FAYETTEVILLE -- Josh Liddell was back in his old spot Saturday, starting at safety beside Santos Ramirez.
The senior from Pine Bluff said defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads talked to him Thursday about moving up in place of classmate De'Andre Coley.
"He said he liked what I've been doing and he saw the progress that I made, and he wanted to see me with the ones for a little bit," Liddell said.
Liddell said the defense had a "really good" scrimmage.
"Guys were always in the right spot," he said. "We did the right things. We lined up right. We played fast, physical and there were a lot of really good tackles out there, so I think it was a good scrimmage."
Coach Bret Bielema said Liddell turned in the best 14 practice days of his career the first couple of weeks in camp, leading to his move up to the ones.
Liddell, the team's second-leading tackler last year with 63 stops, started all 13 games, while Ramirez started 7 and Coley 6 in one of the thinnest rotations on the team.
Words for Broyles
The defensive players in the media room Monday night said they got word of the passing of legendary University of Arkansas, Fayetteville coach and athletic director Frank Broyles just a few minutes before they started a walk-through.
"It's a tough loss for the Razorback family," senior defensive captain Kevin Richardson said. "He's done so much for this program and this school. He's been a great head coach, a great AD. He's been involved with this program longer than I've been alive."
Linebacker Dre Greenlaw said he never was able to meet Broyles but had heard a lot about him.
"He's just an important guy throughout our history," he said. "I mean he's a Razorback and he's the reason we all are Razorbacks, basically. He's a legendary guy and he will be missed."
Added safety Josh Liddell: "Growing up in Arkansas and knowing all the history that's come with this school and obviously coach Frank Broyles and what he means to this university. What he means can't be put into words. You can't do it justice, what he's done for this school."
Big plays
Linebacker De'Jon Harris and cornerbacks Henre Toliver and Ryan Pulley turned in the biggest defensive plays in Monday's practice.
Harris said he intercepted a pass intended for running back Devwah Whaley that got deflected.
"It was on the weak side and they tried to dump it off to Devwah in the flat, and it just deflected and I took it over the top of him," Harris said.
Late in the practice, the defense got a stop in the two-minute drill and forced a field goal try. Toliver rushed the kick and blocked it, then Pulley scooped it up and scored, Harris said.
Morgan moves
Offensive coordinator Dan Enos said he'd like to have seven, eight or maybe even nine receivers ready to play in games this season.
"I don't know if we'll ever get to that," Enos said. "But you want to have at least five or six guys that are ready to go and you feel good about. I think what'll happen as we continue to move through practice, guys are starting to establish themselves as ... a guy that needs more touches, needs more reps."
Enos said he brings up an example from a couple of years ago about a receiver making a strong in-season move.
"I always allude to the example of Drew Morgan my first year here," he said. "In our first game against UTEP, he was really the third receiver in our nickel sets. That's what he was. He was the fourth guy, the third guy.
"He had some opportunities in that game and took advantage of them. Then the next game we had an injury ... [and] the next thing you know he's our featured receiver. Going into the season, I never would have said that Drew Morgan would be our featured guy."
'Lathered up'
Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said players getting stuck in the elevator last week was a hazard of the business when you're dealing with large groups of large men.
"We went into the team meeting room, waiting for them, and I went to work on stuff I had to do," he said. "In traveling to different hotels, I bet two out of every three years I've experienced that a team got stuck in an elevator.
"It's usually because they're late to a meeting and they're trying to get extra bodies on the elevator and the elevator won't hold it. So I didn't really bat an eye. I knew they would come out all lathered up and sweated up, and if that if there was anybody claustrophobic it was probably a mess."
4 for 4
Junior Cole Hedlund went 4 of 4 on field goals Saturday, all from his trouble spot -- the left hash -- in his first scrimmage action of camp.
Hedlund made kicks from 36, 38, 43 and 48 yards, the last three with his teammates huddled around screaming and clapping, and with whistles blaring.
"It felt great," Hedlund said, "especially with the team being around you in that environment and that stuff. Just to see everyone pumped up after they kick the field goal and stuff. It was awesome."
Press the line
The first-team offensive line got off to a slow start in Saturday's scrimmage, Bret Bielema said, but got on a roll after that.
"The offensive line wasn't crisp on that first drive, but after that they were pretty good," Bielema said Saturday. "I like the development of Colton Jackson. He has had probably his best two weeks of practice. With Johnny Gibson and Brian Wallace, we've got to continue to put their feet to the fire and press them a little bit."
Gibson and Wallace play guard and tackle on the right side, while Jackson is the starting left tackle, with Hjalte Froholdt to his right and Frank Ragnow at center.
Sports on 08/15/2017