HOG CALLS: Petrino not interested in rehashing past

— Any road Bobby Petrino takes discussing Houston Nutt would come to a dead end, so he doesn’t take any.

The third-year Arkansas Razorbacks coach doesn’t make a show of not discussing his 10-year Arkansas coaching predecessor who will lead Ole Miss into Reynolds Razorback Stadium today. He doesn’t assert “Don’t go there!” He just doesn’t go there.

Petrino doesn’t take the bait, whether it’s a preceding banquet speakerback in August predicting that the Razorbacks would “crush Ole Miss” or being asked two days before the game if his remaining Nutt era holdovers are especially motivated against their former coach.

He spoke his August banquet piece like the other speaker’s “crush Ole Miss” statement had never been uttered.

To Thursday’s question, Petrino replied: “We just focus on the game and our performance.”

Asked a similar question Monday, Petrino replied: “Our thoughts are we need to worry about us.”

You don’t heal your program’s old wounds by reopening them.

Especially with some lingering Nutt lovers and Nutt haters still tediously debating.

The less ammunition provided by either side, the more likely they unite in peace behind Arkansas and Petrino.

Besides, Petrino has no personal axe to grind with Nutt. Maybe just a thank-you or two.

Thanks to Nutt’s wildly successful 9-3 debut season in 1998, the Razorbacks and their boosters became inspired to expand Razorback Stadium into a 72,000-seat SEC palace.

Petrino would have arrived clamoring for the stadium expansion if it hadn’t been done. He would have been doubly handicapped by a struggling economy and an athletic director not named Frank Broyles directing the fundraising.

Reynolds Razorback Stadium was Broyles’ last magic construction touch, his final of innumerable great athletics fundraising achievements even as its Little Rock byproduct, the Great Stadium Debate, eventually played a part in easing him out of the AD’s chair.

Obviously Petrino owes Nutt for his departure from Arkansas, which created the vacancy Petrino was so happy to fill.

Given that a senior-dominated team departed with Nutt, plus junior All-America running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jonesturning pro, it’s presumed Nutt left Petrino with little for Petrino’s 5-7 debut in 2008.

Long term, though, maybe Nutt left more than we realized.

Look around. The Hogs improved last year to 8-5, moved into the top 10 nationally at one point this year and are still in the top 25 (No. 23), even after a 65-43 loss at Auburn.

Among Arkansas’ top players, D.J. Williams, DeMarcus Love, Ray Dominguez, Ramon Broadway, Jerry Franklin and Jake Bequette all lettered - or at least, with Bequette and Franklin as 2007 redshirts, practiced for Nutt.

Arkansas junior receivers Greg Childs and Jarius Wright of Warren were committed to Nutt before the coaching change.

Petrino owes Nutt no ill will. He just seeks payback for Nutt’s 2-0 record against the Hogs.

And like Petrino said Thursday when asked about improving Arkansas’ special teams play, that won’t come by discussing it, but by doing it.

Sports, Pages 22 on 10/23/2010

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