BELLA VISTA — Brandon Mitchell’s desire to get in on the action has led Arkansas’ second-team quarterback last season to take snaps at receiver during summer workouts.
Mitchell’s size, 6-4, and versatility, which helped him land a key role off the bench for the Razorbacks’ basketball team last year, are attributes Arkansas would like to capitalize on.
“He has the ability to play that spot, and he’s a good enough athlete that he certainly should be out there,” said Arkansas Coach John L. Smith, who added Mitchell would practice at quarterback and receiver in the fall.
“He’d be a big target,” Arkansas receivers coach Kris Cinkovich said. “I know he could catch the ball well, because I’ve watched him play basketball and he’s softhanded, sure-handed. He’s a winner, and guys like that you want on the field.”
Open-date policy
Arkansas wound up with a schedule in which five of its opponents, including SEC foes Auburn, Ole Miss and South Carolina, have an open date the week before facing the Hogs.
Running backs coach Tim Horton said you could spin the issue either way.
“If you’re an injured team, the open date can be a great asset because it gives you a chance to heal up,” he said.
“If you’re a team that’s got a lot of momentum like maybe we did a year ago and you’re winning and playing well, you don’t want to stop for an open date.”
Alabama, when coming off its 2009 BCS national championship, faced a schedule in which six of its SEC opponents had open dates before playing the Crimson Tide.
SEC executive associate commissioner Mark Womack said at the time, “You want to make sure that we’re doing everything we possibly can to find a solution to that issue.”
Alabama lost three of those games - to LSU, South Carolina and Auburn.
Louisiana-Monroe and Tulsa also have open dates before playing the Hogs, while Rutgers takes on South Florida on a Thursday the week before its game at Arkansas on Sept. 22.
“Hopefully we’re going to be good enough that they need that extra week,” Arkansas Coach John L.
Smith said.
Ripped Cobi?
Arkansas receivers coach Kris Cinkovich gave Cobi Hamilton, who is expected to be the Hogs’ go-to receiverthis fall, some good-natured ribbing on Friday.
Asked about the progress of the receivers this summer, he relayed what he’d been hearing from strength and conditioning coach Jason Veltkamp and his staff who can monitor summer work.
“With Cobi Hamilton, they’re just tremendously pleased with how he’s grown in the weight room and stuff,” Cinkovich said. “I know I’ve seen him a couple of times, and he’s wearing tight shirts around all the time, which he never did. He didn’t even know where the weight room was when I first got here.”
Stopping the run
Defensive coordinator Paul Haynes said stopping the run will be priority No. 1 in his first season calling plays for the Arkansas defense.
Defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell said he thinks the Razorbacks will be stronger in that area.
“We’ve got a chance to be better on the defensive front than we were last year,” Caldwell said. “It starts with the four guys up front, and we’ll be better there. And then you put Tank [Wright] in there at middle linebacker, and Alonzo [Highsmith] at an outside linebacker, and whoever the third one is, then you’ve got some bodies in there that are big enough to play the run.” Back in Aggieland
Ron Calcagni, Arkansas’ starting quarterback from 1976-1978, said he’s excited that Texas A&M and the Razorbacks will again be conference rivals this season.
The teams have played nonconference games the past three years at Cowboys Stadium, but their first SEC meeting will be at the Aggies’ Kyle Field on Sept.
29.
“We had some great games against the Aggies in the Southwest Conference, and Aggieland is a fun place to play,” Calcagni said Friday before playing in the Razorback Celebrity Scramble golf tournament.
“It’s going to be a great experience for our players.
“I have great memories of playing there. I’ll never forget throwing a last-minute touchdown pass to Robert Farrell down the rail toward the Aggie sideline that put us ahead.”
Calcagni’s 58-yard touchdown pass to Farrell helped the Razorbacks to a 26-20 victory at Kyle Field in 1977 when Arkansas finished 11-1.
If no Wade ...
Sophomore Marquel Wade appeared to be the leading candidate to field punts next fall, but his uncertain status after his arrest on burglary charges has made the position wide open.
Arkansas coaches said freshman Nate Holmes, junior-college transfer Demetrius Wilson and a veteran like Dennis Johnson will be in the mix with others.
Sports, Pages 30 on 07/15/2012