The Good

• In what was the most amazing return we have ever witnessed, Joe Adams’ 60-yard punt return was one for the ages.  Admit it…it’s the first time you’ve ever seen a player take his video game to the field.  And it had to be spectacular to beat out Jarius Wright’s amazing ‘fight through pass interference to make a hot potato catch‘ play and earn the #1 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays.
• No better way to send out 17 seniors than a 42-point blowout win.  Adams and Wright are now first and second in career receptions.  Senior safety Tramain Thomas snagged his 11th career interception and moved into a tie for sixth place all-time.  And it was great to see senior running backs Brodrick Green (54 total yards, TD) and DeAnthony Curtis (59 yards, TD) finish their Fayetteville careers with a bang.
• After an ill-advised fourth down attempt by Tennessee failed, we loved seeing Bobby Petrino go for the jugular on the very next play.  Tyler Wilson’s 40-yard bomb to Joe Adams made the score 35-7 and left only the final margin in question.
• Honorable Mention:  Very good to have Tenarius Wright back out there returning from injury.  ….  The sellout crowd on Saturday — and really the Fayetteville crowds for all the conference games — have really been fantastic this season.  And the in-game atmosphere (students, band, music, passing out pom-poms, etc.) has improved each game, as well.  Kudos all around.  Now finish up strong this week, Little Rock.

The Bad

• Even in the blowout loss, the Volunteers surpassed their SEC season high in total offense by almost 100 yards.  Looking every bit like a “bend but don’t break” defense, the Hogs held Tennessee to just one touchdown while allowing three plays of 45 yards or longer.  And while we listed Thomas’ interception under “The Good,” it happened at the end of a very long 14 play, 72-yard drive by the Vols that took nearly seven minutes off the clock right before halftime.
• Tyler Wilson’s overthrow miss of a wide open Joe Adams on what would have been a 71-yard second quarter TD technically qualifies as “bad.”  Wilson may have, as Garrick McGee says, a “gift” to make good throws while on the run.  Still…accurately throwing the ball 30 yards down the field without setting your feet is tough.  But hey…no problem…Dennis Johnson scampered the 71 yards on the next play so all is forgiven.
• Honorable Mention:  Javontee Herndon’s block in the back penalty on what was going to be an easy touchdown run by Ronnie Wingo Jr..  ….  Both defenses dropping easy interceptions that would’ve likely gone for touchdowns (Alonzo Highsmith for the Hogs and Eric Gordon for the Vols).

The Ugly

• While the in-game atmosphere has been improving, Razorback Stadium could really use some food vendors right outside the stadium doing some typical game day street food.  There are a lot of people milling around that aren’t tailgating — like me (HogBlogger) looking for tickets — that are hungry.  And everyone can’t fit into the food court inside the stadium.  (Plus…the prices are crazy stupid.)
• Overturning the ruling on the field of a fumble by Da’Rick Rogers of Tennessee in the first quarter was just wrong.  In the grand scheme of things, of course, it didn’t change the outcome of the game.  But once again, we’re not sure why there’s instant replay if they’re going to overturn a call without clear visual evidence that it was the wrong call.  And hey…SEC refs…look at this photo and tell us again exactly how the call on the field should’ve been overturned?

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

Walking on Sunshine and HogBlogger also contributed to this post.

Petrino: “I’m not afraid of high expectations. I’m excited with the fact that two years in a row now we have very high expectations.  Number one, our players have high expectations.  Certainly our coaching staff does.  Our fans in the state of Arkansas do.  Our administration does.

“It’s fun to approach the year that way, that, hey, we’re going to go out and be a contender, be a good football team, see what we can do to win ourselves a championship.  I think it motivates you throughout the off-season, throughout spring ball, throughout the summertime.”

Also:

• SECSports.com: Arkansas Player Quotes (PDF)
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Razorbacks at SEC Media Days
• ArkansasRazorbacks.com (Video): Bobby Petrino Press Conference, Tenarius Wright, Jarius Wright, Knile Davis
• AP: Arkansas QB has luxury of skillful players
• RBN: 2011 Razorbacks Football Media Guide Released Online
• Chris Bahn: Razorbacks Say Summer Should Alleviate Petrino’s Concerns About Leadership
• Jim Harris: Ten Minutes With Arkansas Running Back Knile Davis
• ArkansasSports360.com: League Releases Start Times For Hogs’ First 3 Games
• Robbie Neiswanger: Petrino, Razorbacks ‘Not Afraid’ Of Expectations, Receiver Says Recognition Rewarding
• Razorback Nation (Video): Bobby Petrino, Jarius Wright
• Memphis Commercial-Appeal: Arkansas Razorbacks set to let quarterback Tyler Wilson take over
• al.com: Razorbacks already looking ahead to Alabama game
• Louisville Courier-Journal: Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino high on the Hogs for SEC, national titles

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.

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

In recent days, Bobby Petrino and Willy Robinson have raised some eyebrows by demoting two starters to second team.  Are they still searching for linebackers at this late date, or is this a motivational ploy?

Starters from last season like Wendel Davis and Jerry Franklin have spent a good bit of the last two days on the second team.  Sophomore Bret Harris and redshirt freshman Tenarius Wright jumped into the first team fray.  Harris is a recently converted strong safety, while Wright has the size (6-2, 238) the coaches covet.

“We’re going to be competitive,” Petrino said. “You’ve got to come out and practice hard every day and do what you’re coached to do, run to the football. If not, then the guy behind you is going to move up.”

Our guess is Davis and Franklin will get the message and answer the call, and this is just a way for the coaches to get their attention.  If coming off a season where the Hogs ranked dead last in the SEC on defense wasn’t motivation enough, maybe playing second fiddle for a few days will be.

We were not disappointed.  What a pleasure it is to watch a Bobby Petrino team practice.  Organized, fast-paced, attention to detail…it was all there.

Here are a few of our casual observations made while watching the two hour practice:

– Freshman wide receiver Jarius Wright and running back De’Anthony Curtis were expected to impress…and did not disappoint.  Both look like major contributors.

The newcomer that really surprised me, though, was freshman running back Dennis Johnson of Texarkana.  Johnson (5-7, 195) is cat quick and showed an elusive burst that is going to make him hard to bring down.  For those who have not seen him, just imagine a younger, less experienced version of Maurice Jones-Drew of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Chip Gregory also looked much improved at running back after his injury-hampered spring.  Running hard and breaking tackles with strength is not a problem.  Hanging onto the ball, however, continues to be as Gregory fumbled again during one of the Hogs tackling drills.

– As for the quarterbacks, Tyler Wilson and Jim Youngblood are good prospects.  Both have strong arms and showed flashes.  But both probably need to redshirt if the Hogs can get by without playing them.

Wilson needs to improve his strength (especially in his lower body) and Youngblood needs to improve his mechanics.  Both of those deficiencies, of course, are pretty typical for most incoming freshman quarterbacks.

Ryan Mallett is just off the charts.  He will be a superstar when his time comes.

Finally, while other units were running their drills, quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee was taking two five-minute periods to work with all the quarterbacks on making the proper pre-snap check (audible) after a defensive shift.  Very interesting and fun to watch.

– On the defensive side, I felt a little better about the linebackers after getting a closeup view of Ryan Powers, Jermaine Love, Jerry Franklin, and Freddy Burton.  These four along with senior captain Elston Forte might be okay as a group, but they are so ‘smallish’ by SEC standards that it’s still an area of concern.

Some of the tackling drills on Saturday seemed to indicate that true freshman Tenarius Wright (6-2, 230) was taking a small step back for the moment.  It’s obvious that junior Wendel Davis needs to get healthy again over the next few weeks.

Heavy rains in the Fayetteville area forced the Hogs inside for the second practice on Saturday.  Expect some shakeups (like the move of Wade Grayson to first team) after the coaches review the film of Sunday’s scrimmage.  It should be a fun week to watch the depth chart.

So how can a team rebound after losing that kind of talent?  Enter stage left…the Class of 2008.

With Razorback players officially reporting August 3rd, the buzz around Fayetteville is all about the incoming skill players in this freshman group.  And after seeing the offensive and defensive systems put in by Bobby Petrino this spring, there are three positions that will need help immediately.

Wide Receiver — It’s hard to recruit wide receivers when kids can tell you don’t really know how (or want) to throw the ball effectively.  Let’s be honest…what the former regime left us is a stable of quality possession receivers and virtually no playmakers.  There is no ‘Percy Harvin‘ in the barn.

You can tell Coach Petrino is hoping for help in this area, especially from Joe Adams (6-0, 175, 4.4, CAC) and Jarius Wright (5-11, 180, 4.4, Warren).  These guys have the speed and quickness to play right away.

Some compare Adams to former Razorback Gary Anderson.  Looking at his highlight video, I can’t argue with that comparison.

Joe Adams Highlights

Linebacker — The most glaring question mark on defense is the lack of size and experience at the linebacker position.  After some transferred and others found themselves in trouble, the lines are painfully short here.

Speed is not a problem, as returning players Elston Forte, Freddy Burton and Jerry Franklin can hit hard and run like the wind. Bringing some much needed size, though, will be Tenarius Wright (6-3, 231, 4.6, Memphis Whitehaven).

Injured almost half of his senior year, Wright was a steal and signed with the Hogs over Miami, North Carolina and Memphis.  With the reduced numbers at linebacker, Wright could help out immediately.

Running Back — In the spring, starting tailback Michael Smith showed that he’s ready.  With elusive speed and quickness, Smith will be a very important part of the offense.  But at 5-7, 173, can he ‘tote the rock’ 25 times a game and hold up?  Not a chance.

De’Anthony Curtis (5-10, 211, 4.4, Camden Fairview) will be option ’1A’ before season’s end.  The sixth-ranked high school running back in the nation (Rivals.com) has the size and speed to share the load with Smith.

Several teams in the SEC employ a running back tag team due to the physical nature of the conference.  And judging by these highlights, Curtis looks ready to move up the Hogs depth chart quickly.

De’Anthony Curtis Highlights

It’s hard for freshmen to come in and contribute right away…but the elite ones can do it.  Expect these former Friday night stars to step up and play a prominent role on Saturdays for the Razorbacks this season.