It’s not just star running back Michael Smith returning healthy from a shoulder injury and Casey Dick returning healthy from a concussion to battle brother Nathan Dick for starting quarterback that puts some healthy pep in Arkansas’ step.

This week’s healthy return of defensive ends Adrian Davis and Damario Ambrose has the Razorbacks feeling better about their defense, too, heading into Saturday’s 1:30 p.m. nontelevised SEC game at Mississippi State.

Both missed the Nov. 8 loss at South Carolina because of injuries and Davis also missed the Nov. 1 victory over Tulsa.

“He gets off on the ball,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said when asked about Adrian Davis. “He can turn his shoulders, his feet never stop, got long arms and he never loses focus on the quarterback. He does a great job of seeing the QB.”

And Ambrose?

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“He came out today and did a great job for us,” Robinson said. “You know yesterday his timing was off a little bit and he had some uncertainty in certain defenses. But today I thought he executed very well.”

With Davis and Ambrose back, the Razorbacks can go back to a defensive end rotation with redshirt freshman Jake Bequette and Davis starting and Ambrose and senior Antwain Robinson in reserve.

“It’s helped a lot getting them back in the rotation,” Bequette said. “They’re two very good players. Mario and A.D. really do a good job of getting pressure on the quarterback. They’re both really experienced and they’re going to help us against both the run and the pass. ”

The secondary seems as happy as the D-line to have Davis and Ambrose back.

“They get us a good pass rush,” junior safety Matt Harris said. “They throw an errant ball, we get the chance for an interception to change the game. Damario Ambrose and Adrian Davis, having them back is going to help out a lot. You can tell against Tulsa and Auburn, they are a dominant defensive line when they are healthy.”

The D-line certainly wasn’t dominant without them when a below average South Carolina mustered a 72-yard touchdown drive from 11 straight runs consuming 6:11 of the fourth quarter to put he game away.

The Hog defense has itched to redeem itself against the run which is exactly Mississippi State’s smash-mouth style.

“After last week, people got the impression we gave up or weren’t as physical as we wanted to be,” Harris said. “We want to go out there and prove them wrong.”

The defense has had two weeks of South Carolina film to review the wrongs for which they seek atonement.

“I think our kids were very embarrassed about it and we’ve talked about courage and toughness and we’ve got to display that,” Willy Robinson said. “We’ve got to get back to believing in the fact that it’s not just going to happen, we’ve got to go make it happen. So yes, we do, we hope to get that thing done, get it corrected.”

At 4-6, the Hogs must win Saturday in Starkville, Miss., and win the day after Thanksgiving against LSU in Little Rock to achieve 6-6 bowl eligibility.

Otherwise the Hogs will be home the entire holidays, feeling like Christmas turkeys while others play bowl games.

“We don’t want to be sitting at home all Christmas break around our family that long,” Jerry Franklin said smiling.

At 3-7 with Arkansas and Ole Miss to play, Mississippi State’s Bulldogs can’t go bowling.

But their fans can still clang cowbells as they always do in Starkville, Bequette learned.

The Little Rock Catholic alum took an unofficial recruiting visit to Starkvillle before signing with the Razorbacks to follow in the footsteps of his dad, Jay Bequette, a Razorback letterman for Lou Holtz from 1979-82, uncle Chris, a letterman for Ken Hatfield from 1984-87, and grandfather George, a letterman under Bowden Wyatt in 1954 and under Jack Mitchell in 1955 and ‘56.

“That’s one thing I remember,” Jake Bequette said of his sojourn to Starkville, “all the veterans saying about that. The dreaded cowbell. I’ve never really played in a cowbell environment. I guess we’ll see how that works out.”

Tapered to shoulder pads and shorts Wednesday after a tough open date week in pads and last Tuesday in pads, the Hogs conclude drills with a light practice today.