FIRST DOWN: Bequette’s Big Day, Big Mistake
Arkansas defensive end turned in the defensive play of Saturday’s scrimmage when he swiped the ball out of quarterback Ryan Mallett’s hand and returned it for what would have been a touchdown. It drew plenty of applause from the crowd. But not from Bobby Petrino.
Petrino was asked about Bequette’s swipe after the 180-play scrimmage and said it was dangerous.
“He should not be reaching for the quarterback’s arm,” Petrino said. “That’s a mistake he made. Everybody on the team knows you don’t do that. He felt good about the play, but if the quarterback is out for the rest of the year it’s not a very good play.”
Said Bequette: “I have to be more mature.”
But the mistake aside, the junior was the most productive defensive player on the field Saturday. In addition to taking the ball from Mallett’s arm, Bequette forced another fumble by knocking the ball out of receiver Joe Adams’ hands downfield. Then, Bequette broke up a fourth-down pass in the end zone.
It all came a day after defensive ends coach Steve Caldwell said he was expecting more out of Bequette. It was clear Bequette took the message to heart.
“Jake is a dominant player,” said Mallett, who added he had no problem with Bequette’s strip. “A lot of people don’t know how great of a player he is. That’s going to be a big asset to us come the season.”
TWO-MINUTE DRILLS
• Backup quarterback Tyler Wilson had the most impressive stat line Saturday, unofficially completing 16 of 23 passes for 268 yards with 5 touchdowns. Wilson worked exclusively with the second-team offense, but Petrino said the quarterback executed well: “He threw the ball well,” Petrino said. “I thought he had some good matchups with our receivers on the two secondary and they did a good job making plays for him.”
• Bequette wasn’t the only first-team defensive linemen to turn in a solid scrimmage. Sophomore Alfred Davis impressed, slipping into the backfield numerous times to help slow the run game and hurry quarterbacks. Davis’ improvement began in the offseason and it has carried over to preseason practice: “He’s a beast in there, man,” Bequette said. “When he’s the nose guard he demands a double-team every play. … He’s motivated and hungry and he wants to start this year.”
• Running back Broderick Green was reminded of high school with his workload Saturday. The big back led all Arkansas ball carries with 27 carries for 69 yards, getting more work because of a hamstring injury that sidelined Knile Davis. “I wasn’t expecting that many, but I went along with it,” he said. “Like old times.”
• Freshman safety Alan Turner delivered the hit of the scrimmage when he popped classmate Javontee Herndon, who was catching a pass across the middle. But Turner wasn’t alone. Second-team safety Elton Ford also drew some applause from the crowd with a pair of hits.
• Place kickers Alex Tejada and Eddie Camara continued to battle for the kicking job. Tejada went 3-for-3 with a long of 42 yards, while Camara was 2-for-4 with a long of 48. His two misses were from 42.
INJURY REPORT
Davis got the first carry of the game, but did not participate in the rest of the scrimmage because of a “tweaked” hamstring. … DE Tenarius Wright did not participate in Saturday’s scrimmage because of back spasms that have slowed him this week.
PLAY OF THE DAY
Receiver De’Anthony Curtis turned in the biggest play of the game when he caught a 67-yard touchdown pass from Wilson. Curtis was open off the line of scrimmage and beat the defense downfield. With the ball in his hands, he avoided a tackle from safety Anthony Leon at the 10-yard line and got to the end zone for the score.
But it wasn’t just the play that was memorable Saturday. It was what Curtis revealed afterward.
“Right before I took off, I saw (linebacker) Ross Rasner throwing up,” Curtis said. “When I took off, he was standing right there throwing up so I didn’t have nobody jamming me. Leon wasn’t paying no attention, so I broke my route off and ran off and Tyler hit me.”
QUOTABLE
“We have to be more disciplined as a team and do exactly what we are supposed to do what the drills call for and the assignment calls for. I am not happy right now with our discipline as a football team as far as doing the right thing all the time.” — Petrino shortly after criticizing Bequette for stripping the ball out of Mallett’s passing arm Saturday morning.
UP NEXT
Arkansas will get its first off day of the preseason today. The Razorbacks will take the morning off, then come to campus to watch film and lift weights.
“We’ve been going hard for I don’t even know how many days now,” Bequette said. “I don’t even know what day it is right now. … I feel like after a good off day (today) we’ll come back ready and refocused.”
Arkansas will be back on the practice field Monday morning. The Razorbacks are scheduled to practice from 9 a.m. to 11 and then 4 p.m. to 6.
— Robbie Neiswanger • Arkansas News Bureau
