FAYETTEVILLE — Defense had some positives
Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said he doesn't plan to make any changes in the starting lineup for Saturday's game at No. 3 Alabama.
The question was raised after Wednesday'spractice because Georgia gained 530 yards in beating the Razorbacks 52-41 last week.
"That same groupof guys that did some bad things did some awfully good things. It's no time to panic," Robinson said.
"We've got an awful lot of football left."
Robinson said the Razorbacks swarmed to the ball on a consistent basis against Georgia.
"We had a lot of times wehad a lot of hats on people," he said. "Unfortunately, we had a few more times than we wanted to where we only had one hat on somebody." Thomas ready
Starting safety Tramain Thomas dislocated his left ring finger against Georgia, but said he's ready to play against Alabama.
"It's fine," Thomas said.
"I can still do what I need to do."
Start for Oden?
True freshman offensive tackle Anthony Oden worked with the first-team line in place of Ray Dominguez during the early portion of Wednesday's practice that was open to the media.
No offensive coaches were available for comment after practice Wednesday, but Coach Bobby Petrino said Monday that Oden needed to play more and offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said Tuesday there was a "a good chance" Oden would play at Alabama.
Dominguez was called for five penalties against Georgia last week, including three false-starts.
Oden played as a backup in the opener againstMissouri State, but didn't play against Georgia.
"We need to get him ready to play," Bobby Petrino said Monday. "He's a big, physical guy who can really play football." Breeding excited
Dylan Breeding has attended Alabama home games with his family for as long as he can remember.
So Breeding must be a pretty big Crimson Tide fan, right?
"You could say I was," Breeding said. "But I've got to support my team now."
Arkansas is now Breeding's team. The freshman walk-on from Hoover, Ala., will handle punting duties Saturday against the Tide in Bryant-Denny Stadium with many of his family members and friends looking on.
His parents, Marve and Kerri, are Alabama graduates. His sister, Brittany, is a junior attending Alabama.
Breeding laughed when asked if his sister will root for Alabama or Arkansas.
"I asked her that. She wouldn't give me a straight answer," he said. "But she'll be rooting for me."
Breeding said he thought about walking on at Alabama,but chose Arkansas because the Razorbacks needed a new punter with the loss of Jeremy Davis after last season.
Breeding won the job in preseason practice, beating out junior college transfer Briton Forester, and is averaging 37.1 yards on eight attempts, with two downed inside the opponents' 20.
"He's got a strong leg," special teams coordinator John L. Smith said. "It's a matter of consistency.
"But he can do it. He's getting better all the time."
Breeding said he's not nervous about the prospect of punting against Alabama.
"I think the nervousness is out of the way," he said. "It's nothing but excitement now."
Award nominee
Arkansas tight end D.J.
Williams, a junior from Little Rock, is the first weekly nominee for the Orange Bowl/Football Writers Association of America Courage Award, whose winner will be announced at season's end.
Williams' nomination cited his overcoming domestic violence during his childhood to excel as a student, player and in community service.
Sports, Pages 24 on 09/24/2009