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Location: WholeHogSports > Story     |     TAGGED: football (4)

UA linebackers, safeties making strides early in spring practice

Published: Wednesday, April 09, 2008 PRINT E-MAIL

Film of the Razorbacks’ Sunday scrimmage didn’t disclose any real surprises, Bobby Petrino said.

However the Arkansas first-year coach was surprised, or more accurately mildly displeased, with how the Razorbacks practiced Tuesday after Monday’s first off day from four straight practices.

“ We found today we’ve got a lot to learn, ” Petrino said after wet grounds from a hard morning rain compelled the Hogs to practice Tuesday inside the Walker Pavilion. “ We have got to be to able to come off a good four hard days of practice, have a day off and then learn how to work at the same tempo, same physical practice that we want. We did make some strides. ”

What strides ?

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“ Our linebackers were much better today, ” Petrino said. “ Played the lead play a lot better and a lot more physical than they did in the scrimmage Sunday. That was good to see. For the most part our offen- sive front is starting to come together and we continue to work the timing of our passing game and our secondary playing the ball in the air. We had a couple of picks today. ”

Backup free safety Rashaad Johnson posted an impressive interception Tuesday, and first-team free safety Matt Harris was the leading tackler in Sunday’s scrimmage.

Petrino smiled about noting the obvious he knew way before the scrimmage. It concerned senior center Jonathan Luigs, the All-American Rimington Award winner.

“ Luigs is a really good player, ” Petrino said. “ He really makes your running game because you get a lot of cutbacks with how quick and how dominant he can play there. ”

Luigs captains a line with one different first-teamer and flip-flopping tackles.

Senior left tackle Jose Valdez, acknowledging Sunday got beat on a couple of passblocking situations, worked with the second unit Tuesday while junior Michael Aguirre moved up and flip-flopped at right and left tackle with sophomore Ray Dominguez.

“ There’s competition left and right, ” Aguirre said.

Offensive line coach Mike Summers said spring is the ideal time to “ mix and match and see if we can find the group that’s the best out there together. ”

“ Those guys that we see making progress, ” Summers said, “ we’re going to shuffle them in and out and see who gets an opportunity. Today was [Aguirre’s ] opportunity to do that. I’m pleased with some of his development. ”

Defensively from the Sunday scrimmage, Petrino praised the ends for their “ speed on the edge. ”

However defensive ends coach Kirk Botkin refrained from handing out bouquets off the scrimmage.

“ Nobody moved up, ” Botkin said. “ Nobody moved down. Everybody is very average. ”

Botkin talked about the youth on the defensive flanks which includes second-team redshirt freshman Jake Bequette and firstteam sophomore Damario Ambrose.

However Antwain Robinson, competing for a firstteam berth, is a senior threeyear letterman and first-team Adrian Davis is a junior twoyear letterman.

Botkin notes a new defensive scheme can temporarily turn veterans into rookies.

“ They’ve been around, but we got a lot of new stuff in, ” Botkin said. “ So they are kind of swimming a little bit, too, with the learning curve and the way I want things and the way Coach Petrino wants things. ”

Bequette was initially recruited out of Little Rock Catholic by former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt as a tight end / defensive end but has been all defense all the time under both regimes.

“ Coach Nutt was really impressed with the way I tested speed-wise and stuck me on defense, ” Bequette said. “ I think I have proved myself in being able to stay over there and hopefully I can keep working and get myself in position I can play. ”

Granted a hardship freshman year because of a broken arm three games into the 2007 season, wide receiver Crosby Tuck now ails from a pulled quadriceps. Tuck did not practice Tuesday.

Running back Chip Gregory was in practice gear Tuesday but not full speed from his high sprain last week, Petrino said.

Cornerback Jerell Norton continues to be sidelined from pulling a hamstring last week.

With 10 practices left of the 15 allotted by the NCAA, the Razorbacks are off today and then will practice Thursday and scrimmage Friday with the annual high school coaches clinic in attendance.

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Baseball America Poll

Updated May 20

1. UC Irvine 40-12

2. LSU 41-14

3. Arizona St 41-11

4. CS Fullerton 38-14

5. Texas 38-12

6. North Carolina 41-14

7. Ole Miss 40-15

8. Oklahoma 40-16

9. Florida 38-18

10. TCU 35-15

11. Rice 35-15

12. Florida St 40-14

13. Clemson 39-17

14. Georgia Tech 34-15

15. East Carolina 41-15

16. Virginia 39-12

17. Kansas St 39-15

18. Alabama 37-17

19. Cal Poly 35-17

20. Louisville 40-14

21. Minnesota 35-15

22. Elon 37-14

23. Miami Fl 35-18

24. Missouri 32-23

25. South Carolina 37-19

Who is the best defensive lineman in Arkansas' history?


Dave "Hawg" Hanner

Wayne Martin

Jimmy Walker

Dan Hampton

Loyd Phillips

Vote

Arkansas Razorbacks' 2009 Baseball Schedule

Feb. 20

Washington St. (DH)

W 7-5

Feb. 20

Washington St. (DH)

W 4-2

Feb. 22

Washington St.

W 4-3

Feb. 24

Kansas

L 3-9

Feb. 25

Kansas

W 9-8

Feb. 27

Western Illinois

W 8-7

Feb. 28

Western Illinois

     6:00 pm

Mar. 1

Western Illinois

     6:00 pm

Mar. 3

Valparaiso

W 7-3

Mar. 4

Valparaiso

W 9-6

Mar. 6

California

W 5-4

Mar. 7

California

L 6-12

Mar. 8

California

W 13-3

Mar. 10

@ Centenary

L 3-8

Mar. 11

@ Centenary

     6:00 pm

Mar. 13

Florida

W 11-4

Mar. 14

Florida

W 8-4

Mar. 15

Florida

W 4-2

Mar. 17

Nebraska

W 7-3

Mar. 18

Nebraska

L 4-7

Mar. 20

@ Auburn

W 3-2

Mar. 21

@ Auburn

W 10-6

Mar. 22

@ Auburn

W 12-6

Mar. 25

Missouri St.

W 10-0

Mar. 27

Mississippi St.

W 20-9

Mar. 28

Mississippi St.

W 5-1

Mar. 29

Mississippi St.

L 4-12

Mar. 31

@ Missouri St.

W 2-0

Apr. 3

@ South Carolina

W 6-4

Apr. 4

@ South Carolina

L 1-9

Apr. 5

@ South Carolina

W 7-4

Apr. 7

Arizona St.

W 7-3

Apr. 8

Arizona St.

W 8-7

Apr. 10

Vanderbilt

L 0-9

Apr. 11

Vanderbilt

L 6-13

Apr. 12

Vanderbilt

     1:05 pm

Apr. 14

La.-Monroe

L 2-3

Apr. 15

La.-Monroe

W 10-9

Apr. 17

@ Georgia

L 3-4

Apr. 18

@ Georgia

L 3-4

Apr. 19

@ Georgia

W 2-0

Apr. 21

@ Oral Roberts

W 9-6

Apr. 24

@ Tennessee

W 9-3

Apr. 25

@ Tennessee

L 4-5

Apr. 26

@ Tennessee

W 15-8

Apr. 28

Oklahoma

W 8-7

May. 1

LSU

W 11-4

May. 2

LSU

L 0-5

May. 3

LSU

L 3-4

May. 8

@ Alabama

L 1-2

May. 9

@ Alabama

L 6-8

May. 10

@ Alabama

L 5-6

May. 12

Oral Roberts

W 3-2

May. 14

Ole Miss

L 5-7

May. 15

Ole Miss

L 3-9

May. 16

Ole Miss

L 3-16