Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino wants to see just how much his pupils can take. To help increase that breaking point, Petrino’s Hogs scrimmaged for two-plus hours and logged approximately 165 plays amid a cold wind and dropping temperatures at Reynolds Razorback Stadium Friday.

Each time the Hogs’ starters on offense stepped on the field they were pitted against the first-team defense, providing the coaching staff with an early measuring stick of each player’s resolve at a rapid and grueling tempo.

“ That goes all the way back to our dad, ” said Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, Bobby Petrino’s brother. “ We always had long scrimmages and stayed out there and kept hitting. It’s survival of the fittest and the tough guys are the ones still standing. ”

Arkansas starting quarterback Casey Dick said he would likely have to apply plenty of ice to his arm after throwing 40 passes in the second spring scrum.

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Dick connected on 24 of those 40 throws for 281 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception by Adrian Davis.

“ That was the longest scrimmage I’ve even been a part of, ” Dick said. “ But we got some good things accomplished. We still have a ways to go and we still need to execute plays better, but we got a lot of different looks. ”

Dick completed 4 of 9 passes for 29 yards on the opening drive. Dick’s first completion was an 11-yarder on first-and-10 to Marques Wade. The drive, though, ended with a 34-yard Alex Tejada field goal.

“ I think Casey’s making good strides and getting more comfortable in the offense, ” Paul Petrino said. “ But I think we’re settling for field goals when we could make better decisions and get it in the end zone. ”

Dick hit on 5 of 6 passes for 45 yards on his second drive, though it ended with another Tejada field goal from 36 yards out.

“ That’s the most passes I’ve thrown in a while for sure, ” Dick said. “ We basically ran a lot of the stuff we’ve gone over in the first six or seven practices. But I feel more comfortable every time I go out there just dropping back and looking at protections and knowing where people are supposed to be in this offense. ”

Dick utilized his tight ends efficiently Friday. D. J. Williams snared 7 passes for 110 yards. He caught 5 passes for 85 yards on the first team, including a 30-yard touchdown pass from Casey Dick. Williams mowed over two defenders and rumbled to paydirt.

Junior tight end Andrew Davie wasn’t far behind with 4 catches for 107 yards. Davie hauled in a 63-yard pass from Alex Mortensen in second-team action. Davie caught 2 passes for 29 yards on the first team, including a 22-yard touchdown pass from Casey Dick.

“ Andrew and D. J. made some key caches out there, ” Dick said. “ The tight ends played real well today and caught some good balls. ”

Paul Petrino also lauded the performance of his two tight ends.

“ I think the tight ends did a real good job and those are two of our better players right now, ” he said. “ They do a good job of blocking on the edge and running with the ball after the catch. It was nice to see those guys get come catches and perform well. ”

Running back, though, was an area that didn’t shine quite so brightly during the scrimmage. Junior tailback Brandon Barnett showed flashes with 84 yards on 22 carries with 2 touchdowns but he fumbled the ball five times. Michael Smith ran the ball just once before aggravating an injury suffered in warm-ups prior to the scrimmage.

“ As an offense, we have to hold on to the ball better than we did today, ” Paul Petrino said. “[Barnett ] carried the ball a lot today with Smith being out, but we’ve got to concentrate on ball security, tucking it away and not letting go of it. We need to have the right pressure on the ball when we carry it. ”

With Smith out, freshman Taylor Huskisson and sophomore Torian Wilkins registered plenty of time on the first team to give Barnett a breather in the backfield. Huskisson scored a touchdown on the first team and another on the second team.

Along with Smith, the Hogs also missed receiver London Crawford, who did not practice. Cornerback Jerell Norton, receiver Crosby Tuck and running back Chip Gregory also sat out Friday’s scrimmage.

Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett quarterbacked the second-team offense until hitting the thumb on his throwing hand on a helmet during a pass. Mallett was 5 of 11 for 41 yards.

Several receivers also made big plays. Rod Coleman won a jump ball in end zone over Ramon Broadway for a 45-yard touchdown reception from Mortensen. Casey Dick also hit Reggie Fish for a 36-yarder.

Carlton Salters made good use of his time on both the first and second teams, hauling in 7 receptions for 93 yards and a 20-yard touchdown grab from Nathan Dick in second-team action.

Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said his primary concern right now is to limit those big plays.

“ We gave up way too many big plays, ” Robinson said. “ We can’t do that. There’s too much ebb and flow and we need to focus on staying more constant. ”