and Courier: Razorbacks flatten Gamecocks

The Good

• After looking like a bunch of ‘zombies’ to begin the game, the Razorbacks turned in their best all-around quarter of the season in the second quarter.  All three phases did their part to contribute.  The offense gained 157 yards on 25 plays and scored three touchdowns.  The defense forced a safety and held Vandy to only 13 total yards.  And special teams had a big 66-yard return by Lance Ray, along with a 26-yard field goal by Zach Hocker…with 26 seconds left…to finish out a 26-point quarter.
• For the second time this season, Ryan Mallett topped the 400-yard passing mark.  The junior broke his own school record, throwing for 409 yards (27 out of 44) and three touchdowns.  Mallett has four 400-yard games for his career — the only four in Razorback history.
• Jerico Nelson had a defensive performance worthy of SEC Player of the Week consideration.  Nelson led the team with seven tackles and was involved in both interceptions made by the Hogs.  While the pick-six in the fourth quarter was a nice highlight, it was Nelson’s tipped ball to teammate Rudell Crim that led to a second quarter interception and shifted the momentum that the Hogs never relinquished for the rest of the game.
• It was a tale of two very contrasting defensive performances on Saturday.  As the game wore on, the Vanderbilt defense just could not get off the field.  The Hogs rolled up 555 total yards on 84 plays, 25 first downs and were a solid 10-for-19 on third down conversions.  And after a lethargic start in the first quarter, the Razorback defense was stellar for the rest of the way.  The Commodores only netted 23 yards of total offense in the final three quarters and went over 43 minutes without recording a first down.

The Bad

• While we won’t know more until later today, watching Greg Childs get injured early in the fourth quarter was a huge downer.  With a big game looming at South Carolina, the Hogs can ill afford to be without one of their best playmakers.  And that’s assuming (and hoping) that the right knee injury that Childs sustained is not a season-ending one.  (Update:  Unfortunately…it is a season-ending injury.  Damn.)

The Ugly

• Penalties reared their ugly head again Saturday night, especially on the offensive line.  The Hogs were called for 13 penalties for 130 yards.  And nearly every member of the offensive line was penalized, including two chop blocks and several holding and false start penalties.
• The tackling by the Razorback defense to begin the game wasn’t just ugly…it was downright atrocious.  The defense did eventually ‘right the ship’ after the first quarter.  But after disappointing defensive performances in the previous two games, Willy Robinson better be working overtime to make sure that kind of embarassingly slow start doesn’t happen again this season.  As Frank Broyles would say, “They remember November.”

Of course, we can’t possibly mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.”  What did we leave out?

Walking on Sunshine also contributed to this post.

ESPN.com: Mallett bests own mark as No. 19 Arkansas rolls

Ryan Mallett threw for a school-record 409 yards as No. 19 Arkansas beat Vanderbilt 49-14 on Saturday.

Also:

• ESPN.com: Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt Highlight (Video)
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Another school record night for Mallett, Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes, Post-game Quotes
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Game Highlights, Bobby Petrino Post-game Press Conference
• Dudley Dawson: Arkansas 49, Vanderbilt 14
• Matt Jones: Funky Move Swings Momentum
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Shrugs Off Slow Start, Rolls to Big Win
• Ryan Malashock: Wright Takes Lead Role at Receiver
• Scott Faldon: Mallett Sets School Record in Win
• Harry King: Arkansas gets to 6-2
• Chris Bahn: Mallett Sets Record, Keeps Offense Moving Without Full Arsenal Of Receivers, Two-Minute Drill
• Jim Harris: Vanderbilt Collapses Under Weight of Jerico’s Big Plays for Arkansas
• Razorback Nation (Video): Post-game Interviews — Ryan Mallett, Willy Robinson

But it was the Razorback run defense that hit the field against Ole Miss apparently equipped with new batteries.  (The old ones were exposed as incredibly leaky by one Cameron Newton.)  The defense put on a wonderful display on Saturday of team speed and swarming to the ball.

Good thing Houston Dale only believes in passing the ball after reaching a certain count of running plays.  The Arkansas secondary wasn’t up to the task when the D-line didn’t get pressure on the quarterback.

To their credit, the Razorback defense played the last few possessions on pride.  They had spent a lot of time on the field against a very punishing offense.   The Ole Miss fumble at the one yard line was definitely a gift that saved a touchdown.  Had the Rebel Black Bears scored, there’s no telling what the final outcome would have been.

Special teams were near flawless in execution.  Wind-aided touchbacks protected the still suspect kickoff coverage unit.

The only real blemish was Joe Adams foolishly fielding a punt inside the 10-yard line.  But rather than being meekly tackled and slinking to the bench to get chewed out, Adams chose the tactic of distracting the coaches from his error by running 97 yards for a touchdown.  Uh yeah…Coach Petrino needs to find even more ways to get this guy the ball.

It is interesting that the offense seems to have a lot more intensity with Tyler Wilson in the game.  Why the Ryan Mallett-led offense continues to experience a letdown following a couple of scores…I don’t know.  The Wilson-led intensity could be explained by the other offensive players picking up their game to support the second string guy.  Whatever…there is definitely a difference in performance.

Knile Davis ran for 117 of his 179 yards with Wilson in the game.  The O-line blocked beautifully for Davis, but he also made some cuts and hit some holes that have been there all year.  He is by far the best of the backs and deserves the bulk of the carries.

It’s very obvious that this Razorback team is growing up before our eyes.  The defense and special teams responded well to the debacle of the Auburn game.  Perhaps the Hogs have found a running game by placing their faith in Knile Davis.

If they can figure out how to bring some type of consistent performance to the offense, there’s no reason to lose another game.  Keep having these long dry spells in scoring and it will be a struggle to go .500 in the remaining conference games.

The Good

• For the third straight week, tailback Knile Davis set a career rushing mark.  The sophomore from Missouri City, Texas rolled up 176 yards on 22 carries and 3 TDs.  The big one was his 71-yard, fourth quarter jaunt that pushed the Hogs’ tenuous lead back to 31-17 with 11 minutes to play.
• Bobby Petrino’s early season promise to Ken Hatfield of a Razorback punt return for a touchdown has been fulfilled.  Joe Adams’ 97-yard, second quarter return broke Hatfield’s school record of 95 yards (Tulsa, 1963), and put the Hogs on top 21-0.  Jarius Wright’s block to seal the long run was the icing on the cake.

The Bad

• As for the lightning delays, while we understand that caution prevails, the delays — especially the second one — were absolutely ridiculous.  The second delay lasted 31 minutes — which pretty much tells you it should’ve never been called in the first place.  Another example of NCAA guidelines trumping common sense.  I’m sure it was probably ‘good’ for concessions, though.
• Ryan Mallett’s first play of the first series interception was one of the worst passes we’ve ever seen him throw.  Had Ole Miss linebacker Allen Walker not stepped in front of the pass and made the play, several other Rebel defenders in the area likely would have.  Mallett’s seven interceptions through seven games this season have equaled his total for all of 2009.

The Ugly

• Despite only surrendering 24 points Saturday, the Hogs continue to allow staggering yardage totals on defense.  In the four SEC games against Georgia (392), Alabama (421), Auburn (470) and Ole Miss (512), Willy Robinson’s crew has allowed an average of 448.8 yards per game.  Notice the alarming upward trend, too.  ‘Ugly’ and worrisome to say the least.

Of course, in a game that lasted nearly five hours, we can’t possibly mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.”  What did we leave out?

With a 3-1 record, things really are pretty good.  Hog fans should take great delight in the fact that our team is now a part of the national college football conversation.  Huge credit goes to Bobby Petrino and Ryan Mallett for making this possible.  I love the direction the program is going.

Unfortunately, that one loss on the record was a pretty tough one to take.  Hog fans need to remember that we played the #1 team in the nation last Saturday.  As Alabama proved — these guys are good.

The Tide’s “Been There, Done That, Got the T-shirt” experience level was simply too much for the Hogs.  The Razorback program under Bobby Petrino doesn’t have the experience level yet to play to the level of Alabama.  The fact remains that most teams have to knock at the door a couple of times before they’re able to break through.

——————

The trend by the ‘talking heads’ for the past few weeks has placed much of the fault at the lack of a running game.  Folks, the running game is a symptom of other problems. The lack of success passing in the later stages of the Alabama game is a symptom of other problems.  Truth is…the Razorback offense was making mistakes against a very talented and well-coached Alabama defense.

As is my habit for games like this one and the Georgia game, I went back to my trusty DVR with slow motion and watched most of the plays several times to try and figure out what was going on.  Here are the things I’m seeing with the Hogs offense that become more important as the game progresses:

Blitz pickup — Georgia and Alabama brought some type of blitz on just about every play.  As the game progressed and the blitzes became more complex, Mallett started getting a bit lost on making calls.

Many of the zero yardage running plays have been due to running right into a blitz and not getting the play blocked correctly.  Most of the time the first defender to make contact with the ball carrier is a linebacker or safety that wasn’t even blocked.

Offensive diversity — Okay…I know this will not be well-received…but here goes.  As sophisticated as the Razorback offense is, it doesn’t seem to have a lot of diversity.  Have we run out of the pistol this year?  Last Saturday we ran one — one! — draw play and it worked really well.  Screens?  Did we see any on Saturday?  Hot reads (slants) into the empty slots being left by the blitzers?  Exactly one.

Have we really made a commitment to having a running game?  Running plays are pretty base.  Even Petrino admitted on his show that the Alabama players were calling out the runs, as the Hogs were always running to the motion side in the first half.

It doesn’t appear that we are giving opposing defenses enough to think about.  They are not afraid to blitz us on every down.  As has been my sense for the entire Petrino period at Arkansas, he tends to get a bit outcoached by opposing NFL- level defensive coordinators at times (think Nick Saban, not the kid serving as front man).

The quarterback  — First, let me say that Ryan Mallett is amazing.  However, I’ll hurry on to say he’s not quite there as a total quarterback.

Greg McElroy seriously outplayed him Saturday.  Good quarterbacks exhibit strong field generalship and keep the chains moving.  While Mallett had a number of very excellent plays, he also had some serious mental lapses when under pressure.

McElroy got the chains moved while under pressure in the fourth quarter and kept drives alive.  Of course, he also had Mark Ingram and the Wildcat formation to change up the ‘look’ and create a lot of yardage.  Offensive diversity was definitely on McElroy’s side to aid him.  Plus, the turtle has a habit of beating the rabbit.

Unfortunately, the ‘book’ on Mallett for the rest of the year will be to get him confused and rattled with pressure so that the Arkansas offense begins stopping itself as the game progresses.  My take is that while Mallett may be more than physically ready for the pros, he has a long way to go to be mentally ready for the NFL.

——————

Just about everyone’s preseason picks called for the Hogs to lose this game.  We definitely played much better than I expected.  While I wish we had won, overall I was very pleased.

The Hogs have some things to improve on the offensive end.  Otherwise, we will have more opposing defensive coordinators influencing our offense to shut itself down.  I expect our defense and special teams will continue to improve.

The Razorbacks are in the national conversation.  We’ve knocked at the door.  I believe with Bobby Petrino, we will get it kicked down.  There’s a lot of season left to go.

The Good

• Easily the best of “The Good” of this game — and really all week — were the Razorback fans.  The students set the tone early, camping out all week and building “Woo Pig City” down Stadium Drive.  For most of the game, the noise level was the loudest we’ve ever been a part of at ANY stadium.  And several of the national writers in attendance, who go to venues around the country each weekend, made a point to mention how impressed they were with the crowd noise and game atmosphere.
• Lost in the disappointment of the fourth quarter was the performance of the “Good” Ryan Mallett.  With 306 yards passing in the first three quarters, Mallett had an impressive 75% completion percentage, a rushing touchdown and a passing touchdown to open the game.
• And speaking of that opening touchdown, we’re not sure the Hogs could have started any better.  The 2-play, 74-yard touchdown drive — which took all of 50 seconds — set the crowd on fire and absolutely stunned the Alabama defense.
• It was great to see unsung receiver Jarius Wright have a big game on the national stage.  With Alabama looking to contain Joe Adams and Greg Childs, Wright’s 131 receiving yards was the second highest total of his career.
• Against what will likely by the best offensive line the Hogs will face all year, defensive end Tenarius “Tank” Wright came up big.  His bone-crushing fourth quarter sack (one of his two sacks on the day) forced the Tide to settle for a field goal and preserved the slim Razorback lead.  Unfortunately, that’s when a lot of “The Bad” started happening…

The Bad

• After handling the pressure nearly all game — and really all week — Ryan Mallett finally appeared to let it get to him in the fourth quarter.  While the Hogs still had a chance to win the game with three minutes left, you could see from Mallett’s body language that he hadn’t yet recovered from the interception thrown earlier in the fourth quarter.  The cool demeanor that he showed during the game-winning drive at Georgia wasn’t there this time.  And a panicked attempt to avoid a sack resulted in a turnover that basically ended the game.
• For those that think offensive balance is important, look no further than Saturday’s game for proof.  The Hogs inability to establish a running threat (64 yards on 20 attempts) let the Alabama defense ‘pin their ears back’ and pressure Mallett at will in the second half.
• While Mallett will likely receive much of the criticism, the Razorback defense continued their season-long struggle to get off the field.  The 16-play, 66-yard drive by Alabama that ate up over half of the fourth quarter was particularly excruciating.  While the defense did finally stiffen, holding the Tide to only a field goal, there were three successful third down conversions that kept the drive going and allowed Alabama to set the fourth quarter tempo.
• Last year’s Achilles’ heel — third down efficiency — reared it’s ugly head again on Saturday.  The 2 for 10 conversion rate was a direct result of the anemic rushing attack that put the Hogs in third-and-long situations all day.  By contrast, Alabama was 8 for 14 on third down.

The Ugly

• Even though they were playing at home, the Razorbacks somehow had four false start penalties on Saturday.  While the noise and atmosphere was great, the crowd was (mostly) smart enough to quiet down when the Razorbacks had the ball.  But the Hogs still finished with twice as many false start penalties as Alabama.  And Mallett ended a promising first quarter drive himself by attempting to make too many pre-snap adjustments that caused back-to-back false start penalties.
• And finally — in the easiest “Ugly” so far this year — the newly fabricated ‘snout’ attached to the Broyles Center is hideous.  Instead of their usual entry into the stadium under an inflatable Razorback head, the Hogs entered the field Saturday through the ‘nostrils’ of the new snout.  Yeah…we’re going to have to…uh…turn our nose up at this change.  Another example of the UA game day people trying to ‘outthink the room’ for no good reason.

Of course, we can’t mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.”  What did we leave out?

Walking on Sunshine and HogBlogger also contributed to this post.

The Good

• The silence you heard in Sanford Stadium was the sound of the “road monkey” being removed from Ryan Mallett’s back.  Mallett has taken a lot of unjustified criticism for those 2009 road losses.  (The Hogs were playing some pretty good teams in those games, no?)  But he made up for it with his 21-33, 380 yard, 3 TD performance against UGA on Saturday.
• Mallett’s read on the final pass, coupled with Greg Childs catch, juke and run was not only a great play and a game-winner, but propelled Mallett securely to the front of the Heisman discussion.  For the rest of the day, “Mallett’s Game Winning Drive” was plastered all over ESPN’s ‘family of networks’ on the ticker and in the highlight packages.
• In what might have been the most clutch punt (yes…punt) in recent Razorback history, Dylan Breeding came up big when called upon late in the 4th quarter with a booming 57-yard punt.  Along with a great downfield tackle by Ramon Broadway, the punt got the Hogs out of a hole and gave the defense a lift and room to work.  Breeding did his job all day, posting a 46.7 yard average on seven punts.
• Speaking of doing his job, Zach Hocker’s 48-yard field goal right before the half was a huge lift, giving the Hogs momentum going into the locker room.  The freshman Hocker, whose kick might have been good from 60, has not missed a kick in his first three games.
• The new road uniforms looked really sweet in HD.  The red shoulders reminded us of the early 1960s Dallas Cowboys jerseys that had the solid blue with the stars.  And, as Hog Database reminded us, they’re also similar to some of the Razorbacks flair from the 1950s.  Very nice.
• There was a party at the quarterback on Saturday, and Aaron Murray was the guest of honor.  Seven Razorback defenders recorded 6 total sacks, including two by senior defensive end Damario Ambrose.  Jake Bequette’s final drive sack is as close to a ‘live decapitation’ as you’ll ever see on free TV.

The Bad

• The Razorbacks complete inability to run the football made this win much tougher to secure than it had to be.  Needing to grind out a few first downs and run some clock, the Hogs only managed one first down in the fourth quarter until the game winning drive, and just 53 total rushing yards for the game.
• While the defense played good enough to win, the fourth quarter meltdown was pretty tough to watch.  Georgia’s two touchdowns came too easy and within about a four minute span.  The 90+ degree temperatures, of course, might have been a factor.

The Ugly

• As injuries go for coaches, Georgia offensive coordinator Mike Bobo’s scraped and bloodied nose was pretty ugly.  Of course, it wasn’t nearly as ugly as the beating that Bobo took after the game.
• What did you have to do to get a holding penalty called on Saturday?  The no-call of Georgia tight end Orson Charles, who did everything but peel off Anthony Leon’s jersey during one of Georgia’s fourth quarter scoring drives, was as UGLY as it gets.  And that was only one of several holding calls blatantly missed by the refs all day.  Get me Rogers Redding on the phone!

Of course, we can’t mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.”  What did we leave out?

TipsterHog also contributed to this post.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: #12 Hogs win thriller in Athens

Behind another big day for junior quarterback Ryan Mallett, Arkansas went to 3-0 for the first time since 2003 as the 12th-ranked Razorbacks defeated Georgia, 31-24, at Sanford Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Game Highlights (Video), Post-game Notes
• ESPN.com: Mallett’s late TD pass rallies Arkansas by UGA, Mallett Carries Arkansas Over Georgia (Video), Schlabach: Hogs survive rally to set up showdown, Low: Hogs get it done
• Robbie Neiswanger: Late Surge Lifts Arkansas To ‘Benchmark’ Win
• Alex Abrams: Mallett Delivers In Road Win
• Dennis Byrd: Gragg’s Big Catch, Run Game Struggles, Key Performers
• Harry King: Mixed signals from Athens
• Matt Jones: Arkansas Makes Big Plays Late, Bobby Petrino Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• Chris Bahn: Late Plays In Georgia Victory Prove How Far Razorbacks Have Come, Two-Minute Drill
• Jim Harris: Special Teams Win Day, and Mallett Turns On the Talent in Athens
• Mike Irwin: In a Perfect World
• Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Georgia drops to 0-2 in SEC for first time in 17 years, Breakdowns bedevil Georgia defense
• Dawgs247.com: Mallett spurns Dogs’ comeback bid

The Good

• Allowing just seven points and only one big play — a 25-yard pass for the lone ULM touchdown — showed for the second week in a row that the Hogs’ defense is much improved.  Only a Sun Belt opponent, you say?  Well…that hasn’t mattered in recent years when non-conference teams like Eastern Michigan, Western Illinois, Troy and even ULM in 2008 have routinely put up 20+ points on the Hogs.
• After a quiet game against Tennessee Tech, receiver Greg Childs had a monster game (12 catches, 146 yards, 2 TDs) on Saturday.  Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee has challenged Childs to be more consistent, so it will be interesting to watch how he performs this week against Georgia.  Last year against the Bulldogs, Childs had 5 receptions for 140 yards and two touchdowns.

The Bad

• Yes…the offense was out of sync at times and Ryan Mallett, while throwing for 400 yards and three TDs, had an “off” night.  Yes…Hog fans’ standard for quarterback performances are different this season than in the past.  Higher expectations mean higher standards.  While Mallett did end up with a decent 65% completion percentage, he finished the first half on a 1 for 8 skid with an interception.  Overall, the Hogs were 6 for 14 on 3rd down conversions and 1 for 4 on 4th down conversions.  These are all trends from last year that don’t need to start again this season.
• Since the game was not decided until late, Mallett was in the game long enough to pad his Heisman “for your consideration” stats.  Unfortunately, that also meant an opportunity was missed to get the backup quarterbacks more playing time and valuable experience.  Looking ahead, there may not be another chance again for a while.

The Ugly

• While there were a few things to list in the “Bad” category, was there really anything the Hogs’ offense did so badly on Saturday that it should’ve caused any booing to occur?  Really?  We didn’t think so watching from home but apparently some fans in attendance did.  Okay…so the score was only 7-0 at halftime.  Frustrating?  Yes.  Worthy of booing?  Uh…no.  And unfortunately, the boos made it into the AP report on national websites and printed in newspapers around the country.

Of course, we can’t mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Ugly.”  What did we leave out?

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Razorbacks win 31-7 over ULM in War Memorial

The Arkansas football team scored a 31-7 victory over ULM Saturday in War Memorial Stadium, highlighted with 499 yards of offensive production behind junior quarterback Ryan Mallett’s 400 passing yards and three touchdowns.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes, Post-game Quotes
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Game Highlights, Bobby Petrino Post-game Press Conference
• ESPN.com: Mallett sharp in third to lead Arkansas in romp
• Matt Jones: Defense Shines Again in Win
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Offense Tested By ULM In 31-7 Win
• ArkansasOnline.com Focus: Arkansas vs. Louisiana-Monroe Photos
• Chris Bahn: Mallett, Arkansas Offense Learn Lesson In Patience Against ULM, Two-Minute Drill
• Jim Harris: Hogs Defense Makes Its Statement, ‘Count on Us’
• 4029TV.com (Video): Razorbacks Drop Warhawks In Little Rock, Web Xtra: Arkansas – ULM Post-game

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Mallett, Adams claim record

Junior Ryan Mallett went three quarters but completed almost all of his passes as the University of Arkansas opened the 2010 season with a 44-3 win over Tennessee Tech before 69,596 fans at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes, Post-game Quotes
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Game Highlights, Bobby Petrino Post-game Press Conference
• ESPN.com: Mallett slings 3 TDs as No. 17 Arkansas cruises
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Shakes Sluggish Start, Rolls To 44-3 Win
• Dennis Byrd: Davis, Swanson, Grayson Earn Starts in Win, Key Performers
• Scott Faldon: Arkansas Defense Delivers in Opener
• Harry King: Razorbacks walk, as expected
• Brandon Marcello: Reviewing Arkansas’ 44-3 victory
• Brandon Marcello / Matt Jones: WholeHogCast: Arkansas vs. Tennessee Tech (Video)
• ArkansasOnline.com Focus: Arkansas vs. Tennessee Tech Photos
• Chris Bahn: Razorbacks’ Defense Good Against Tennessee Tech, Players Looking For More, Two-Minute Drill
• Jim Harris: Arkansas Accomplishes Most of What It Wanted in Opening Win
• Razorback Nation (Video): Ryan Mallett Interview, Dennis Johnson Interview, Anthony Leon Interview

As you might expect, Razorback Fan Day festivities brought out a good crowd to Saturday’s final open practice inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium.  We were only able to attend the first hour of practice so make sure and check out the other practice reports linked below.  Only 14 more days until kickoff!

After the changes made this week at linebacker for the Hogs, we were watching closely how former safety Anthony “Juice” Leon looked at linebacker.  Well…so far…so good.  In fact, based on how he looked on Saturday, moving Leon might be THE move of fall camp.

It’s a crash course for Juice at outside linebacker, where he obviously doesn’t know the position well enough yet to “play fast” the way Bobby Petrino wants on every play.  But you see flashes…like when he broke cleanly and nearly intercepted Ryan Mallett on the first play of 11-on-11 drills on Saturday.  It will be interesting to see how much playing time Leon gets in the first two non-conference games.

It was good to see defensive end Tenarius Wright back out on the field again.  Even though Wright returned to practice earlier this week after dealing with back spasms, Saturday was the first chance we’ve had to see “The Tank” this fall and he looked good.  While freshman Chris Smith has an impressive speed rush at defensive end, the veteran Wright looks even quicker and more disruptive.  Get ready for more sacks this year, Hog fans.

There seemed to be extra emphasis by the quarterbacks on making the proper pre-snap adjustments at the line of scrimmage.  Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson was changing defenses frequently during the early 11-on-11 session.  In response, Ryan Mallett was making blocking adjustments and calling audibles as needed.  Backup quarterback Tyler Wilson was doing the same, although he seemed to be a bit slower than Mallett at reading the defensive positioning.

Bobby Petrino was preaching one thing over and over to the offensive line on Saturday: “Get up!  Get down!  Get off!”  As in (we think): 1) Break the huddle and get up quickly to the line of scrimmage; 2) Get down into your stance; and 3) Get off when the ball is snapped.  Easy to remember, huh?

Also:

• Brandon Marcello: Hogs focus on special teams, offense near end zone
• Robbie Neiswanger: Notes and Observations From Saturday’s Practice

SEC Sports.com: Bobby Petrino Quotes (PDF)

Petrino: “Expectations are very high.  There’s no question about that.  It starts with our players, which is a good thing.  Our players’ expectations for the season is high.  Our coaches’ expectations for the season is high.  Our administration’s expectations for the season is high.  Also our fans.  We’re fired up just to get started and get going.  We’re embracing the expectations.  I think that’s a good thing.”

Also:

• SEC Sports.com: Ryan Mallett Quotes (PDF), D.J. Williams and Jake Bequette Quotes (PDF)
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Razorbacks at SEC Media Day (Video)
• Robbie Neiswanger: Arkansas Embracing Expectations, Mallett Meets The Media, Arkansas Reports No NCAA ‘Inquiries or Incidents’
• Robbie Neiswanger (Blog): Arkansas at SEC Media Days – What We Learned, Mallett Takes Out Insurance Policy, Williams Tries His Hand at Asking Questions, Mallett Remains ‘On Schedule’ In Rehab
• Brandon Marcello: Mallett Time, Wrap it up: Notables from Arkansas’ day at the podium, Ryan Mallett addresses the media (Video)
• Chris Bahn: No Doubt Arkansas Quarterback Ryan Mallett A Star, Petrino Thinks Mallett Will Be Ready For Fall Camp, Arkansas Expecting No Questions About Players, Agents
• The Birmingham News: Petrino likes Arkansas’ bye week right where it is
• Lexington Herald-Leader: Petrino’s Razorbacks a darkhorse