FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas football team will conduct a modified scrimmage Saturday during its 11th spring practice at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The practice, which is open to the public, is scheduled to start around 10:25 a.m. with the scrimmage work coming after flex and some individual periods, as usual.
Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino and defensive coordinator Travis Williams, the only Razorbacks to conduct media sessions this week, said they have slowed installation this week in order to sharpen execution levels on both sides of the ball.
Williams, who spoke Thursday, said Saturday will not be a full scrimmage.
“We’ll have situations where it is tackling, just like they want to score and we have to stop them,” Williams said. “[It] is going to be more situational. Whatever that situation is, we want to win the situation.”
The Razorbacks are expected to run about 30 live-tackling plays for each of the three units, making it a little more than half of last week’s scrimmaging work.
The top offense scored on its first couple of possessions against the defensive starters in last Saturday’s 152-play scrimmage — on Taylen Green’s 24-yard fade route to tight end Luke Hasz and Ja’Quinden Jackson’s tackle-breaking 10-yard run — but the defense rebounded after that.
Williams honed in on the improvements he’d like to see based on the last scrimmage and a couple of more practices.
“What we’ve got to get better at, I’ll start with that,” he said. “We have to do a better job tackling. We’ve got to do a better job running our feet on tackling. We have big backs, so you can’t arm tackle those guys.
“You’ve got to put your body on them and you’ve got to run your feet. I would say that’s the main thing we got out of that, it’s just the tackling. I didn’t say it was bad, but we can be better.”
Williams called the Hasz touchdown catch a “miscommunication,” with improvement noted after that.
“It was a great offensive play, and then from there we got our feet in the ground and calmed down,” he said. “But the tackling, the yards after contact is what we have to fix. That’s what we’ve been focusing on, just tackling.
“We’ve got SEC-style backs where you stick your arm out now, you’ll pull back a nub. They’ll take your arm off some. You’ve got to put a body on them.”
Petrino said Jackson, a 6-2, 235-pound senior transfer from Utah, and junior Rashod Dubinion, a 5-10, 199-pounder, are battling for the top tailback job. But the position is deep, with sophomore Isaiah Augustave, senior Dominique Johnson and freshman signee Braylen Russell all seeing significant reps this spring.
“The running back group is going to be real competitive, I think, with [Dubinion and Jackson] probably competing for the starter,” Petrino said. “If we were playing a game at the end of the week, they would be the ones competing for that starter. The youngster, Braylen, has done a great job. He’s big. He’s really physical. He’s got great hands. It’s all new to him, so there’s times he has a far-away look in his eyes when he doesn’t know the play or can’t picture it in his mind, but he’s got a chance to be special.”
Dubinion has been wearing a green no-contact jersey all week, so his availability for live work might be questionable.
Other top players who might be out or limited are receivers Andrew Armstrong and Jaedon Wilson, who have dealt with hamstring troubles, cornerback Marquise Robinson (knee) and receiver Bryce Stephens (ankle). Tight end Ty Washington (shoulder) and freshman linebacker Justin Logan have been limited throughout the spring.
Petrino said Armstrong, Tyrone Broden and Isaiah Sategna have caught his eye at receiver through the first four weeks of spring drills.
“They’re tough matchups because they both have great size,” Petrino said of Armstrong and Broden. “They both can elevate and turn their bodies.
“They’re quick in and out of their breaks. Broden is 6-6, he can work inside routes and outside routes. Armstrong is 6-4 and can work inside and outside. So they’ve been impressive to me.
“Sategna’s speed is something that’s really shown up, and his ability to run with the ball and make plays, and he’s competitive. I like his competitive spirit, so I’ve been real impressed with those three guys.”
Petrino said having his former assistants Ronnie Fouch and Kolby Smith on staff as receivers and running backs coaches, respectively, has helped players and staff members adapt to the new schemes and verbiage, but he had to pull the reins back a little on the pace of installation.
“I think we had to because it’s new to everybody, there’s no carryover for anybody, so we cut back a little bit,” Petrino said. “So I think that’s the huge advantage of Coach [Sam] Pittman hiring Ronnie Fouch and Kolby Smith. They already knew the offense. They know how to teach it. Kolby played in it, he knows how to run in it, get lots of yards and score touchdowns in it.”
Williams said Thursday the defensive schemes are pretty much all in.
“We’ve just got some different situational stuff, but as far as the install, it’s pretty much in,” he said. “Now again, now we slow down, because you’re going from four down to three down to you doing some different things. It gets to be a lot.
“It gets taxing on the guys as far as just learning. So now you just slow it down. It’s OK. This is what we’re going to do this week. We pretty much have it in. Got some third-down stuff we’re still putting in. … But for the base calls, we’re pretty much good, and we’ve got some short-yardage stuff we’ve got to put in. But for the most part, it’s in.”
Linebacker Xavian Sorey led the defense with nine tackles in last Saturday’s scrimmage, while tackle Cam Ball, linebacker Carson Dean and safety TJ Metcalf had seven stops each. Ball and Quincy Rhodes both recovered fumbles and veteran safety Hudson Clark ended the last two-minute drive by the first unit with a leaping interception.
The competition to replace record-breaking kicker Cam Little will also be in the spotlight, with transfers Matthew Shipley and Vito Calvaruso, the former Razorback kickoff specialist, at the forefront.
Special teams coordinator Scott Fountain, the lone remaining assistant who has been with Pittman since his first staff in 2020, is scheduled to address members of the media after Saturday's workout.