Razorbacks report

UA gets big push up front

Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes, shown speaking to the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club on Wednesday, said the Razorbacks have not increased blitzing in their two-game winning streak, it just appears that way. Haynes said tighter coverage in the secondary is a contributing factor.

— Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes said the Razorbacks haven’t drastically increased their blitzing during their twogame winning streak, it just looks that way.

“It might look like we’re blitzing more, but we’re getting four-man pressure,” Haynes said Wednesday during a lunch appearance at the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club. “Our back end is actually doing a better job of covering, so therefore we’re getting fourman pressure and three-man pressure.”

Defensive end Trey Flowers, who had 3 1/2 sacks in the Razorbacks’ 24-7 victory at Auburn on Oct. 6, said Haynes cut the pass rushers loose before that game.

“He told us ... to just get after the quarterback and make sure we sack the quarterback,” Flowers said.

Haynes said Flowers and fellow end Chris Smith have been getting pressure all season, but the reins might have been pulled back too much early in the year.

“When you go back and look at ... what you were asking those guys to do, we were probably making them stop the run a little bit too much,” Haynes said. “We let them go a little bit these last couple of weeks, let them get up the field. ... When you can do that with those guys, you don’t have to blitz as much.”

Pads popping

Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino described Tuesday’s practice as one of the year’s most energetic, and defensive coordinator Paul Haynes added to that review Wednesday.

“It was that way for the defense, and it was that way today also,” Haynes said. “You know, high energy, a lot of banging.”

Wallace’s way

Arkansas players have noted this week that Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace might not be as fast as Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel, but he fits into the quality running quarterback mold they have seen this season.

“He’s just as good running the ball as he is throwing the ball, and that makes him a duel threat,” defensive tackle Alfred Davis said.

“He’s very elusive,” defensive end Trey Flowers said.

“At first we thought he was just a regular quarterback,” defensive tackle Jared Green said. “Then we kept watching film and we noticed he can actually run the ball. You have to respect all of them. He’s a nice athlete.”

New breed

Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze was asked this week about Arkansas’ struggles against running quarterbacks and how Bo Wallace might fare Saturday.

Freeze was quick to note it’s hard to compare anyone to Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel.

“I think Manziel is a whole different animal,” Freeze said. “I think everyone’s going to struggle with him. He’s like watching a video game from the sideline.

“And his were — I’ve watched that film quite closely — his were not designed quarterback runs [against Arkansas]. Those were him creating things, just like he’s done against most everyone.”

Rouse honored

Former Arkansas running back James Rouse will serve as the A Club honorary captain for the Razorbacks’ 11:21 a.m. game against Ole Miss on Saturday in Little Rock.

A native of Little Rock, Rouse lettered four seasons (1985, 87-89) and led the Razorbacks in rushing in three of those years. His best season was 1987, when he rushed for 1,004 yards and scored 17 touchdowns, the second-best singleseason total in school history.

Rouse, a member of the Hogs’ All-Decade team of the 1980s, ranks sixth at Arkansas with 2,887 career rushing yards, fifth with 559 carries and third with 39 touchdowns. He played on three 10-victory teams and two that won Southwest Conference championships.

Worth noting

Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes said freshman linebacker A.J. Turner and sophomore cornerback Tevin Mitchel are projected to be in the starting lineup Saturday. Turner made his first start against Kentucky, while Mitchel, a starter in the first two games, came off the bench against the Wildcats after missing the previous four games.

Kaelon Kelleybrew is likely to take more snaps in the cornerback rotation Saturday before he backs up Ross Rasner in the “Star” spot, Haynes said.

Sports, Pages 22 on 10/25/2012