FAYETTEVILLE — Until Sept. 8, Chris Gragg treasured all of his Arkansas Razorbacks memories of War Memorial Stadium and Little Rock.
The Sept. 8 nightmare pains Arkansas’ fifth-senior tight end from Warren like the dislocated ankle that forced him to redshirt in 2009 and the severe knee/lower leg bruise he sustained Sept. 22 against Rutgers in Fayetteville that sidelined him the next three games.
Gragg is expected to return today against Ole Miss. He also returns to War Memorial Stadium, which was the site of the second game of his college career back in 2008. Gragg’s stunning 25-yard catch of Casey Dick’s late fourth-and-1 pass propelled Arkansas’ game-winning drive in a 28-27 victory over Louisiana-Monroe.
That memory stands tall among his Little Rock memories, but not alone. Gragg always watched Arkansas win its annual two games in Little Rock.
Until Sept. 8.
That’s when Louisiana-Monroe sprang a 34-31 overtime upset that started Arkansas’ four-game losing streak.
Today is Gragg’s last chance to replace that nightmare with a Little Rock memory to last a lifetime.
“I know that was my first loss in Little Rock as a Razorback,” Gragg said. “We want to go back and redeem ourselves because this is my last one.”
Gragg is grateful just to play again considering what he heard Sept. 22 when he went down with his leg injury.
“It did kind of scare me, because I did hear some cracking and popping going on in there after it happened,” Gragg said.
The major ankle injury he sustained in 2009 trained him to think positively through this major knee leg injury.
“In my mind everything was fine,” Gragg said. “The doctors, Dr. [Chris] Arnold and the training staff, have done a great job. Hopefully I can go out there and be the same factor that I was before I got hurt.”
Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and fifth-year senior quarterback Tyler Wilson believe Gragg will factor as well as ever judging from recent practices.
Even missing more than half of Arkansas’ seven games, Gragg’s 19 catches rank second on the team. His 234 receiving yards rank third. He’s still on the watch list for Mackey Award, given to college football’s top tight end.
“I missed three games and three quarters, but I do think the rust is coming off,” Gragg said. “Tyler and everybody has been telling me I have been looking good and he has been throwing the ball to me a lot.”
Include Petrino among that support group.
“He’s moving around good,” Petrino said. “I expect him to come out there and contribute and make good plays for us.”
Wilson told media what he told Gragg.
“He looked like he hasn’t missed a beat,” Wilson said. “He’s catching the ball just like he always catches it. He’s fast. I don’t think he’s lost a step, so I expect him to be full go.”
Given the “wonderful job” that Gragg said backup tight end Austin Tate did replacing him, and Arkansas’ consecutive SEC victories against Auburn and Kentucky, Gragg just wants his return to enhance the offense, not disrupt it.
“The Kentucky game was how we want the offense to click, and I just want to go elevate that since I am back,” Gragg said. “I don’t want to miss a beat.”
Sports, Pages 20 on 10/27/2012