Arkansas Sports 360.com - July 2008 - (Page 14) ArKAnsAs post-sprinG Depth ChArt Receiver Marques Wade Rod Coleman Receiver London Crawford Reggie Fish Receiver Carlton Salters Lucas Miller Left Tackle Ray Dominquez Grant Cook Left Guard Mitch Petrus Kareem Crowell Center Jonathan Luigs Seth Oxner Right Guard DeMarcus Love Wade Grayson Right Tackle Jose Valdez Michael Aquirre Tight End D.J. Williams Andrew Davie Quarterback Casey Dick Nathan Dick Alex Mortensen Running Back Michael Smith Brandon Barnett Fullback Lance Thompason John Durmon Left End Jacke Bequette Damario Ambrose Nose Tackle Ernest Mitchell Cord Gray Defensive Tackle Malcom Sheppard Patrick Jones Right End Adrian Davis Antwain Robinson Donell Sanders Sam Linebacker Elston Forte Freddy Burton Middle Linebacker Jerry Franklin Freddy Burton Will Linebacker Ryan Powers Elston Forte Left Cornerback Jamar Love Shedrick Johnson Ramon Broadway Strong Safety Dallas Washington Bret Harris Walner Leander Free Safety Matt Harris Rashaad Johnson Right Cornerback Isaac Madison Darrell Glasper Greg Gatson Punter Jeremy Davis Kicker Alex Tejada oFFense So. Jr. Jr. Sr. So. Jr. So. Fr. Sr. Fr. Sr. Fr. So. So. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. Fr. Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Jr. 6-3 6-1 6-2 5-7 6-0 6-2 6-4 6-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-4 6-5 6-4 6-5 6-6 6-2 6-5 6-2 6-4 6-2 5-7 5-10 6-4 5-11 192 192 200 160 191 201 Michael Pirnique 315 320 305 333 315 300 302 292 313 315 250 266 215 217 220 173 206 227 217 Leadership: arkansas quarterback casey Dick, left, said coach Bobby Petrino outlined high expectations in their first meeting. DeFense Frs So. Sr. Sr. Jr. So. Jr. Sr. So. Sr. So. Frs. So. So. Sr. Sr. Sr. So. Sr. Frs. Jr. Jr. Jr. So. So. So. 6-5 6-5 6-2 6-1 6-3 6-2 6-4 6-2 6-3 6-0 6-2 6-2 6-2 6-1 6-0 6-1 5-10 5-9 6-0 6-0 6-1 6-2 6-1 6-0 5-8 5-11 265 253 205 305 277 297 238 258 238 219 221 229 221 207 219 197 188 191 210 209 191 190 191 181 180 167 speCiAL teAms Sr. So. 5-9 6-1 206 207 seventh nationally in passing and 12th in rushing. Arkansas senior quarterback Casey argue with his abilities and the results. Dick said Petrino outlined similarly high Smith had high praise for Petrino, who expectations in their first meeting. If that rewrote the school’s playbook and called wasn’t enough to drive home the point, plays for the Cardinals in 1998. seeing the Razorbacks’ new playbook “He was great at analyzing the was. opposition,” Smith told the Atlanta Journal “It was probably one of the biggest ones Constitution shortly after the Falcons hired I’ve seen, one of the most complicated Petrino in 2007. “He’s great at devising a ones I’ve seen,” Dick said. “The way that plan to get the ball in the hands of our they installed the information and the good guys, matched on their not-so-good way you did it during practices and the guys, if that makes sense. It’s a lot about number of times you did it, it becomes mismatches.” kind of second nature to you. That’s what you’ve got to have: reps, reps, reps.” Football Only Maximizing practice Finding those mismatches is not opportunities will be key to a quick, easy process. Routinely, up to the ChALLenGe this year’s team, which Petrino Petrino puts in workdays recognizes as Arkansas prepares that exceed 12 hours. It’s not Rarely does Arkansas football coach Bobby Petrino react to the various criticisms that come his way. Little, he believes, for the season with fewer starters uncommon for him to be the first can be gained by addressing the negativity that others have. returning than all but one other person in the Broyles Athletic There are exceptions. SEC team, Vanderbilt. Complex and the last one out. His Petrino is fully aware that his head coaching success did Still, his expectations are time is filled with exhaustive film not come in a league as competitive as the Southeastern high. Losing seasons have been study and planning for opponents Conference. He doesn’t find it unfair that some might write off his 41-9 record at Louisville by saying, “Oh, he did that in rare over the course of his that in 2008 will make the Conference USA and the Big East.” coaching career, and he plans Razorbacks’ schedule one of the Desire to perform at the highest level is what prompted to keep it that way by sticking nation’s toughest. him to interview for other jobs while coaching at Louisville. to the philosophies that got him Former Louisville quarterback It’s what led him to Arkansas where he opens his tenure his first headcoaching job in the Stefan LeFors remembers against a schedule rated as one of the nation’s toughest. “You see it as a challenge,” Petrino said. “There is no SEC. Petrino’s manic work ethic and question you’re taking a step up in the quality of football “I’ve always felt like winning the example he set for players and week in and week out. We always felt like in the Big East we is the end result of doing staff. Little captured Petrino’s had some real good teams, and we did. Louisville and West things right, through two-aattention beyond the game, and Virginia could probably compete with anybody. The thing that days, through practice, through his expectation was the same for makes the SEC so difficult is you’ve got to do it week in and week out.” preparation,” Petrino said. those around him, LeFors said. Should Petrino succeed at Arkansas, that’s one criticism “That’s what we need to be “It’s all football all the time,” that will be put to rest. There is no shortage of great coaches concerned about. How well said LeFors, now with the CFL’s in the SEC, including five with national titles on their we’re doing in practice, how Edmonton Eskimos. “It’s hard to resume. Petrino is one of four league coaches with NFL head well we’re doing after a win. develop a relationship with him coaching experience. “There are great football coaches in the league,” Petrino How well we do coming back off the field. It’s football all the said. “You’ve got guys that have won national championships, from a hard loss. Those are time. He leaves no room.” and I think that is a great challenge to coach against those the things that determine the Petrino’s frosty relationship coaches. Then you have great players in this league. You want overall record.” with the media is misconstrued, to understand it’s about the players. It’s just a great competiSay whatever you want, but new Arkansas strength coach tive conference.” — Chris Bahn those are the things that matter Jason Veltkamp said. Veltkamp to Bobby Petrino. m worked on the Petrino staff at petrino (Continued from Page 13) Louisville and played for and coached with Bob Sr. at Carroll College. “A lot of people call him egotistical. … He doesn’t need a microphone in front of his face. He just wants to coach football,” Veltkamp said. “I respect that. He’s a football coach.” Petrino has enjoyed great success wherever he’s been in college. He’s overseen offenses at the NAIA, Division I-AA and Division I-A levels that led the nation in total yardage. Balance is the key to Petrino’s teams, despite the impression many have that he’s a throw-at-all-costs coach. Petrino’s final Louisville team was 12-1 and finished 14 ArkansasSports360.com July 2008 http://ArkansasSports360.com
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