Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino met with the media for the final time before Saturday’s game in Little Rock a few minutes ago.
Nothing huge came out of the press conference. But there are a few items worth mentioning.
• Petrino provided a small injury update for a couple of players. DT Zach Stadther (knee) has been able to practice much of the week and should be able to help the Razorbacks on Saturday, barring a setback between now and then. Petrino said he has had a real good week. CB David Gordon (foot) has not practiced all week, however, and will not be available for Saturday’s game.
Petrino was asked about any more injuries. His response: “I think we’ll be OK.” Not sure what that means for players like CB Andru Stewart and S Elton Ford, who were wearing yellow non-contact jerseys during Wednesday’s practice. I guess we’ll see Saturday morning.
• The word revenge has been mentioned plenty by Arkansas players this week. The Bulldogs beat the Razorbacks in Starkville, Miss., last season to eliminate the Hogs from bowl contention. Arkansas can return the favor Saturday. But Petrino said the coaches haven’t mentioned it.
“I heard a few of them mention it after our win our Saturday, this game had a lot to do with not winning down there last year,” Petrino said. “We just try to work on our preparation. A lot of times the getting mentally ready and emotionally ready takes care of itself. That’s something that the vets are talking about. As a coaching staff we’re trying to work on our preparation, really understanding what we want to do, understand what they’re going to try to do, making sure that we’re doing things correctly on the practice field.”
• Petrino continued to credit his team captains with doing a good job of leading the team the past several weeks. He said the group led the way through another good week of practice. He’s ready to see how they play against the Bulldogs on Saturday.
“Now it’s just time to go down to Little Rock and get us a win,” Petrino said.
