Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

11/11/2011 at 10:31am

Without the benefit of being in the room during film study, it’s hard to say exactly what jumps off the screen to Arkansas players when breaking down a Tennessee team they insist is impressive. What has jumped out this week, however, is how hard Coach Bobby Petrino, offensive coordinator Garrick McGee and defensive coordinator Willy Robinson have worked to sell Tennessee (4-5, 0-5) as a worthy challenger to the No. 8 Razorbacks (8-1, 4-1).

Whether players really see a talented team on video is unknown, but it’s clear they’re hearing from coaches that the Volunteers are talented. There are always kind words about opposing individual players and coaches, but this week the staff seems to have talked more than usual about how good Tennessee is in spite of its record.

It feels like there has been an effort by coaches to build up the Volunteers, who are in the midst of a five-game SEC losing streak and count a win against No. 23 Cincinnati as the best of their four victories this season. Perhaps the staff is offering a legitimate warning to the Razorbacks and Tennessee is better than advertised. Maybe this is a Volunteers’ program in better shape than the story of pulling a kicker off a fraternity house couch last week would suggest.

Or — and here’s where my money is — this is Petrino searching for ways to get the Razorbacks going. We know what happens when this team isn’t properly engaged. Falling behind by double-digits and staging a remarkable comeback is a scenario that has played out time and again this season when the opponent hasn’t seemed interesting to Arkansas.

So it’s possible the Volunteers really are the best 0-5 team in the SEC. Maybe a 24-0 victory against Middle Tennessee is just the beginning of a breakout for Tennessee, who will again be without starting quarterback Tyler Bray. It is possible that Derek Dooley’s squad has just had a tough run of opponents, including four teams ranked in the Top 25 at the time of their meetings.

From here, though, this looks more like a coach, one who typically favors preparation in practice over emotion in the locker room, working to push buttons of his players. As the Razorbacks enter what McGee called “the fourth quarter of the season,” they need to be sharp and zeroed in on gamed day. 

Arkansas put together its most complete game of 2011 last week against South Carolina. Even in winning 44-28 and getting big plays in all three phases there was a feeling that the team had underperformed.

Petrino is doing all he can to ensure these final few weeks are as satisfying as possible.

Naturally, Petrino is also appealing to his team’s emotional side by asking that the team’s 17 seniors get a proper sendoff this weekend. Arkansas plays its final game of 2011 in Razorback Stadium on Saturday, and Petrino wants it to be special. These guys were Petrino’s first recruiting class and make up the foundation of a team that went from 5-7 to the verge of consecutive 10-win seasons for the first time since joining the SEC.

[Jim Harris focused on the seniors, especially wide receivers Joe Adams and Jarius Wright, in his Wednesday column.]

Petrino is doing what he can to get the best out of this team. For all the statistical success the Razorbacks have had in leading the SEC in passing offense (318.7), kickoff returns (25.8), scoring offense (37.7), total offense (450.9) and first downs (22.8), there is still room for improvement.

Arkansas’ focus can be better and Petrino recognizes that.

“It’s all about finishing,” Petrino said.

Beat Tennessee and only one game remains until a potential SEC West championship game in Baton Rouge. Win convincingly this week and next and the Razorbacks will once again be peaking at the right time to end the regular season. And there will be no extra motivation or buildup needed for that one.

Tagged: Tennessee Volutneers, Derek Dooley, Garrick McGee, Willy Robinson, Bobby Petrino, Arkansas Razorbacks