FAYETTEVILLE — What was it like at an Arkansas practice in the wake of a 56-3 loss to Auburn? It depends on if you are talking last week or this week.
That 56-3 number may be more about what is going on with the Razorbacks than playing No. 10. It's a three-digit number with a hyphen more than a top 10 opponent.
Secondary coach Paul Rhoads and defensive line coach Rory Segrest admitted that there was nothing good about last week during an open date, but both said it probably was more about getting fresh physically than looking for a mental edge.
“I'm one of those guys that I'd be upset if there was a bounce around here last week,” Rhoads said Tuesday after the Hogs went through their second workout after the open week. “If they were not upset and if it hadn't lingered a little last week, I'd be disappointed. But I did think there was energy on Sunday and again today.”
The Hogs worked on fixing some defensive mistakes from last week in the open week before turning the page to No. 10 Florida. The Gators visit for a 2:30 p.m. Saturday game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
One of the first mistakes was a look at the opening Auburn play, a 78-yard run on a jet sweep. Rhoads said it will be a play that Florida will use against the Hogs.
“First, it's a piece of their offense already,” Rhoads said. “They have that it. So they don't have to invent it this week.
“I'd expect them to run it. They can probably do some things with formations a little different, but they may not even have to do that. They probably can just dial it up.”
Auburn used motion to get an extra man on the edge. Rhoads said the Hogs didn't compensate.
“They added an edge and we didn't bring anyone else,” he said. “They crossed (the blockers), but the problem was that we didn't adjust to (the motion). We were a gap short. That's a piece that we had to address.”
Cornerback Ryan Pulley said that was fixed in the first practice after the Auburn game.
“We had got that done,” Pulley said. “We know it's coming again.”
The killer play earlier in the year was the quarterback keeper, but it was the jet sweep early in both the Alabama and Auburn losses.
“Teams are like thieves,” Rhoads said. “They'll steal something that they see that hurts you. But I'd think they would have run that anyway based on their offense.”
Florida has the speed at wide receiver to make the jet sweep effective, too. Wideouts Brandon Powell and Antonio Callaway have been given the ball on running plays.
Pulley has been impressed by the Florida receivers. There is plenty of speed on the outside.
“We know that they have speed,” Pulley said. “But we have speed, too. We think we can handle it.”
Rhoads knows the vertical passing game will be an early challenge.
“They'll test us early,” he said. “They do go down the field. Calloway is gifted and skilled. He's capable of beating you one-on-one. But they have others right behind him and they play six to eight on the outside.”
First, the Hogs know they have to set the edge on their defense. Segrest said it was a matter of busting assignments against Auburn.
“We got hit early and we had some guys who tried to compensate for what was happening,” he said. “They were trying to do too much. They thought they knew where the ball was going and tried to get there and forgot their responsibilities.
“So what happened is it opened up our defense in some other areas. There was frustration.
“What you do is go back to the basics, the technique and fundamentals within the defense. It's about just doing your job and everything will work.”
It may be simpler this week in some ways. Florida's scheme is pro styled with a tight end and two backs, much like what Arkansas sees daily against its own offense.
“I think it is like what we see every day,” Pulley said. “It's our offense. They use the tight end. They do change their formations in a lot of the same ways we do. So it's like practicing against ourselves.”
The tight end is a major player in the Florida formations. That may help as Arkansas tries to compensate for the injury to end Deatrich Wise. He was available for only some early periods in Tuesday's practice.
“It's day to day,” Segrest said. “He did do some of the individual work today. He tried to do a little bit today. We just don't know if we will have him this week. We'll know more later in the week.”
Senior JaMichael Winston is listed as a co-starter with Wise on this week's depth chart. He's better against the tight end formations than some of the other ends on the UA roster.
“He's probably better against the run than the pass and is a strong side end,” Segrest said. “This game sets up well for JaMichael. We do have some different combinations available because of our depth and experience on the outside. But this is a week that JaMichael fits what we are going to see. We are fortunate we have good depth there and we can shuffle things a little bit.”
Segrest thinks the Hogs are bouncing back after the Auburn loss.
“It was a tough week,” he said. “Personally, it was the most embarrassing loss I've been a part of as a coach. The tough thing is that we haven't had an opportunity to play another game since that loss. There is that bad taste still.
“But the mindset has been good. We have had some good leadership from Taiwan Johnson and JaMichael Winston. Obviously, Taiwan was upset at what happened. He's been our most consistent player. I've been pleased with the way he's handled things and what he's said to our group.”
Pulley is a native of Fort Meyers, Fla., but he said this week is not about playing the Gators.
“We are focused on what happened to us last week,” he said. “We have something to show after what happened to us. I was recruited by the previous Florida coaches, but this is not about that for me. I want to show that we are better than what we did last week.”
It sounds like 56-3 is still lingering just a bit. And that might not be all bad.