FAYETTEVILLE — Bobby Petrino and Arkansas took their lumps a season ago, when the Razorbacks stumbled to a losing record in their first season under the coach.

Then, on their final drive of the final game, the Hogs offered a warning to the rest of the Southeastern Conference.

"LSU probably wasn't as powerful as they've been in the past, but they were a good team last year and we beat them," defensive lineman Malcolm Sheppard said. "It just motivated us for this season."

Arkansas finished the 2008 season with a last-minute, 31-30 win against LSU, and that game changed the Razorbacks' outlook heading into the offseason. Now, with eight starters returning on offense and nine on defense, Arkansas is hoping to improve on last season's 5-7 record.

Perhaps nobody is more eager than Petrino, who was vilified after abruptly leaving the Atlanta Falcons to come to Fayetteville in December 2007. The outcry over his nomadic ways has died down a bit, and Petrino appears comfortable entering his second season at Arkansas.

"The first year you're going out there sometimes and there's still question and doubt on what you're doing, what the coach is asking you to do," Petrino said. "The second year, you see a lot of improvement."

SEC fans know all about that. Urban Meyer won a national championship in his second season at Florida, and Nick Saban took Alabama to the Sugar Bowl in his second season there. Will Arkansas be the next team on the rise? It's possible, but the Razorbacks will have to overcome a brutal schedule that includes road games against Alabama, Florida, Mississippi and LSU.

"In order to be the best, you've got to beat the best," tight end D.J. Williams said. "The schedule's tough, but we're not going to look at it and be scared. We're just going to look at it as a challenge."

Williams was a focal point of the offense last season along with running back Michael Smith. Both are back, and they'll be joined by Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett, who is now eligible to play quarterback after sitting out a season.

"He has the strongest arm in college football," Williams said. "I've got to watch out for my fingers. He's hurt a couple of them already."

Mallett has three years of eligibility remaining, and he's been pushed this offseason by redshirt freshman Tyler Wilson. The quarterbacks will have a chance to establish chemistry with a young group of receivers, including Joe Adams, who caught 31 passes as a freshman.

Defensively, Arkansas will need a big improvement after allowing 31 points per game last season. Sheppard led the Razorbacks with 6.5 sacks a season ago, and linebacker Jerry Franklin also returns after leading the team in tackles. The secondary was a weak point at times in 2008, and freshman Darius Winston could receive immediate playing time there this year.

Arkansas was picked fourth in the SEC West in a preseason media poll, and a run at the conference title might be a bit far fetched this year. Still, the Razorbacks should have every opportunity to build on that exciting finish to 2008.

"We talk a lot about what our expectations are," Petrino said. "We understand we know we are going to be a better football team. I think we can be better than a lot of people think. The bottom line is we have to go out there and prove it."