One special emphasis from last week’s Texas Week become bye week remains especially emphasized this week for Arkansas’ SEC opener against Alabama.

It’s still special times for special teams. Especially hard times if they don’t improve.

Embarrassing, not to mention nearly dooming, special teams play in the Razorbacks’ 28-27 escape over Louisiana-Monroe on Sept. 6 in Little Rock had coach Bobby Petrino and staff storming.

Until a real storm, Hurricane Ike, superseded everything.

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Ike postponed last Saturday’s Arkansas-Texas game in Austin, Texas to Sept. 27, still at 2: 30 p. m. and still on ABC television like it was originally on Sept. 13.

However, practices last Tuesday and Wednesday before the announced postponement emphasized special teams. So did workouts last Thursday and Sunday with the Hogs then trained on Alabama.

The nationally ninthranked Crimson Tide, 3-0, rolls Saturday into Fayetteville for an 11: 30 a. m. Raycom televised kickoff at Frank Broyles Field at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

If Arkansas repeats its ULM game litany of special teams sins, Petrino foresees disaster against Alabama.

It needs to accelerate “ if we are to have the opportunity to win, ” Petrino said Monday.

“ We need to show improvement in the kicking game, ” Petrino said, “ and more aspects than just one. ”

Sometimes it seems Alex Tejada, the heralded placekicker with the nightmare game of a missed PAT, two missed field goals — one long but one just 25 yards — and a kickoff out of bounds, gets all the special teams blame for that ULM game.

There’s more than enough to go around. Like the blocked punt, the Arkansas kick return stepped out of bounds at the Arkansas 5, and punt and kick return coverage to make Petrino cringe.

“ One of our biggest concerns is their punt returner and kick returner (Javier Arenas ), ” Petrino said. “ He has taken it to the house already. One was on a safe punt where they weren’t even setting up a return. He made everyone miss. We’ve got to punt and cover really well. We’ve got a lot of areas that need to show improvement but certainly the kicking game really stands out. ”

Junior starting strong safety Matt Harris, also on special teams, had special emphasis on special teams as he and quarterback Casey Dick followed Petrino at a Monday press conference.

“ We lost the special teams game to Louisiana-Monroe, ” Harris said, “ and it almost lost the game. There’s a statistic that if a punt gets blocked, that team loses 75 percent of the time. It just kills a team. So we have picked up our intensity how we practice special teams. ”

Of course with a kicker it’s not always lack of intensity but sometimes trying too hard that throws him off rhythm.

Whatever it was on Sept. 6, Tejada reportedly is in form in practice.

“ He (Tejada ) came back kicking the ball well, ” Petrino said. “ He kicked it well last (Sunday ) night and he kicked it well last Thursday. ”

Petrino has not forgotten that after he benched Tejada for the ULM game’s second half, backup kicker Shay Haddock was 2 for 2 on PATs including the game-winner breaking a 27-27 tie with 1: 49 remaining. “ Right now if we were going today, he (Tejada ) would come out there, ” Petrino said. “ But we’re still practicing. You evaluate all of our positions every day. ” Again Petrino goes back to special teams struggling in all phases and a defense without a turnover two games into the season. “ We have to kick through the uprights, ” Petrino said. “ Punt it where we are supposed to and we have to cover. And we have to get something out of our return game. What’s really hurt our field position is not getting something out of our return and we’ve got to start getting some turnovers. Score on defense. Score on special teams. It’s going to take all these things to win this game. ” However, Alabama coach Nick Saban is impressed how the Hogs successively have overcome those barriers in the fourth quarter. “ It tells me they have a lot of competitive character as a team, that they were able to come back and win, ” Saban said. “ That’s the thing I am most concerned about and that’s what our team should be

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