FAYETTEVILLE -- University of Arkansas offensive coordinator Joe Craddock said he thought receiver La'Michael Pettway's third and 7 catch on the final play of the third quarter at Colorado State was far enough to move the chains for a first down.
"On the play to Pettway, that's actually a 10-yard route and he cut it a little short on us," Craddock said. "I can't really say a whole lot about the call. I did think, though, that the ball was caught beyond the chains. I know they reviewed it.
"We looked at it on film and it definitely looked like we caught the ball behind the chains. I know his momentum kind of carried him forward, but the ball looked to me like it passed the chains. But that's what they called and we were short and we had to live with it."
Pettway appeared to run about 8 or 9 yards downfield and came back to catch the ball on the right sideline at the yardage needed before going out of bounds.
"It was a 10-yard route and I actually took it two steps deeper to actually get past the first down and make sure I secured it, but the ref thought it was different," Pettway said. "I thought it was a first and so did the coaches, but the ref ruled it different. So that's where we went from there."
The play led to a fourth and 1 at the 50-yard line on which Coach Chad Morris elected to punt. Reid Bauer's 42-yard punt, plus a penalty, pinned Colorado State on its 4-yard line, but the Rams pulled off a 96-yard touchdown drive.
Roster updates
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw and defensive end Dorian Gerald were not seen at practice during the first four periods open to the media on Tuesday.
Greenlaw and Gerald missed last week's 34-27 loss at Colorado State with ankle injuries.
Defensive end Randy Ramsey (hamstring), who has not played the first two weeks, was at practice in a green jersey and is closer to being ready.
Offensive linemen Colton Jackson (back) and Shane Clenin (ankle) were dressed out Tuesday but not working with the starters.
Jackson back
Colton Jackson, who was sidelined for the first two games after undergoing back surgery in July, practiced Tuesday without a green limited contact jersey for the first time this season.
Center Hjalte Froholdt said Jackson was "full go" physically, but added it would be smart to take a cautious approach with him.
Jackson worked at second-team left tackle behind freshman Noah Gatlin, who played every offensive snap at Colorado State.
"There's no need to toss [Jackson] in there and overwork him and potentially re-injure him," Froholdt said. "We need him later in the season as well."
10th meeting
Arkansas and North Texas will meet for the 10th time Saturday, but it would have been the 11th meeting if not for the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The Razorbacks, who lead the series 9-0, and Mean Green were scheduled to play Sept. 15, 2001, but that game was canceled two days beforehand, along with 57 others involving Football Championship Subdivision (then Division I-A) teams.
Arkansas and North Texas were unable to agree on a makeup date, and the Razorbacks defeated Weber State 42-19 in a replacement game on Oct. 6, 2001. Arkansas finished the season 7-5 with a loss to Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, while North Texas, a Sun Belt Conference co-champion, finished 5-7 with a loss to Colorado State in the New Orleans Bowl.
The Razorbacks and Mean Green have played two times since. Arkansas defeated North Texas 31-7 in Little Rock in 2003 and 66-7 in Fayetteville in 2007.
The other games in the series were played between 1947-1972, all in Arkansas.
Clenin at center
Redshirt freshman Shane Clenin, who started the opener at left tackle and missed last week due to an ankle injury, worked at backup center.
"He was a little banged up last week, but he's good to go now, and he's moving back in to center," starting center Hjalte Frohodt said. "He's been all over the board. He's a versatile dude. He's quick, he's fast, and he's still explosive."
Froholdt said Clenin is more needed at center with the emergence of freshman Noah Gatlin and the pending return of Colton Jackson at left tackle.
Froholdt said Clenin has "jumped right in" and done well at center.
Hedlund returns
Cole Hedlund, who lost his job as Arkansas' kicker after missing field goals of 20 and 23 yards against TCU in Week Two last year, is thriving at North Texas as a graduate transfer.
Hedlund will return to Razorback Stadium on Saturday having gone 7 of 7 on field goals, this year, including a 51-yarder.
"It'll be nice to see him," Arkansas linebacker De'Jon Harris said. 'It'll be nice to block a couple of his kicks, but it'll be nice to see Cole. I heard he's doing pretty good over there and I just wish the best for him."
Hedlund was 14 of 24 on field goals at Arkansas.
"I wish him all the best," Razorbacks center Hjlate Froholdt said. "Of course, he's playing against us now, so I hope he misses some kicks. It is what it is.
"I'm happy for him that he's doing well. I never wish any bad upon any of my previous teammates wherever they are now."
No targeting
Arkansas safety Kam Curl was flagged for targeting during an early fourth quarter drive by the Rams after an 18-yard pass from K.J. Carta-Samuels to Olabisi Johnson. The replay official overturned the call, determining that Curl led with his shoulder rather than with his helmet on the tackle of Johnson. The replay decision reversed what would have been a 15-yard penalty, kept Curl in the game and prevented him from missing the first half of Saturday's home game against North Texas.
On the air
Defensive lineman McTelvin "Sosa" Agim and running back Devwah Whaley will join Coach Chad Morris on his weekly radio show tonight from the Catfish Hole Restaurant. A junior from Texarkana, Agim has already racked up 4 hurries, 2 tackles for loss, 2 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery to go along with 7 tackles. Whaley, a junior from Beaumont, Texas, rushed for a career-high 165 yards and a touchdown last week and leads the Razorbacks with 193 rushing yards.
Extra points
• The musical theme at practice on Tuesday was patriotic songs with it being Sept. 11, and the play list included "Born in the U.S.A.," "Empire State of Mind," "The Red, White and Blue," and "Made in America."
• A lone Muscovy duck was waddling and flapping in shallow water near the covered cold tubs at the entry to the practice fields Tuesday before being shooed across the field.
• An attendant on a Southwest Airlines flight out of Denver on Sunday morning tried to lift the spirits of the many Arkansas fans on the plane. "How many sad Razorback fans do we have on board?" she asked. "I'm sorry. We tried." After the announcement, one passenger called out "Go Rams."
-- Matt Jones of Whole Hog Sports contributed to this report
Sports on 09/12/2018