Razorbacks report

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/JASON IVESTER 10-17-09 Arkansas @ Florida football Arkansas defensive lineman DeQuinta Jones (92) leaps in attempt to block a field goal attempt against Florida on Saturday, Oct. 17, 2009 at Ben Hill Giffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla.

— Arkansas’ wealth of defensive tackles has given junior DeQuinta “D.D.” Jones an opportunity to move out and play end while also remaining in the tackle rotation.

“I love it, man,” Jones said. “I haven’t did it since high school, so it’s fun to me and I love it.”

Jones said the added responsibilities haven’t been more difficult in his playbook study.

“Defense is defense,” he said. “If you know what one man is doing, you should know what the whole defense is doing. So, I mean, it’s fine with me. It’s no big problem. I think I’ll enjoy it.”

QB bounce

Quarterbacks Tyler Wilson and Brandon Mitchell looked sharper in team and skeleton periods Saturday than they had in the previous practices.

Mitchell had one segment in a late team period in which he went 5 for 5, completing passes to Joe Adams, Chris Gragg, Jarius Wright, Cobi Hamilton and Marquel Wade. Mitchell also had several productive runs.

Childs improving

Senior receiver Greg Childs looked faster and more precise in his cuts Saturday, two days after his sluggish opening to camp.

“I think maybe fatigue played a part in it,” Coach Bobby Petrino said. “One thing, when you’re coming off an injury, your conditioning is maybe not as well as everybody else’s, but he did look better [Friday].”

Said offensive coordinator Garrick McGee: “He had major surgery, and it’s his first time being out there full blast with us. He’s got to get more comfortable, trust himself — he’s fine — and go play the way he can play.”

Nice catches

The best catches of the day were by sophomore Maudrecus Humphrey, who made an over-the-helmet catch on a deep post pass from Tyler Wilson, and tight end Colton Miles-Nash, who snagged a tight-spiraled Brandon Mitchell pass over the middle.

Welcoming D.J.

Junior Dennis Johnson appears to be back at full speed in his recovery from a severe abdominal injury that cost him the 2010 season and slowed him in the spring.

“It’s great to have D.J. back,” Coach Bobby Petrino said. “He’s as good a kickoff returner as there is out there.

“The great thing is he’s full speed. He’s cutting and seeing things. I’m proud of him because in spring he was struggling. It affected his attitude. He didn’t have a couple of good days in spring, but he stayed with it. He fought through it, had a great summer. He’s back 100 percent healthy and with a great attitude.”

Missing D.J.

D.J. Williams, who won the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end as an Arkansas senior, is in training camp with the Green Bay Packers and missed by his old team.

“He’s hard to replace in a number of ways,” Coach Bobby Petrino said. “We don’t smile as much around here anymore without D.J. ... We miss him already, the energy, the leadership he gave you just taking the field, just in stretch. We miss some of that.”

Breeding scores

Junior punter Dylan Breeding found out after spring practice he had been placed on scholarship in a meeting with Coach Bobby Petrino.

“It’s just such a relief for me to be on scholarship,” Breeding said. “That’s the thing I’ve been working for the last few years, besides being good on the field.

“It’s a milestone accomplishment for me to get this reward, and it’s nice for my parents, too, because they’ve been paying out-of-state tuition.”

Breeding, in his his third season, improved his average from 38.7 yards per punt as a freshman to 42.5 last year.

JC jump

With senior team captain Jerry Franklin out for Saturday’s 3 p.m. veterans practice while serving as the best man at a friend’s wedding, junior college transfer Robert Atiga moved up from the newcomers’ workout.

On a few snaps, Atiga and fellow junior transfer Alonzo Highsmith Jr. were lined up as the first-team linebackers in a five-man front.

Rasner’s remorse

Linebacker Ross Rasner did all the work required of him this summer, defensive coaches said, as he worked his way back from an indefinite suspension caused by his arrest the day before the Red-White spring game.

Rasner, of Waco, Texas, was charged with possession of a controlled substance and being a minor in possession of alcohol.

The junior, who saw substantial first-team work in the spring, has been running second team behind Jerico Nelson in camp.

“I’ve had to come back and work hard and prove to everybody that I really want to be a part of this team,” Rasner said. “I’m real remorseful about what happened, and I’m just really blessed and lucky that I got a chance to come back. ... I never want to go back to have anything like that happen because it just really hurt my family, and I’m just really lucky to be back.”

Worth noting

  • Jake Bequette, who has been in the backfield a bunch in camp, had a “sack” and a recovery of a failed handoff to Knile Davis on Saturday.

  • Freshman Kelvin Fisher worked with the running backs during individual drills in Saturday night’s practice for the newcomers, then intercepted a pass during team work at cornerback from Brandon Allen on a pass tipped by Darrell Smith.

  • Freshman Grady Ollison, recruited as a defensive end, continued to get work with the offensive line Saturday night.

  • The heat index exceeded 108 degrees for the veterans practice Saturday. It was 99 degrees when the newcomers started practice at 6:30 p.m.

Sports, Pages 28 on 08/07/2011