FAYETTEVILLE — Balance is the watchword for the Bobby Petrino Spread offense scheduled for its grand unveiling at Arkansas in Saturday’s season opener against Western Illinois.

Balance between the run and the pass.

Balance between throwing to receivers and throwing to running backs.

The reputation of Petrino’s offense that preceded him into the Ozarks is of an attackall-quadrants system, and that’s certainly the case. But until it is witnessed in action day after day, play after play, you don’t have the proper appreciation for Petrino’s utilization of the backs in the passing game.

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“It’s real important because it makes the defense defend the whole field,” offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said. “Otherwise, they can just count on the backs always in for protection, and the linebackers can get underneath other people’s routes. It’s important that we use them to stretch the defense out.”

The system clearly calls for some blocking duties for the running backs, but they’ll also get a workout as the target of quarterback Casey Dick’s passes. This part of the offense is just as critical as bootlegs or draw plays in a four-wide formation or periodic home-run calls in the passing game.

“It has to be because we have a lot of small backs,” junior tailback Michael Smith said. “You want to get small, quick backs the ball out in space. You don’t want to run them through the tackles 25 times a game because it’s a long season and that will wear us down.”

Circle routes, swing passes, screens, go routes as a motion man or a split receiver, dump passes as the outlet guy — they’re all in the mix.

“I love that part of the offense, the back getting in the passing game,” freshman running back Dennis Johnson said.

“When defenses drop to take away curl zones or hook zones, then the people that you check the ball down to at that point are the running backs,” running backs coach Tim Horton said. “So we’re really blessed because they [Arkansas’ running backs ] all have good hands, and they know what to do with it after they catch it.”

Tuesday’s practice was like many others for the backs, with periods set up for catching a variety of passes. And when all the team periods were done, the backs ran drills where they’d run back and forth catching three passes from Horton and freshman quarterback Jim Youngblood, then sprint downfield. Several of those circuits featured zero drops by the entire running back crew — tailbacks and fullbacks.

“Our backs do a great job catching the ball, and I think that’ll be a key ingredient to us in the passing game,” Paul Petrino said.

In the running-backs-as-receivers department, this is one appropriate comparison to the Razorbacks’ attack from last year.

Running backs Peyton Hillis, Darren McFadden and Felix Jones ranked 1-2-3 in receptions among Razorbacks last season. Although that trend isn’t likely to be duplicated with the 2008 team, the backs’ reception total of 92 from last year is a fair target for this group.

Coach Bobby Petrino has clearly gained confidence from the group as he’s watched them motor out of the backfield and grab passes.

“Our running backs can catch the ball, all of them, and they adjust well to the ball,” he said. “I think that’s as big as [having good ] hands. Being able to open your hips, adjust when the ball’s behind you, adjust when it’s high and keep your balance. They can all do that.”

Said Horton: “As far as hands are concerned, there’s not a clawhammer in the bunch. They can all catch pretty well.”

Converted linebacker Chip Gregory rated his hands at 9 on a scale of 10, and said every other tailback is roughly the same.

“You’re out in the open field, usually, when they swing it out to us, so you have about one defender, and you have time to either break a tackle or make them miss,” Gregory said. “So I think it works out well, throwing to the backs.

“ It’s just another thing Coach Petrino adds to the package.”