Footloose, free of doubt

HOOVER, Ala. — It didn’t take long for Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett to get down to business Thursday morning at SEC football media days.

Mallett introduced himself to the print media and supplied them with a much-anticipated medical update.

“My foot is doing fine,” Mallett said in his introductory remarks, referring to his surgically repaired left foot. “I’m right on schedule with my rehab.”

Mallett sported a dark suit, a lighter blue shirt and a Razorbacks lapel pin, but his ensemble didn’t gain near the attention as what he wasn’t wearing - the orthopedic boot that has just come off his left foot.

“It’s like the most famous foot in the country right now,” Arkansas tight end D.J. Williams said. “You think he’d be like some kind of shoe model or something.”

Mallett, Williams, defensive end Jake Bequette and Coach Bobby Petrino spent a lively morning in the spotlight, with Petrino smiling as he welcomed the high expectations for his Hogs while Williams, Bequette and Mallett ran the three-man weave with the hundreds of assembled media.

Mallett and the Razorbacks can afford to joke about his foot because it has mended well, and yet they all know how important Mallett’s health is to what is shaping up as a potentially big season for Arkansas.

Media predictions are due out today, and the Hogs are likely to be picked second or third in the West behind national champion Alabama and a possible choice to contend for the SEC championship.

“Expectations are very high, there’s no question about that,” said Petrino, looking confident and calm in his third appearance at the Wynfrey Hotel. “We’re embracing the expectations. I think that’s a good thing.”

Said Mallett, “We’re going to jell together. I feel like this is the closest team I’ve ever played on.”

Williams has detected a new vibe for the 2010 Razorbacks after posting a 21-17 record his first three seasons, including 13-12 in two seasons with Petrino.

“This is a completely different Arkansas team,” Williams said. “We are going to set the standard for what Arkansas football could and should be for years to come.”

Hopes for the Razorbacks are based on definable measures. The team returns 100 percent of its passing yards, 86 percent of its receiving yards, 74 percent of its rushing yards and five of six players on an offensive front that should be improved.

Mallett threw for a school record 3,624 yards, 30 touchdowns and the third-highest efficiency rating in SEC history, and skill talent abounds around him.

Petrino has stressed his intentions of being a tougher, more physical team on both sides of the ball, which on offense translates into being a stronger running team.

If the Hogs can be better on the ground, they should have a stronger third-down conversion rate than 33 percent, a statistic which proved costly last season in keeping the Arkansas defense on the field longer.

“When you can control the ball and move it on the ground, you’re better on third downs because you’re getting in shorter distances,” Petrino said.

“I’m not saying that we’re going to come in and be a ball-control team, because I still like to throw it down the field, move it around, score a lot of points. That’s one of the ways we’ve always found a way to win.”

The key question on everyone’s mind: Can the Hogs’ defense break free from the last in-the-SEC mire it has been in the past two seasons?

Bequette and the Razorbacks defenders said they know improvement on their side of the ball is a must if the Hogs are to contend this season.

“We hear that a lot, and we deserve that,” Bequette said. “This is a game, and this is a league where you have to prove yourself. ... For the time being, we’re ready to fly under the radar and keep that chip on our shoulder and work hard to be the best we can.”

Arkansas lost veteran players Malcolm Sheppard, Adrian Davis and Wendell Davis from its front seven on defense, but that unit expects greater numbers to work with in 2010, and some impact freshmen.

“I think you’re going to see a faster defense than you saw last year,” Bequette said.

“We’ve got a great coordinator, a great system, and finally, after three years, everyone is 100 percent confident in their assignments and their alignment on every play.”