WholeHogSports
KNOCK ON WOOD : Every Hog getting his shot this spring
Posted on Sunday, April 20, 2008
URL: http://www.wholehogsports.com/nwat/64344/
By the time the Arkansas Razorbacks wrap up spring drills next Saturday with their Red-White Game, no Hog will be able to proclaim the new coaching staff as unfair.
Bobby Petrino has scrimmaged his Razorbacks more often and for more plays than any coach dating back to Lou Holtz, and by doing so, every Razorback has had his shot both in practices and in scrimmages.
If a player doesn’t make the two-deep chart, he won’t be able to complain he didn’t get a chance or that the coaches overlooked him.
That would be impossible with the amount of live action the Razorbacks have gotten in spring ball. Though the starting offense and defense have gotten the majority of the work, Arkansas’ second and third units have had their time to prove themselves on the practice field thanks to Petrino conducting scrimmages of more than 150 plays on two occasions.
While the Razorbacks will be far from a polished football team at the end of the spring, Petrino and his staff will have a book on every position and know exactly where every player stands, except for those Hogs who missed spring practice with injury.
While Petrino said a depth chart won’t be settled on until the week before the season opener, the spring will set a pecking order for fall drills and it will also give the coaching staff an idea of which incoming freshmen they will attempt to ready for service in August.
While the Hogs do have good talent at wide receiver and in the secondary, there will be an opportunity for mature freshmen to work themselves into playing time at those positions.
The Hogs desperately need bodies, speed and size at the cornerback positions and while the play of the safeties has exceeded expectations, depth is needed.
Again there is talent on hand at receiver, but playing with consistency has been a stumbling block for this group. Some more speed could also be used.
Linebacker is another spot where more speed and depth is needed to solidify what could be a solid front seven of starters.
Running backs Michael Smith, in particular, and Brandon Barnett have had productive springs, but even untrained eyes could see Saturday that the Razorbacks need a bigger back to bang inside on short-yardage and goal-line situations. Possibly a freshman could help there.
While the Hogs have made some progress adjusting to their new offensive and defensive schemes, it is too early to make a judgment on the type of team the Razorbacks will be.
At the moment, the Razorbacks are a team devoid of stars. Smith and tight end D. J. Williams have been the most impressive performers this spring outside of the exemplary work of center Jonathan Luigs.
However, it’s not a team without solid players. The strength of the Hogs ’ offensive and defensive lines — once all players are healthy — gives Arkansas a chance to be better than many expect.
As maligned as Casey Dick has been by some, his experience is also beginning to show on the practice field as he becomes more accustomed to the Hogs’ offense. Look for him to have his best season as a senior.
The predictions of a three- or four-win season are off base by my estimation, but it would also be too optimistic to expect this Razorback squad to match the eight games the Hogs won last season.
Obviously winning and winning big is the goal of Petrino and his staff. He’s mentioned winning a national title at Arkansas more than once since taking over the program. Even though that won’t happen in the upcoming season, the process of building for a such a championship run should be quite interesting to watch.
Terry J. Wood is the sports editor of the Northwest Arkansas Times.