Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

8/14/2010 at 4:07pm

FAYETTEVILLE — Bobby Petrino seemed immediately unsure of what to make of Arkansas’ first preseason scrimmage.

There were big offensive plays and sustained drives early in the 178-play affair, but an overall lack of execution bothered him. On defense the Razorbacks forced turnovers and eliminated major breakdowns in the second half, but got off to a slow start.

Petrino liked bits and pieces of what he saw. Overall, the big picture seemed troubling.

“Maybe that’s when you are a good football team,” Petrino said. “One side does some good things and the other side does some good things.”

Arkansas gave Petrino good reason to ponder what is was he’d just seen. Both the offense and defense had standout moments on Saturday and each unit had its share of breakdowns in execution and judgment.

Whatever you were looking for — good or bad — you were likely to find.

Looking for signs the defense was better than it was in 2009?

Consider that all-SEC quarterback Ryan Mallett was just 16 of 33 in the “second half” with no touchdowns. Receivers dropped passes that could have gone for good chunks of yardage, but they were often fighting for catches with defensive backs around.

Alfred Davis and Jake Bequette found their way into the backfield multiple times.

To the defense, it was a sign things are better than last year.

“I think we are definitely an improved group and I definitely think we have a lot more to go,” cornerback Ramon Broadway said.

Want proof the offense is poised to again be one of the best units in the SEC?

Tight end D.J. Williams was more of a factor in the offense. He caught seven passes for 75 yards. Sophomore wide receiver Cobi Hamilton averaged 20.4 yards per catch and finished with a pair of touchdowns.

Running back Broderick Green showed ability as a short-yardage back and broke free for some longer runs. He battered the defense on the goal line for a couple of touchdowns and even had a 20-yard reception for a touchdown. Dennis Johnson added 10 carries for 70 yards and Ronnie Wingo had 87 yards on 13 caries and seemed to do a good job picking up pressure and blocking.

There was enough positive on offense for Mallett to reiterate how prolific the offense can be. Of course it came with a disclaimer based on Saturday’s performance.

“I feel like can’t really any defense stop us if we’re executing,” Mallett said. “But what we’ve got to do is execute and we didn’t do very well executing today.”

Mallett was upset with himself, but didn’t have a terrible day. He completed 24 of 45 passes for 267 yards and a touchdown. Tyler Wilson was better, completing 16 of 24 for 265 yards and five touchdowns, though his numbers came against the second-team defense.

Consistency was hard to come by for both units, though. Arkansas’ offense was at its best in the opening “half” and then the defense looked better after “halftime” when the team gathered in the northeast corner of the stadium for a break from the heat.

See why Petrino’s thoughts seemed so varied? In the immediate aftermath it was hard to get a read on which side got the best of Saturday’s scrimmage.

“It will be interesting to watch the video,” Petrino said.

Tagged: Ryan Mallett, Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks