FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos senses many players on his unit need have a long way to go.
Aside from a veteran receiving corps, a tight end in Jeremy Sprinkle with lots of playing time and returning offensive line starters Dan Skipper and Frank Ragnow, the Hogs offense has undergone an upheaval.
"We've got to take steps," Enos said Tuesday, with only two workouts left before the Red-White game Saturday. "We've got a lot of new, young players in there. We've got a left guard that's been playing for 12 practices. We've got a left tackle that's a freshman. We've got a right guard that hasn't played very much football.
"We've got a new quarterback. We've got running backs hurt. So we've got a lot of youth. They need experience, and they need gamelike experience, so as much as we can put them in gamelike conditions during practice, I think it will benefit all of us, and certainly Saturday will help as well, having a crowd there and seeing how they respond."
Award show
Former Arkansas tight end Hunter Henry will showcase the 2015 John Mackey Award during Saturday's Red-White game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Henry won the award in December, which is given annually to the nation's top tight end. He became the second Arkansas tight end to claim the award, following D.J. Williams in 2010.
The trophy presentation is scheduled to begin after the end of the first quarter of the spring finale, which is free to the public.
Froholdt curve
Sophomore Hjalte Froholdt is trying to win the starting left guard job after playing defensive tackle last season. The learning curve is a difficult one, as he frequently matches up against Jeremiah Ledbetter -- a senior who played defensive end last season -- and other talented linemen such as Deatrich Wise.
Ledbetter has had a huge spring at getting pressure on the quarterbacks, often at Froholdt's expense.
"I, of course, get mad at myself and everything, but you just have to get up the next rep and go again," Froholdt said of facing the Hogs' defensive line. "It's going to prepare me really well for SEC D-linemen. I think it's helping me a lot."
Norse Hogs
Offensive line coach Kurt Anderson's five children have names that would make Vikings proud.
"I am a Viking," Anderson said. "That's my heritage."
Anderson said his wife, Jennifer, let him come up with the names.
"My wife's more the number cruncher," Anderson said. "She's got her accounting degree from DePaul. I'm more of a creative thinker, so when it came to names, she said, 'Have at it.'
"Don't get me wrong, I had to get her final approval. But as the process usually would go, she'd finally give in and say, 'Just pick one.' "
The Andersons have sons Hawken, Torin and Odin, and daughters Raina and Dagny.
"Everyone always says, 'Cool names,' " Anderson said. "But they have to sound like good football names, too. If it doesn't sound like a good football name, then it doesn't have a chance."
Anderson has a brother named Lars, as does Arkansas guard Hjalte Froholdt, who is from Denmark.
"When I found out we both have brothers named Lars, it blew me away," Froholdt said.
Final play
The last play of last week's scrimmage was apt to depict the defense's domination. On a fourth-and-3 play from the defense's 15-yard line, running back Juan Day ran off left tackle only to find a brick wall. Linebacker Randy Ramsey filled the gap and, with help from others, hit Day behind the line of scrimmage to post a tackle for a loss.
Green posts
Arkansas installed green uprights that are at least 18 inches inside the regulation yellow posts on their practice field.
"We do those money field goals on the practice field with the green posts, and he really likes that," Coach Bret Bielema said of kicker Cole Hedlund. "We're trying to get the concentration straight down the middle of the the pipes. I think he's hit it very well."
Hedlund was perfect on all his field goal tries on regulation goal posts Tuesday, including a 55-yarder to finish off the period.
Jersey work
Jake Hall wore his third different jersey number of the spring Tuesday. The former Springdale Har-Ber standout wore 36 and worked with the tight ends after spending time last week in No. 50 with the offensive line. Hall opened spring at defensive end in No. 95.
Bringing it back
Bret Bielema said most of the work on the kickoff return and punt return units would take place during fall camp, and the Razorbacks might have more material to work with there than in recent years.
The top punt returners, Jared Cornelius and D.J. Dean, are back after each averaged 13.3 yards on seven returns last season.
Eric Hawkins, who averaged 23.2 yards per kickoff return, and Dominique Reed (22.2) are also back, along with Damon "Duwop" Mitchell, who went 23 yards on his lone kickoff return.
"T.J. Hammonds ... is a guy that is very explosive with the ball in his hands and does a lot of really nice things, in addition to the guys that we have returning," Bielema said. "I'm liking Jordan Jones, too. At least in high school he looks like he could be a tremendous threat in the kicking game."
Hammonds and Jones are signees from Pulaski Robinson and Smackover, respectively.
Extra points
• Coach Bret Bielema was sporting a fresh buzz cut at Tuesday's practice.
• One of the drills put in place for the quarterbacks by offensive coordinator Dan Enos had each of the players throwing passes while sitting on their behinds.
• Tight end Jack Kraus wore thigh and knee pads and played a bit of catch on the sideline Tuesday, marking another step in his rehab from knee surgery in December.
Sports on 04/20/2016