FAYETTEVILLE — Childs, Adams still out
Arkansas welcomed its starting quarterback back to practice Tuesday, but the Razorbacks practiced without their top two receivers - Greg Childs and Joe Adams - who are both rehabbing ankle injuries.
Mallett looked sharp in the early periods of practice open to the media, then declared his right shoulder 100 percent after the workout.
“It felt a lot better,” Mallett said. “It was just a bruise. Just had to get the blood moving and circulating.”
Mallett said he received ice and stimulation treatments the past couple of days to rejuvenate a throwing shoulder that Coach Bobby Petrino said had lost strength after taking a hit in Saturday’s 38-24 victory over Ole Miss.
“He was focused, concentrating and he had a really good day,” offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said of Mallett’s Tuesday work. “He looked good.”
Mallett said Saturday he couldn’t pinpoint the play on which his injury occurred, but he said Tuesday “it was one of the sacks.” Ole Miss was credited with two sacks Saturday, both during the third quarter and both to Mallett.
Childs and Adams were both forced out of the game with turned ankles. Neither was in view during the early portions of Tuesday’s practice.
McGee said he wasn’t sure if Adams and Childs would return this week, but that “I do know that Lance Ray did a really good job today, and Julian Horton’s a kid we’ve really been high on in the recruiting process.” Big favorite
Arkansas is a 20 1/2-point favorite for Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt, the Hogs’ largest spread since the second game of the season against Louisiana-Monroe.
Since then, the Razorbacks have been involved in five whiteknuckle games in a row.
Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino said he doesn’t expect his team will coast in its preparations for the Commodores.
“First of all, our players will watch the video and say, ‘We’ve got to get ready to go,’ ” Petrino said. “This is a good football team. They do things real well. They don’t make any mistakes. They play with great effort.”
The Arkansas players suggest they won’t be looking past Vanderbilt.
“Any time we play in the SEC, it gets our attention,” linebacker Jerico Nelson said.
Defensive end Tenarius Wright said it wouldn’t be tough to get up after backto-back emotional games.
“It’s our homecoming game,” Wright said. “ We’vegot a lot of fans coming back since it is homecoming, and we’re ready to go out and get a W.” Vandy health
Vanderbilt expects to have defensive tackle T.J.
Greenstone back at closer to 100 percent for Saturday’s game. Greenstone, a defensive captain, was in for a handful of plays in last week’s 21-7 loss to South Carolina. Last week was the first time all three Vandy defensive captains - Greenstone, tackle Adam Smotherman and linebacker Chris Marve - played in the same game.
Vanderbilt center Joey Bailey is likely to miss a second consecutive game with a high ankle sprain. Bailey, a senior, is considered doubtful.
If he cannot play, freshman Logan Stewart is expected to make a second consecutive start.
Coach Wordslinger
Vanderbilt Coach Robbie Caldwell’s shoot-from-thehip speaking style won admirers at SEC media day, and he continued in that vein in discussing Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett this week.
“Offensively, they have a gunslinger in Mallett,” Caldwell said. “He’s fantastic. He’s probably thrown for 10,000 yards. At least it looks like it when you turn on the tape.” Hogs at home
Arkansas will celebrate homecoming Saturday against Vanderbilt. The Razorbacks have a 52-32-4 record (.614) in previous homecoming games Wideouts well
Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said Arkansas’ receiving corps had a good practice without Greg Childs and Joe Adams.
“The kids were fast,” McGee said. “They were concentrating. We had a good meeting day yesterday, so we were pretty much ahead of the game plan.”
Juniors Jarius Wright and De’Anthony Curtis and sophomore Cobi Hamilton take the top-target roles with Adams and Childs out. Wright and Hamilton both had huge catches in the fourth quarter last week against Ole Miss. Younger receivers like Lance Ray, Javontee Herndon and Julian Horton must now take more reps.
“We’ve got more guys than just Cobi and Jarius that can make plays,” quarterback Ryan Mallett said. “You haven’t seen a lot of them yet, but they’re young guys. You’ll be able to see them.” Cobi’s catch
Somewhat lost in all the lightning and thunderstorm delays, the injuries to key Arkansas players and Knile Davis’ 176-yard rushing performance against Ole Miss was a prime-time 40-yard catch by Cobi Hamilton.
The reception came on the Arkansas’ sideline on third-and-8 from the Razorbacks’ 6 with 2:42 remaining and the Hogs hanging on to a 38-24 lead.
Hamilton made the highlight-reel catch from Tyler Wilson over his shoulder while getting one foot in-bounds on his way out.
“He laid out and made himself a play,” offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said.
“I didn’t think we’d run the ball there and get a first down,” Coach Bobby Petrino said. “We had a good matchup with Cobi.”
De’Anthony Curtis entered the game with the play, a maximum protection go route to Hamilton.
Ole Miss Coach Houston Nutt challenged the ruling on the field, but it was upheld, essentially clinching the Arkansas victory.
Sports, Pages 22 on 10/27/2010