Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/5/2010 at 7:51am

Bobby Petrino was asked a week ago how he felt with football practice just around the corner. He left little doubt…

“I’m tired of talking. Tired of hearing what’s going on out there,” Petrino said. “We’re just ready to get on the practice field and get to work.”

Petrino, of course, has done plenty of talking in the offseason. He, his assistants and Razorbacks players have used every opportunity available to verbalize their expectations for 2010.

Competing for a Southeastern Conference title is on their agenda. Win the SEC, they point out, and a national title is within reach.

Lofty stuff.

Is Arkansas ready for backing up the chatter that’s been so prevalent in the offseason?

Good question. We won’t know the answer to that for a while.

Other questions — including a few submitted by some of our ArkansasSports360.com friends via Twitter — are a little easier to get a read on as the Razorbacks begin camp. Below we present a few burning questions to ponder in the August heat.

Remember, newcomers report at 3:30 p.m. and the veterans report at 6 p.m.

Is Ryan Mallett ready? How’s his mobility?
Until there’s proof otherwise, the most talked about left foot in football is expected to be fine. He was supposed to begin running off a treadmill earlier this week and while Mallett could likely have issues with conditioning, coaches think his film room work and hands-on approach in summer workouts despite the injury will carry over onto the field.

Mallett, who set or tied 16 school records last year, wasn’t the most fleet of foot to begin with, so there does seem like cause for concern when it comes to him moving around and avoiding defenses.

Provided the foot is OK, the real question surrounding Mallett is how well he executes the things he’s learned in the offseason to shorten his stride and improve accuracy.

Who will carry the running back load? (@RonKMiller)
Have you ever believed a coach that claims to have four players equally capable of starting at one position?

That’s the case Petrino makes at running back and he might not be that far off — believe it or not. Dennis Johnson, Ronnie Wingo Jr., Knile Davis and Broderick Green all averaged at least 4.2 yards per carry last year. Wingo gained an eye-popping 6.5 yards each attempt, while Green was the team’s most consistent scoring threat with 11 rushing touchdowns. Davis tested at 4.37 in the 40-yard dash testing, a top five time on the team. Johnson contributed 246 all-purpose yards in a game last year against Florida.

See? These guys really are quality and give Petrino the options he craves at the position. As he’s said since he got here, Petrino wants multiple backs capable of wearing down defenses as the game gets into the fourth quarter. Petrino seems to have that.

So, who will carry the running back load? Take your pick.

What newcomers seem poised to make contributions? (Brian, via email)
Freshmen and redshirt freshmen will be the first players we see on the field. Petrino is dividing up the first four practices to get newcomers out before the veterans.

Even so, we might not know what first-year guys are ready to play until the groups combine next week.

Based on reports from summer strength and conditioning workouts defensive tackle Byran Jones and defensive end Chris Smith seem like possibilities.

Need at linebacker could push freshmen Jarret Lake and Braylon Mitchell into action. Somebody among the four incoming wide receivers will need to standout to get playing time and provide depth.

Does Alex Tejada have any real competition at place kicker? (@hogmascot)
Absolutely.

And not only that, but punter Dylan Breeding should be pushed in practice as well. Petrino brought in a pair of freshmen kickers to ramp up the special teams competition.

Tejada, who struggled mightily in the spring after delivering a game-winner in the Liberty Bowl, will kick for playing time against Eduardo Camara. Camara was ranked by recruiting services as a Top 20 kicker in the country. Zack Hocker of Russellville will attempt to win the kickoff job and will get a look at punter after averaging 45 yards per punt in high school.

There will be more focus on special teams this year at Arkansas — inside and outside the program — than you’ll typically find.

Will the defense be better? (@hogtrough and most folks I encounter. Might be the most popular question – even more popular than Ryan Mallett’s foot.)

Check back after the Georgia game on September 19. We’ll visit then.

OK. You’re probably looking for more than that.

To me, the defensive line will be a strength of the football team. That will help. It remains to be seen what Rudell Crim’s move to safety will mean, but it does open up more playing time for Darius Winston, who by all accounts has benefited from a year in the program’s strength program.

Linebacker is an issue, one that might not truly be solved until the season gets going.

Whoever the personnel at each position, the team has to tackle better. Look for that to be an emphasis.

Who is one defensive razorback that the hogs cant afford to lose? (@rzrbckmaniac)
There is no overstating the value of Jerry Franklin at linebacker. He was the team’s leading tackler in 2010 (94) and we all remember the defense falling apart without him late in last year’s loss to Georgia.

There is an argument to be made, though, for defensive back Isaac Madison. Sure, Madison didn’t play last year because of knee trouble and he didn’t tackle in the spring, but the team needs him healthy. Not only would Madison provide depth and experience in the secondary, he is, as Petrino described in the spring, a “calming factor” on the defense. He’s a smart player and a solid tackler, something the defense doesn’t seem to have enough of.

And a bonus question submitted via Twitter…

What is Ryan Mallet's opinion on the various Establishment Clause tests within the Supreme Court jurisprudence? (@cscrawf86)
I’d argue this question is a clear violation of our Constitutional right to maintain a separation between law school and football if it wasn’t for defensive end Jake Bequette, who is actually hoping to enroll in law school this fall. Bequette, a redshirt junior, has already graduated and is hoping to juggle both law school and football. Bequette’s father, Jay, is a lawyer in Little Rock and a former Razorback.

Tagged: Southeastern Conference, Alex Tejada, Ryan Mallett's Foot, Darius Winston, Jerry Franklin, Knile Davis, Ronnie Wingo Jr., Broderick Green, Dennis Johnson, jurisprudence, Establishment Clause tests, Law school, Isaac Madison, Jake Bequette, football, Ryan Mallett, Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks