FAYETTEVILLE -- A stat from Arkansas' first scrimmage of the spring that stood out to new offensive coordinator Dan Enos was zero.
That's how many turnovers the offense had. There weren't even any fumbles the offense had to recover and one pass was broken up.
"The big thing was we didn't turn the ball over, knock on wood, which was obviously a huge emphasis for our entire football team," Enos said Thursday. "We talk about it every day."
Junior wide receiver Eric Hawkins stood out in the scrimmage with three catches for 108 yards, including a 63-yard touchdown from backup quarterback Austin Allen.
"It was just basic plays," Hawkins said. "As an offense, we just had to stay in sync with each other. I felt like we all did that pretty well."
Senior starting quarterback Brandon Allen said the scrimmage went well overall but that the offense has work to do.
"Just small things to take care of, like penalties we can't have," Allen said. "A couple of sacks where either we've got to throw it away or slide our protection. But I thought I saw a lot of good things on film that we're doing well, especially with it being so early.
"It's going to keep growing and growing and we're going to get better."
No cutting
Coach Bret Bielema has instituted a no-cut tackling rule in Arkansas' live tackling to reduce the chance for injuries the spring.
A frequent line shouted by coaches this spring has been "Stay off the ground," which is another way to cut down on injuries.
The Razorbacks' smaller defenders have a harder time with the tackling rule.
"I hate not being able to cut tackle," cornerback D.J. Dean said. "There's some pretty big guys out there. Little guys like us, we've got to hit them low. It's just hard sometimes."
Dean and fellow cornerback Jared Collins acknowledged the rule is smart.
"It's good for us actually, just to practice on 'biting' the ball, putting our face on the ball and trying to create turnovers," Collins said. "It's tough, but I think it'll make us better in the long run."
Hatcher update
Wide receiver Keon Hatcher, who suffered a knee bruise last Thursday, did a little work Thursday, a little ahead of the schedule Coach Bret Bielema projected.
Offensive coordinator Dan Enos said in Hatcher's absence the wideouts had to pick up the slack and took advantage of the extra work.
"They've done a good job from Saturday into Tuesday and today," Enos said. "Keon did a little stuff today, which was good."
Enos pointed out improvements by Jared Cornelius, Jojo Robinson, Drew Morgan, Eric Hawkins, Cody Hollister and Damon Mitchell.
"Really we've seen some good things out of all those guys, and really this has actually been a good opportunity without Keon in there for those guys to move around at different positions a little bit, have more of a role," he said. "It's been real helpful for those guys, but we'll be glad when Keon gets back too."
Austin advances
Redshirt sophomore quarterback Austin Allen said his comfort level has improved to the point he's more aggressive in the huddle and more sure of the playbook.
Allen completed 7 of 8 passes for a scrimmage-high 147 yards and 2 touchdowns last Saturday.
"The wide receivers made plays out there for me," Allen said. "I've just got to give them the ball. They had a good week."
Happy on Hodge
Defensive line coach Rory Segrest said DeMarcus Hodge's play behind Bijhon Jackson at nose guard gives the Hogs two good options.
"I've been impressed with Hodge," Segrest said. "He's doing a great job. He's really turning that corner."
Jackson and Hodge, who are listed at 324 pounds and 340 pounds, respectively, have both had to battle to keep weight off, which will help them contribute more snaps.
Segrest said the duo has been solid this spring.
"When we lose one and put the other in, we really don't lose much there," he said.
Texas TD
Defensive tackle Taiwan Johnson, who recovered a Texas fumble in the end zone as part of Arkansas' 31-7 Texas Bowl victory over the Longhorns, has been able to reflect on the aftermath with family and friends in his home town of nearby Manvel, Texas, since the rout.
"It was a great time at home," Johnson said. "I had a lot of people congratulating me and I was in the local paper and it just felt good. I was proud, being in my home stadium, NRG Stadium, and it was just a great moment."
Clean green
Quarterbacks wear green jerseys in practice to signify they're not supposed to be hit, but offensive coordinator Dan Enos said he's still able to get a good read on how they play under pressure because Coach Bret Bielema is good about not blowing the whistle early to end a play before it can fully develop.
"So if a guy does step up and move and there's an area, they can take off and run," Enos said. "Last Saturday in the scrimmage, all four of them did really neat things within the pocket, moving subtly right or left and maintaining their eyes down the field and making accurate, good throws."
Go West
Fans attending Saturday's scrimmage must sit on the West side of Reynolds Razorback Stadium, the UA has announced, and they may enter through Gates 1 and 10 in the south end zone area.
Gates will open at 11 a.m. with the scrimmage starting at 11:15 a.m.
Sports on 04/10/2015