FAYETTEVILLE — Two of Arkansas’ biggest playmakers trotted back onto the practice field Tuesday, but their status heading into the Florida game is still up in the air.
Sophomore receiver Jarius Wright (concussion) and tailback Michael Smith (hamstring) are considered day-to-day after suffering their respective injuries againstAuburn on Saturday.
Running backs coach Tim Horton said he’s “certainly anticipating” and “planning” on Smith playing Saturday when the Hogs travel to No. 1 Florida fora 2:30 p.m. CT kickoff.
In the sessions open to the media, Smith worked sparingly in drills Tuesday during the first 20 minutes of practice. Smith was injured just before the close of the third quarter Saturday and hobbled near the end of an 11-yard run.
Smith ran for a touchdown and a season-high 145 yards on 18 carries in the 44-23 win over Auburn.
Wright, who is second on the team with 328 receiving yards, was cleared to return to practice after exercise evaluations Monday.
“I think it’s just a dayto-day thing, but they looked good,” offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said.
Adams stays positive
Sophomore Joe Adams was back on the practice field in shorts and a jersey Tuesday, participating in a limited capacity after he suffered a mild stroke early last week.
Adams lined up as a defensive back early in drills, thrust his hands up as receivers ran past the line of scrimmage and kept away from doing anything physically taxing.
“He really cares about his team and his teammates,” Paul Petrino said. “He just likes to be around and helping guys out. His spirits seem real good, real upbeat.”
It helps that Adams, who underwent tests at the UAMS Medical Center in Little Rock on Friday, has a better understanding of his situation. Running back Dennis Johnson said Adams was “moping” last week before players knew the situation surrounding the receiver.
“He’s a funny guy,” Johnson said. “I knew something was wrongwith the way he was walking around like that.”
Petrino attributes that to him being nervous because “he wasn’t sure what was going on.”
“Now that he knows, he feels that he’s OK, that things are going to be better and his spirits are a lot better,” Petrino said.
Crawford back in form
London Crawford’s aura of brimming confidence hadn’t been seen much since he broke a collarbone in the season opener on Sept. 5.
That changed Tuesday after a game under his belt, a couple of catches against Auburn and some glowing words of praise from his position coach.
“London had his best day of practice today,” Paul Petrino said Tuesday.
Crawford said he’s back to full speed and has regained his confidence heading into Saturday.
“To be able to go against Florida, a physical team,” Crawford said, “... it’s going to feel good to be back out there with those guys. I feel like I’m going to be a big deal in that game.”
Most important to Petrino is that Crawford’s increased presence will help sophomore Greg Childs, Arkansas’ leading receiver with 345 yards and four touchdowns. Crawford spelled the sophomore against Auburn, and came up with two catches for 10 yards to help the Hogs.
Childs was able to rest on the sideline with Crawford back in the lineup and it resulted in big plays and better blocking, Petrino said. Childs finished with a team-high 85 receiving yards and one touchdown.
“Really, we had our best game period at receiver,” Petrino said. “... It helped playing a couple of more guys and keeping them fresh.”
Big ratings for SEC
Whether it was Tim Tebow’s presence or just the fact it was a game of national championship contenders, the SEC scored big television ratings in primetime Saturday.
Florida’s 13-3 win over LSU in Baton Rouge, La., earned a preliminary national rating of 6.1, according to the SEC. It’s the highest rating for a college football game this season, and the highest for a college football game on CBS since the SEC Championship last season.
SEC games on CBS this season have averaged a 3.8 rating, which is the highest in 10 years for the network.
Arkansas plays No. 1 Florida on CBS at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday.
Sports, Pages 10 on 10/14/2009