Petrino still mum on starter

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino has a notion whether he’ll start senior Casey Dick or redshirt freshman Nathan Dick at quarterback against Mississippi State on Saturday, and he plans to tell the brothers today.

“I kind of have it in the back of my mind who it will be,” Petrino said after the Razorbacks’ Thursday practice inside the Walker Pavilion. “But we’ll go through the meetings [today ] before I announce who it’s going to be.”

Petrino got a chuckle out of saying he’d reveal his decision at quarterback on the trip to Starkville, Miss., and away from media members, but he did indicate both of the brothers probably will see action during Saturday’s 1: 30 p. m. game at Scott Field.

Casey Dick has made 28 consecutive starts, during which the Razorbacks have gone 14-14. He has 11 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, and he ranks sixth in the SEC with a passer efficiency rating of 120. 7.

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Nathan Dick has one collegiate series under his belt, an 87-yard touchdown drive at South Carolina two weeks ago after Casey suffered a concussion. Nathan Dick has appeared to start drills and periods with the first team more often this week. “I’ve been impressed with how it’s been nothing about brother,” Petrino said. “I wanted to see how they’d react to that. They’re both very competitive. “ They’ve both spent a lot of extra time in the meeting room, a lot of extra time watching video, a lot of extra time verbalizing the play and then visualizing it. So I think they’ve worked real hard to get themselves ready, and that’s the reason why I’ll probably play both of them.”

Tailback trio ? Offensive rotations might be the order of the day for Arkansas in Starkville, Miss. Razorbacks Coach Bobby Petrino said tailback Michael Smith, who is recovering from a stinger, probably will share more reps with Brandon Barnett and Dennis Johnson than he has at any point this season when healthy.

Smith leads the SEC with 21. 4 carries per game and is second in rushing with an average of 112. 4 yards per game behind Georgia’s Knowshon Moreno (113. 1 ).

“Brandon’s done a nice job working hard at it, and we still need to get the ball to D. J. some, too, because he’s got the explosiveness to go the distance,” Petrino said. “And I do like the way Michael has practiced all week. He’s got his quickness back and his speed back, and he’s cutting a lot better.” Personnel report

Redshirt freshman Grant Cook (knee ) likely has earned rotating time at strong guard with sophomore DeMarcus Love, Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino said.

True freshman quarterback Tyler Wilson has been cleared to throw passes at practice but have no contact after a long bout with mononucleosis. Wilson opened the season as the second-team quarterback and saw limited relief duty against Alabama and Texas in which he completed 11 of 22 passes for 69 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions.

Both Bobby and offensive coorrdinator Paul Petrino said this week the school would ask the NCAA for a medical redshirt season for Wilson.

Junior cornerback Jerell Norton has been cleared to participate on a limited basis in practice, but his playing time is done for the season, Bobby Petrino said. Norton had hamstring surgery in the spring, more surgery for what Petrino said Thursday was appendicitis early in camp, then he re-injured the hamstring early in the season. Destructive machines

Mississippi State Coach Sylvester Croom said one of the things he’s learned this season is having more patience with his players, saying they are under far more pressure now than when he played in the mid- to late-1970 s.

“They’re expected to be perfect citizens off the field and destructive machines on the field,” Croom said.

On a tear Arkansas defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard is having a junior year to remember. Sheppard posted two sacks against South Carolina to boost his season total to a team-high 1 4 / 2 sacks. Sheppard is second on the team behind Jerry Franklin with 56 tackles, and the Bainbridge, Ga., product leads the team with 10 tackles for loss, 11 quarterback hurries and 2 forced fumbles.