FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas' football players started class Monday and were introduced to season-opening opponent Texas-El Paso Tuesday, and the result, after two days off, was a practice that started slow and got better as the day went on.
"We're coming off a couple of off days, a little rusty," left tackle Denver Kirkland said. "We just had to get back in the groove, but we finished off well."
Offensive line coach Sam Pittman said coaches decided to lay out all the different fronts and the wide variety of blitzes the Miners used last season, which helped slow the tempo.
"There was good and bad," Pittman said. "It wasn't too ugly, but there was a good and a bad about it today. I think we did the right thing by stretching them and showing them basically all of what we thought UTEP might do against us."
Running backs coach Jemal Singleton wasn't impressed.
"I didn't like it at all, to be honest with you, and I let them know," he said.
The sluggishness for the backs started in an early individual period, Singleton said.
"I let them know great teams don't have these days," he said. "You find a way to push through whatever distraction, whatever problem, whatever issue is going on because you realize you're never going to get that day back."
Quarterback Brandon Allen, one of four team captains, said the day wasn't a lost cause.
"We started out kind of slow ... focus just wasn't all there today, but there were a lot of good things today," he said. "We were finally against a different look on defense, so we had a lot of things to adjust to."
Receivers coach Michael Smith said the coaching staff understands the opening day of game planning can be a struggle.
"You're installing a lot of stuff they do and it's the first time they're actually seeing UTEP's stuff," Smith said. "Our scout team is out there trying to emulate those guys. It was a good teaching day for us and, like I said, I thought we finished out the practice well."
All-SEC Hogs
Arkansas earned seven spots on the preseason All-SEC coaches team announced Tuesday by the league.
The Razorbacks had four players on the second team: Tailback Alex Collins, tight end Hunter Henry and offensive linemen Denver Kirkland and Dan Skipper.
Safety Rohan Gaines, offensive guard Sebastian Tretola and tailback Jonathan Williams were named to the third team.
Collins has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in two seasons at Arkansas -- 1,026 as a freshman and 1,100 as a sophomore -- to join Darren McFadden as the only Razorbacks to accomplish that feat in their first two seasons.
Henry, a first-team preseason All-American, leads SEC tight ends with 65 catches over the past two seasons.
Kirkland played 853 snaps last season and allowed one sack and committed four penalties. He tied for second on the offensive line with a 79 percent grade in 2014. Skipper, who played 827 snaps last year, moved from left tackle to right tackle during the spring.
Redshirt for Edwards?
Bret Bielema said Saturday that a redshirt is a possibility for sophomore receiver Kendrick Edwards.
"Kendrick has that redshirt year left and we're kind of loaded at the X position right now," receivers coach Michael Smith said Tuesday. "We sat down with Kendrick and talked to him about it, and it's something he's thinking about doing.
"Coach is never going to make a kid redshirt if he doesn't want to. We're going to go through this week and go into the first game and see where we are.
"If injuries happen, Kendrick's a guy we could pull out of the stable."
Edwards had four catches for 70 yards last year, including a 4-yard touchdown against Georgia.
Stance shift
Offensive line coach Sam Pittman worked with left tackle Denver Kirkland between the two camp scrimmages about widening his stance, which ultimately makes a defender have to take a wider path around him.
"From scrimmage one to scrimmage two my stance changed and my play grade changed, so I guess you can say it went better," Kirkland said. "They widened it and it gave me a better get-off and better balance too."
Sound better?
Arkansas Athletic Director Jeff Long said the sound system at Reynolds Razorback Stadium has undergone an upgrade of more than $500,000 during the offseason.
"Our stadium's been put together in sections and pieces, and over time the sound system was low in some areas, high in others," Long said. "We think we've taken a significant step in leveling that sound and making sure our fans can hear the announcements without being blown out in some sections and not being able to hear in others. So we're taking a big step there. I think our fans will notice that."
Bret talks
Coach Bret Bielema will be the featured speaker at the season-opening Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club luncheon at noon today at Mermaid's Restaurant.
Bielema, who addressed the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Monday, will fill out his week of speaking engagements Friday night at the annual Razorback kickoff dinner at the Holiday Inn and Convention Center in Springdale.
Sports on 08/26/2015