Petrino: Mallett injury may have been stress related

By Brandon Marcello

Posted: February 19, 2010 at 3:34 p.m.

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FAYETTEVILLE — The broken bone Ryan Mallett suffered Wednesday morning during conditioning drills wasn't the first time the junior has had problems with his left foot.

Mallett felt pain and soreness in the left foot throughout the 2009 season, leading Coach Bobby Petrino to believe the broken bone may have been brought on by stress on the foot, he told ESPN.com's Chris Low on Friday.

"It was more of stress buildup, and I remember him having some problems last season right around that same spot where he broke it,” Petrino told ESPN.com.

Mallett underwent surgery Wednesday on the broken bone in his left foot, and Petrino is hopeful the quarterback will be back sooner than the three to four months estimated for complete recovery.

A screw was inserted in Mallett’s left foot during surgery Wednesday, Petrino said, and the junior stayed overnight at the hospital. The injury occurred Wednesday morning during MAT drills. Mallett was changing direction and felt pain on the outside of his left foot, and actually continued to run drills until the pain became unbearable, Petrino said.

“After eight weeks he’ll be back doing some things, and we believe a very conservative estimate is three to four months before he is full speed, doing everything,” Petrino told the Texarkana Gazette. “Ryan will certainly still be able to condition (during his rehabilitation).”

Mallett’s injury will require the junior to stay off the foot for one month. The quarterback will wear a protective boot in the second month of recovery.

Petrino spoke to a booster club gathering in Texarkana on Wednesday night, where he revealed the details surrounding Mallett’s injury.

Petrino said the Razorbacks were fortunate the injury occurred this early in the offseason, giving Mallett time to recuperate completely before fall workouts. Mallett is expected to be out of action three to four months and will miss spring practices.

Mallett is no stranger to injuries. He injured the ring finger on his throwing hand in June after a mishap in the weight room and was sidelined for several weeks. Mallett also dislocated the thumb on his throwing hand during spring drills in 2008, when he sat out a season after transferring from Michigan.

“It must just be that time of the year for him,” Petrino joked Thursday evening. “This is three years in a row that during the offseason he’s had a broken bone.”

Mallett set or tied 16 school records in his first year as Arkansas’ starting quarterback last fall and turned heads along the way. He threw for 3,624 yards and 30 touchdowns with 7 interceptions in leading Arkansas to an 8-5 record and win in the Liberty Bowl. He was a second-team selection on the All-SEC teams picked by the media and league’s coaches.

Stay with WholeHogSports.com and The Slophouse blog for more on this story.

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