FAYETTEVILLE — Bobby Petrino’s Arkansas teams take care of business on the field against the teams they are supposed to beat.
Not once in Petrino’s 47 games as the UA coach have the Razorbacks lost when they were favored by a field goal or more in 22 chances.
The No. 8 Razorbacks will put that streak on the line again Saturday as a 14-point favorite against Tennessee at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
While the Razorbacks have experienced up-and-down showings in their three-plus seasons under Petrino, their flattest performances - such as narrow road victories at Ole Miss (29-24) and Vanderbilt (31-28) in recent weeks - have never cost them a loss as a substantial favorite.
Research by Phil Steele Publications shows that Arkansas will take a 21-game winning streak as a favorite into the Tennessee game. It is the second-longest such streak in the nation to Stanford, which has a 22-game winning streak as a favorite heading into its home game against Oregon on Saturday.
“I think it just says that we stay true to our preparation, no matter who we’re playing,” Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette said. “We do the same thing week in and week out. We take every opponent very, very seriously.”
Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson said there is something to it when it comes to a steady practice approach paying off on game day.
“I think that’s the key to success,” Wilson said. “You don’t change your makeup and how you go about a week. You keep it consistent, no matter how big it is or how under the radar it is.”
Arkansas has lost only twice, according to Phil Steele Publications, as a favorite under Petrino: 31-28 at Mississippi State in 2008 as a one-point favorite and 52-41 to Georgia in 2009 as a 2 1/2 point favorite.
Arkansas has won outright as an underdog on seven occasions, the last a 41-38 victory over Texas A&M this season, and has a series of near-misses - a 23-20 loss at No. 1 Florida in 2009, a 24-20 loss vs. No. 1 Alabama in 2010, and a 31-26 loss to Ohio State in the 2011 Sugar Bowl come to mind - as an underdog.
The Razorbacks have escaped several brushes with significant upsets under Petrino, from his first two games at Arkansas - come from-behind victories over Western Illinois (28-24) and Louisiana-Monroe (28-27) - to a 20-17 victory against East Carolina in the 2010 Liberty Bowl to this year’s bullet-dodging road victories in Oxford, Miss., and Nashville, Tenn.
Yet, the Hogs have found ways to rally from behind, play tough second-half defense or do whatever it took to pull out those victories.
Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said the team’s winning performances start with the Razorbacks’ detailed approach to each game. He said the challenge is coming up with a plan that puts players in the best position to make plays, then teaching the players that plan and how it fits into what the opponent’s defense likes to do.
“Then you take them on the practice field and you push them hard and get them to execute fundamentals and their techniques, get the conditioning level up by continuing to push them once they get tired,” McGee said. “So we go about it the same way, regardless of who we’re playing.”
Sports, Pages 21 on 11/09/2011