FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas picked up some information from watching video of the University of Central Arkansas' 42-35 loss at Texas Tech in the season opener for both teams, and Razorbacks Coach Bret Bielema said some of his assistants have talked to UCA coaches as well as some of the Red Raiders' opponents from last year while preparing for Saturday's game in Lubbock, Texas.
"Yeah, you can take certain things," Bielema said. "There's different clips not only from this year, but from a year ago."
UCA Coach Steve Campbell summarized his team's approach to the Red Raiders.
"We knew they were going to have around 12 possessions and we needed to make them punt a couple of times," Campbell said. "We needed to get a couple of turnovers, and we needed to force them into a couple of field goals ... because they're prolific scoring."
The Bears, who led 16-7 midway through the second quarter, intercepted two passes by Davis Webb in the early going and forced a punt in each half. But the Red Raiders scored six touchdowns on their 13 possessions and settled for one field goal try, which they missed.
Tech gained 636 yards and Webb completed 39 of 52 passes for 452 yards and 4 touchdowns, 2 of them to Brad Marquez, who caught 11 passes for 184 yards.
"You're not going to completely shut down a team like Texas Tech," Campbell said. "They've got too much speed and their scheme is too good, too many great players. What you've got to do is make them take the long haul."
Injury update
Apparently cornerback Tevin Mitchel will make his season debut against Texas Tech after recovering faster than expected from a hamstring injury he suffered midway through camp.
"Tevin is looking good. I'm excited for him and he'll have a role for us," defensive coordinator Robb Smith said. "We can move him around a little bit and do some things and help us with some matchups, especially with four wide receivers on the field."
Smith said defensive end Deatrich Wise, who sat out last week to rest his bruised knee, practiced this week and projects to have an expanded role against the Red Raiders.
Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said running back Korliss Marshall "seemed to be" ready for the game after missing last week.
Get it together
Asked if he thought this might be the week Texas Tech pulls everything together on offense after a couple of shaky showings, Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith turned the question around.
"I'm looking at this as the week we kind of get it all together," Smith said. "That's kind of been our approach this week.
"I think our guys have had a really good week of practice. I think we're in a good place right now."
Leaving Idalou
Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney has coached a couple of games at Texas Tech and has visited Lubbock numerous times.
His mother is from Idalou, Texas, which is about 12 miles northeast of Lubbock.
"I've spent a lot of days in West Texas myself, as a baby, as a child growing up," Chaney said. "Christmas there all the time. Yeah, I'm familiar with West Texas."
Tough slate
Arkansas' opponents are 20-3 on the season, with two of the losses coming by Football Championship Subdivision member Nicholls State and the other coming in Alabama-Birmingham's 47-34 loss at Mississippi State on Saturday.
Horse sense
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said Monday he had not been made aware that an actual horse gallops onto the field with a masked rider at Texas Tech home games.
"I'm worried about the 11 on the field, but duly noted," Bielema said. "I'll make sure that we have horse awareness."
Whistles
An SEC officiating crew will call Saturday's game, with a Big 12 crew making the trip to Fayetteville for next year's meeting between Arkansas and Texas Tech.
Young 'uns
Offensive coordinator Jim Chaney got a kick out of receivers coach Michael Smith's younger children running and playing in the lobby of the Smith Football Center on Sunday night, which is treated as a family night by the football program.
Chaney, who was interviewing with the media at the time, paused before answering a question about the Razorbacks' five one-play touchdown drives.
"I love kids," Chaney said. "Do you really think they care about third and 1?
"I remember when my youngest was young, I'd come home and she'd say, 'Did you have a game today, Dad?' She wouldn't know. But it was awesome."
Crazy clock
Arkansas scored so quickly and so frequently in its 73-7 victory over Nicholls State that the Razorbacks wound up with a time of possession deficit of 34:10 to 25:50 in the game.
Arkansas ranks No. 110 nationally and No. 13 in the SEC with an average time of possession of 26:33.
Sweet home
Arkansas will attempt to become the first nonconference team in 12 years to beat Texas Tech at Jones AT&T Stadium.
Texas Tech Coach Kliff Kingsbury was the Red Raiders' quarterback the last time they lost a nonconference home game, a 51-48 setback in overtime to a North Carolina State team led by quarterback Phillip Rivers, on Sept. 21, 2002.
The Red Raiders have won 26 in a row since then against nonconference opponents, including a 42-35 victory over the University of Central Arkansas in the season opener.
The week before the Red Raiders lost to North Carolina State in 2002, they beat Ole Miss and quarterback Eli Manning 42-28 at home.
Arkansas is the first SEC team to play at Texas Tech since Ole Miss.
Sports on 09/12/2014