FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas’ four team captains agreed that taking Saturday off followed by a shortened practice on Sunday has put a hop in their step.
“I felt incredibly like faster today,” center Travis Swanson said. “It felt really good today.”
The Razorbacks began game-week for Louisiana-Lafayette Sunday with a lighter work load. They’ll have today off as well, as strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert’s staff continues to rejuvenate bodies for the 12-game season.
“I did feel fresher,” defensive end Chris Smith said. “The whole team did. … It was good to get recovered.”
Fullback Kiero Small, who missed camp time witha sore foot, said he’s back to 100 percent.
“Me and Kody [Walker] were talking about it in warm-ups, how we’re kind of getting our legs back,” Small said.
Said defensive tackle Robert Thomas, “I feel like we definitely got our legs back. … By our first practice again [Tuesday] we’re going to be fine.”Injury report
Arkansas enters game week with one player lost for the season, receiver Demetrius Wilson, who underwent knee ligament surgery last Wednesday.
Additionally, receiver D’Arthur Cowan (foot), linebacker Otha Peters (broken arm) and tight end Austin Tate (shoulder surgery) are projected to miss several weeks.
Rookies abound
Fifteen true and redshirt freshmen are on the two deep chart, which was released Sunday. The chart included three-deep listings at a few positions. None of the freshmen who appear on the depth chart are listed as starters.
Seven freshmen made the offensive depth chart: receiver Eric Hawkins, tight ends Hunter Henry and Jeremy Sprinkle, running back Alex Collins, and linemen Cordale Boyd, Denver Kirkland and Dan Skipper.
Eight freshmen are listed on the 2-deep defense: linemen Brandon Lewis, JaMichael Winson, Taiwan Johnson, Darius Philon and Deatrich Wise, linebacker Brooks Ellis, and defensive backs D.J. Dean and Jared Collins.
Collins, Henry, Kirkland and Skipper, Dean and Ellis are true freshmen.
Mama clean
Defensive end Chris Smith relaxed like many of his teammates on Saturday, but he also tidied up to prepare for the arrival of his parents, William and Sherry Smith, who are coming to Fayetteville for next weekend’s season opener.
“I don’t want my Mom to be mad,” Smith said. “That was the the only thing I did physically. Other than that, I just rested my legs.”
Special Spaight
Martrell Spaight figures to get a lot of snaps at linebacker, but he’ll also be on all the special teams, Coach Bret Bielema said.
“He’s a really explosive player, and if he’s not starting we’d like to see him get on the field as soon as possible,” Bielema said. “Because he brings an element to the game that is very hard to create. Just his physicality and his big-play potential.”
Aloha
Arkansas has two players from Hawaii, tight end Mitchell Loewen and guard Reeve Koehler, and Bret Bielema said the Razorbacks plan to keep recruiting there.
Hawaii is listed as one of offensive line coach Sam Pittman’s recruiting areas in his media guide bio. He and Bielama visited Koehler in Hawaii last winter.
“I know Sam and I enjoyed our trip over there recruiting,” Bielema said. “As long as the AD doesn’t nix it, we might go over there and see what it brings.”
Watch the pros
Bret Bielema said he had the team’s video department put together a highlight tape of 10 plays from recent NFL games to show the Razorbacks.
“Of those 10 plays, five of them were special teams miscues,” Bielema said. “It’s something you can show to our kids - these are elite football players, this is the NFL, and look at the mistakes they’re making.
And it costs games.”
Cajuns’ camp
Louisiana-Lafayette wrapped up its training camp on Friday, just as the Hogs did, and third-year Coach Mark Hudspeth described it as a pretty good camp.
“The guys are ready,” Hudspeth said. “They were pretty focused today likethey have been for most of the last three weeks.
“I’m pleased that we got through camp without any season-ending injuries and we should have all of our regulars available next weekend. We have a chance to be a pretty good team if we can continue to stay healthy.”
It’s tight
Jared Collins and Will Hines continue to compete for the starting job at right cornerback this week, though the sophomore Hines edged ahead of redshirt freshman Collins on the depth chart. Coach Bret Bielema said last Friday it was still too close to name a starter.
“I’d say who practices better,” Bielema said. “I think that both of them will play significant roles. I don’t know if either one of them have proven to me that they can play a four-quarter game.”
Hines started nine games last season, and Collins had a good spring to exit those practices atop the depth chart.
Sports, Pages 18 on 08/26/2013