Putting in blunt vernacular, new coach Bobby Petrino ain’t the only one debuting for the Razorbacks in their 6 p. m. Saturday season opener against Western Illinois at Frank Broyles Field at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Some 20 or more true freshmen and redshir t freshmen, many in starting roles, likely will debut, too.

Has the former University of Louisville coach ever played this many rookies in a season opener ?

“ Never, ” Petrino replied. “ I’m a little nervous about that. ”

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He joked about taking extra precautions for the rookies and their nerves.

“ I think it will be new to them when they run through the A, ” Petrino said. “ It’s hard to simulate because they’ve never been in front of 74, 000 people before. But I got them an extra pair of pants just in case something happens in warmups. ”

The coach smiled as media chuckled.

“ I think they’ll be all right, ” Petrino said. “ Once the kickoff goes and they get their first hit, they’ll be in good shape. ”

It was a low-pressure, Thursday short practice after some hard knocks Tuesday and Wednesday.

“ I felt like we had a good week of preparation and really experiencing for the first time just exactly how the work week goes, ” Petrino said. “ We worked hard Tuesday and Wednesday we came out and worked hard. Two good days trying to be physical and understand we are still going to hit as the year goes on.

“ Thursday we just come out and hour and 15 minutes. We were sharp and people moving around. We continue to get ready for the game with meetings and walkthroughs. It’s important we get better from today until Saturday night at 6. ”

Does he think the defense progressed from its first couple of struggling weeks in preseason drills ?

“ I do, ” Petrino replied. “ A couple of weeks there they didn’t feel things were going too well. But you watch the video, it was one guy here and one guy there. I think a lot of it was youth.

“ I think the defensive coaches did a good job of trimming back what we were asking them to do. Make sure we run to the ball and tackle first and foremost. We made great strides this past week. ”

He was asked what he expects from the offense and senior starting quarterback Casey Dick.

“ We want to execute, ” Petrino said. “ Control the line of scrimmage. That’s the thing we want to do first and be able to both run and throw the ball down the field. I’d love to see Casey make good decisions and distribute and understand what the coverage tells him to do and take advantage of it. ”

Somebody asked if he was looking to use the opener to make a statement.

“ Nah, we’re not looking to make any statement, ” Petrino said. “ What we want to try to do is understand we get better as the game goes on, so that we learn as the game’s going on. We do a good job on the sideline. Play better in the second quarter than we do in the first. Play better in the second half than the first. And just execute and really worry about ourselves, worry that we execute well, do what we’re coached to do and play with great effort. If we can do those things, I’ll be happy with the outcome. ”

Third-year sophomore linebacker Ryan Powers, injured most of preseason, may be available for spot duty against Western Illinois, but true freshmen Jelani Smith and Khiry Battle still rank 1-2 at Will linebacker.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Nathan Dick is the backup to Casey Dick, Nathan’s older brother, Petrino said.

True freshman Tyler Wilson of Greenwood has competed with Nathan Dick in preseason for No. 2 but Petrino said a decision must be made whether it’s best to redshirt Wilson or play him.

Petrino was asked about his own anticipation coaching his first Razorback game.

“ I’m excited about it, ” Petrino said. “ I’m excited to see how we execute and play on the field without the coaches around. I always try to get the coaches off the field at times so the players aren’t looking for their coaches after every play. I can’t wait to get going. ”