FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas has plenty of players returning at wide receiver. Trouble is, most of them didn’t do much receiving last season.

Besides senior Marcus Monk, the Razorbacks wide receiving corps returns no established threats. Monk led the team last season in nearly every meaningful statistical category associated with the position, racking up 50 catches for 962 yards and 11 touchdowns.

No other Razorback came close to matching that production.

Combine the statistics of the nine other players listed at either split end or flanker and the totals are an anemic 13 catches for 238 yards and 3 touchdowns. Last year’s second option at receiver, Damian Williams, had 19 catches for 235 yards and 2 touchdowns as a freshman, but he transferred to Southern California.

Receivers coach Alex Wood doesn’t want Monk, a 6-6, 220-pound senior from Lepanto, to do it all again this year. Improving wide receiver play is a must as Arkansas looks to improve on a 10-4 record and Capital One Bowl appearance.

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“I expect somebody to step up and take the pressure off of Monk and be able to make plays,” Wood said. “Whether or not that will happen, we’ll see.

“ I don’t know who it’s going to be, but with the numbers we’ve got, I believe we’ve got some guys to step up.” Finding additional options became even more important last week when Monk, the Razorbacks ’ career leader in touchdown catches (24 ), suffered a bruised bone in his right knee.

Monk was injured on the Razorbacks’ first day in full pads. He’ll miss an undetermined amount of practice as swelling in his knee is monitored, and the Razorbacks are preparing as if the preseason first-team All-SEC selection is not coming back.

Sophomore London Crawford and redshirt freshman Marques Wade are seeing the bulk of snaps at split end in place of Monk. Robert Johnson, who switched from quarterback to receiver last season, and Reggie Fish are seeing the bulk of work at flanker.

Wade had one catch in Saturday’s scrimmage for 15 yards, while Johnson added one for 12. Crawford and Fish did not record a reception.

Freshman Crosby Tuck drew rave reviews from offensive coordinator David Lee after Saturday’s scrimmage. Tuck, a 6-1, 185-pound flanker from Shiloh Christian in nearby Springdale, showed his athleticism with a pair of catches for 42 yards and a touchdown. Redshirt freshman Carlton Salters also snagged a pair of catches. He had 35 yards receiving and a touchdown.

Crawford, Johnson and Fish did little Saturday as Arkansas quarterbacks were a combined 19 of 44 for 185 yards, but those three have established themselves as the most consistent over the first week of practice. Even tailback Felix Jones has taken snaps at receiver in specific situations to give Arkansas another potential option there.

“We’ve got to get our best people on the field and get some more production out of our receivers,” Lee said. “We need some additional options out there. We need more production.” Lack of productivity among receivers in 2006 can be attributed to a number of factors.

Arkansas relied heavily on a ground attack that averaged 228. 5 yards per game to rank first in the SEC and fourth nationally. Considering the backfield included a pair of 1, 000-yard rushers in Heisman Trophy runner-up Darren McFadden and Jones, there’s little question the Razorbacks played to their strengths.

It wasn’t until a three-game losing streak to end the season that Arkansas’ one-dimensional approach was fully exposed. Better defenses revealed flaws in the Razorbacks’ route running and their ability to get off the line of scrimmage against cornerbacks playing press coverage.

With reliable pass-catching options out of the backfield, the Razorbacks also leaned on McFadden, Jones and fullback Peyton Hillis in passing situations. Hillis is second among returning players with 19 catches for 159 yards, but he had no receiving touchdowns.

Arkansas’s passing offense ranked 11 th in the SEC and 108 th nationally for a second consecutive season. Last year, the Razorbacks passed for an average of 149. 5 yards as the receivers struggled. It was the fourth time since 2001 Arkansas has failed to break 150 yards per game passing.

Wood has stressed better footwork and strength to aid in separation at the line of scrimmage. He’s also hammered home the importance of making catches with defenders close at hand.

In the players’ minds, Wood’s directives seem to be helping. Any improvement will be welcome as the Razorbacks look to relieve pressure on Monk and a ground game that figures to catch few defenses by surprise.

“We’ve come a long way since last year,” Fish said. “Coach Wood has really worked with us on getting that separation. He’s also harped on contested catches. We’re not always going to be open. When the cornerback is draped on your back, can you make the play ? We’re working on that.

“ We know we’ve got to get better at that, and I think we are.”