Petrino in a pinch

FAYETTEVILLE — Did you hear Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino’s big house is for sale?

It’s true.

Petrino and his wife, Becky, tried to discreetly pull off a “pocket” listing of their 6,450 square-foot home in Bridgewater Estates on Tuesday. But in no time at all, the word had spread to the Internet and talk radio, and speculation began as to why they wanted to sell.

“The reason is I still own a house in Atlanta,” Petrino said Wednesday. “And with the economy, I’ve got to sell one of them.

“That’s just the basic dollars and cents facts. I have no choice but to get one of them sold.”

A player for the NHL’s Atlanta Thrashers is renting the Petrinos’ house in the Sugarloaf Country Club community in Duluth, Ga., which is helping the family’s finances, but it’s not the same as being out from under the financial obligation of the house.

Petrino had two children in high school when he accepted the Arkansas job Dec. 11, 2007, for seven years at $2.85 million per season. Now he and Becky have downsizing in mind with their youngest son, Bobby, in school as a premed student at Arkansas, and their youngest daughter, Katie, headed for Louisville on a golf scholarship in the fall.

“Katie’s leaving, going to college next year, and it’d be me and Becky in a huge house,” said Petrino, who coached the Atlanta Falcons in 2007. “If we can get the one sold in Atlanta, then I wouldn’t [sell in Fayetteville]. Then if we can’t get that one sold, hopefully we can get this one sold.”

So relax, Razorbacks fans. Petrino is still embracing and growing ever more comfortable in the job in his third year at Arkansas.

Asked how long he hoped to stay with the program, Petrino gave his stock answer, “Hopefully as long as they’ll have me,” but he sounded uncommonly excited about the 2010 season, in which the Razorbacks are projected to contend in the SEC West.

“I think we have a chance to be a real good football team,” he said. “How many wins and losses that contributes to is still yet to be seen.”

Petrino will enter 2010 with a 13-12 record at Arkansas, but with his most talented and experienced team yet. If the Razorbacks have a huge season, there is little doubt other schools would be interested in him.

However, it appears clear Petrino has grown fond of Northwest Arkansas.

“I remember before I ever came here, Chris Mortensen telling me that it’s one of the best-kept secrets in the world,” Petrino said.

“It’s very similar to where I grew up, as far as the outdoors. The mountains aren’t quite asbig as in Montana. We would call these ‘hills’ in Montana, but it’s very similar.

“All the great places I’ve been able to coach, the thing that’s been so neat has been the people that embrace you and your family and your staff. Certainly we’ve found that here in Arkansas.”

Petrino, of course, is a big golfer, but that’s not the extent of his recreational pursuits.

“We go up to Beaver Lake a lot,” he said. “Go up there and get on the lake and do some water-skiing and jet-skiing, have a lot of fun with that.

“I think one of the things that was neat for me was traveling around the state and watching my daughter golf and seeing the different areas. That’s been really neat, and it helps give you an understanding of how much there is in this state.”

After two years with only one change among his assistant coaches, there has been more transition in the off season. Petrino hired three new assistants and promoted quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee to the role of offensive coordinator after his brother, Paul, departed to become offensive coordinator at Illinois last December.

“I’ll miss him,” Petrino said. “I’ll miss the everyday work that we do together. He brought all kinds of energy and emotion with his coaching style. But I knew there was a time he’d need to move on.”

Bobby Petrino said he has talked with Paul on the phone and was even able to watch Illinois’ spring game on the Big Ten Network recently.

Bobby Petrino’s key focus since the Razorbacks finished last season with a 20-17 victory over East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl has been on finding a way to move up in the SEC West. The Razorbacks are 5-11 in SEC play under Petrino.

What has Petrino learned about the SEC in his two seasons as a head coach?

“Well, that it’s tough,” he said. “There’s no doubt about it. The defenses in the league are so good. The speed by the defensive ends and linebackers and secondary and then the physicalness of the offenses is something that you have to be able to stop the run and you have to be able to run the ball in the big games.

“And that was our major emphasis in the spring on those two things.”

Petrino concedes his first Arkansas team was not strong in the running department, but he contends the ground game made a big improvement through last season. The offensive plan this season, with strong-armed Ryan Mallett at quarterback, is to be explosive through the air and on the ground.

“Our ability to throw it - we’re gonna throw it,” he said. “I think we’ll throw it well. But we have to run it better, more consistent and generate some bigger plays running the ball.”

Razorbacks fans can take that advice to the house.