Hogs off to hot start with Smith

Arkansas Coach John L. Smith (right) and offensive line coach Chris Klenakis (left) watch newcomers during Thursday’s opening day workouts at the school’s intramural fields.

— John L. Smith departed early from the first water break of camp, broke into a sprint and intentionally bumped into a sports writer on the sideline.

“What’s the weather?” Smith shouted in a jovial tone, before answering his own question. “Hot!”

No question there is a new vibe at the top of the Arkansas football program these days.

Smith’s style, gregarious and easygoing in practically any setting, is a stark contrast from the strict, at times harsh,practice demeanor of former coach Bobby Petrino.

The new-look Razorbacks opened fall camp with two sessions Thursday, with the newcomers hitting the field in the midafternoon with the temperature at 102 degrees under an excessive heat warning. The same warning applied when the veterans ran out for their 6:30 p.m. practice, too.

It didn’t seem to bother Smith too much. Several hours before the team’s opening workout, Smith tweeted: “Exciting first day of practice! I can see some steam rising.”

After the second practice,Smith was asked about his first day as a head coach at the major college level since 2006.

“I loved it,” he said. “I was fired up. ... It was an awesome day, really.”

Where the steam frequently rose from Petrino after blown assignments or botched alignments, Smith shouted only a few times, most notably after a bad step during a punt coverage drill with the newcomers. He was most demonstrative and vocal during special teams work.

The Razorbacks felt his presence.

“I think what he noticed was our attitude,” tailback Knile Davis said. “He knows we get it. We’re serious, and we’re ready to go prove it.”

Receiver Cobi Hamilton said the overall atmosphere was slightly different, but about like the players thought it would play out.

“He’s a little laid-back,” Hamilton said of Smith. “He’ll still put his word in and he’ll coach you.”

Quarterback Tyler Wilson said he felt Smith managed things well.

“We got a lot of reps in,which is important, and our tempo of practice was good,” Wilson said. “He did a good job running it.”

Wilson, speaking at SEC media days, might have summed up the transition from Petrino to Smith best.

“The difference is Coach Smith has an ability to walk in, single a guy out or discipline someone, and wink at him after he says it,” Wilson said. “He lets you know he’s still on your side. You’re still my guy, but I want you to do the right thing.

“That’s something a little bit different, something minor I noticed with him.”

Whereas “Get back in the huddle!” - sometimes with a colorful adjective thrown in - was a common growl from Petrino, that command was heard only a couple of times Thursday - though gentler - from offensive coordinator Paul Petrino. He, offensive line coach Chris Klenakis and receivers coach Kris Cinkovich were the biggest prodders during the newcomer practice.

At one point Cinkovich ordered his group: “Don’t show body language like you’re tired!”

Smith wandered to and fro from the defensive groups to the offensive side of the expansive intramural fields, spending a good amount of time with the offensive linemen early, then with the defense for recognition drills. Smith mirrored Petrino’s approach in that regard, though with a bit more time spent on defense.

Smith opened his post practice news conference at about 8:35 p.m. with an effusive approach about the veterans’ work.

“This is as good a practice as I can remember in 47-some years of coaching first day out, in that we got a ton of reps. ... We were sharp. There was energy,” Smith said. “We were in, we were out, we were sharp, we were flowing.

“It was good first day for us.”

Sports, Pages 17 on 08/03/2012