FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ players were home for the holidays last December, but they would have preferred a bowl trip instead.
Even a few days in Shreveport, La., would have been fine for them.
After finishing last season with a 5-7 record — one win shy of becoming bowl-eligible — the Razorbacks opened fall camp with a modest goal.
Along with winning all their home games — which they just narrowly missed doing — the Hogs wanted to make a bowl game and avoid having to spend another December sitting around the house, watching other teams play.
“Last year we were home for Christmas,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “We didn’t enjoy it very much, and we worked extremely hard in the offseason, all through summer, all through spring ball to get an opportunity to do this.”
While Arkansas wide receiver Jarius Wright acknowledged that the team
U.S. Pat No. 7,007,507
had hoped to play in a more prestigious game than the Liberty Bowl, the trip is a step forward in Petrino’s master plan for the program.
In order for Petrino to fulfill his goal of turning the Razorbacks into national contenders that are consistently competing for a Southeastern Conference championship, he had to first get them into a bowl game.
And Arkansas’ players understand that a win over East Carolina (9-4) in Memphis on Jan. 2 would increase the program’s notoriety, help with recruiting and perhaps speed up Petrino’s vision of the future. Kickoff
is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. on ESPN.
“I think we’re the only game scheduled in that time slot. You know everybody will be watching,” Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams said. “It’s just our job to come out and perform.
“It’ll help recruiting, and the thing (that) I think is interesting about our players is it’s not just about us. It’s about building the program for years
to come and that’s what we’re working on doing it.”
Coincidentally, to move the program closer to elite status, Petrino must beat East Carolina coach Skip Holtz, who saw first-hand Arkansas at one of its highest points. Holtz is the son of former Arkansas coach Lou Holtz, who led the Hogs to six consecutive bowl appearance from 1977-82.
“I see a great football team (in Arkansas),” said Holtz, a Fayetteville High graduate. “I think it’ll be a heck of a challenge for us as a football program to walk in here. I think Coach Petrino’s done a great job.”
For the first time in his college coaching career, though, Petrino failed to lead his team to a bowl game last season. Missing the postseason was also new to those Arkansas players who had spent the previous two New Year’s Days playing in bowl games — the 2007 Capital One Bowl and the 2008 Cotton Bowl.
The Razorbacks showed signs in 2009 of developing into a highpowered offense with a defense that can hold its own at times.
A Liberty Bowl win would offer more proof that things are moving in the right direction under Petrino, who’s not known for his patience or for staying too long at one job.
Meanwhile, a strong showing by Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett against East Carolina’s physical defense could convince him to leave early for the NFL Draft. For now, though, the sophomore is focused on the bigger picture.
“We’re on the edge of where we want to be. We’re real close,” Mallett said. “It’s just a couple pieces here and there. Trying to put that puzzle together.”
Arkansas hasn’t won a bowl game since a 27-14 victory over
Missouri in the 2003 Independence Bowl.
However, one major piece of the puzzle was unexpectedly removed in mid-December when Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino accepted the same position at Illinois.
Garrick McGee, who has a long history with Bobby Petrino and had spent the previous two seasons as Arkansas’ quarterbacks coach, was quickly promoted to offensive coordinator.
But will the Razorbacks’ crowdpleasing, quarterback-friendly system experience any drop-off as a result of the change?
“I don’t know that it’ll be an immediate impact on anything,” McGee said. “We’re just going to continue going about our business the way that we go about our business.”
And winning is always good for business.