By Robbie Neiswanger
Arkansas News Bureau • rneiswanger@arkansasnews.com
HOOVER, Ala. — The offensive line is an obvious question mark.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino didn’t deny it Wednesday. Replacing three starters is never an easy task. Doing so with the loss of expected contributors like Seth Oxner, Anthony Oden and Cam Feldt doesn’t help.
But when Petrino stepped behind the lectern in the Wynfrey Hotel, opening the first day of Southeastern Conference Media Days, his message was clear: Arkansas may not have a veteran line or quarterback Ryan Mallett back under center, but is confident it has the talent and experience to chase a championship in 2011.
“I’m not afraid of high expectations,” Petrino said, mimicking his message from 2010 SEC Media Days. “I’m excited with the fact that two years in a row now we have very high expectations. …
“It’s fun to approach the year that way, that we’re going to go out and be a contender, be a good football team, see what we can do to win a championship.”
So Arkansas, despite its offseason full of departures, remains loaded with optimism after last season’s success. The Razorbacks won 10 games, earned an at-large spot in the Bowl Championship Series game and nearly beat Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl last January.
The run has fueled Arkansas’ internal expectations with the majority of its starters and contributors back for the 2011 season. It’s a senior-heavy group, which has played key roles in Arkansas’ win total rising from five wins in 2008 to eight in 2009 and to 10 in 2010.
“Since coach Petrino got here, we’ve gotten a lot better every year and made improvements,” said running back Knile Davis, who joined receiver Jarius Wright and defensive end Tenarius Wright as Arkansas’ player representatives at SEC Media Days. “We feel like setting big goals is the only way for us to get to the SEC Championship. We have the players to do it.”
Arkansas’ 10-3 season proved to be its first double-digit win total since 2006 and just the program’s second in 21 years. Accomplishing it again would be a feat.
The last time the Razorbacks had consecutive 10-win seasons was 1998 and 1999, when Ken Hatfield’s teams won a pair of Southwest Conference titles. The only other time it occurred was in 1964 and 1965 under Frank Broyles, when Arkansas enjoyed the best two-year run in school history.
But Jarius Wright sees no reason why the Razorbacks can’t win 10 or more once again this fall.
“We’ve had the same goals for two years now,” Wright said. “We are coming back with the same goals we had last year and that’s to play for an SEC Championship and to play for a national championship. We came up short last year, but our goals are still the same.”
Preseason prognosticators tend to agree in the notion Arkansas is capable, lumping the Hogs into a three-team battle for the SEC West championship with Alabama and LSU. In addition, the Razorbacks had 14 players selected to the coaches’ All-SEC team, which led the league.
It’s an indication the talent is there. Petrino knows the experience and speed is there as well. And Jarius Wright said Arkansas’ preparation under Petrino has paid off.
“I wouldn’t want to say anybody fears us,” Wright said. “But I think we are on the level of top name schools now. When people see Arkansas they have to gameplan a lot – and very smart – against us.”
But Petrino also realizes the Razorbacks are far from a finished product. He said there’s plenty to accomplish when preseason practice begins on Aug. 4.
“We obviously will try to build on last year,” Petrino said. “We’re very proud of last year, the football team we had. But we do understand that this is a new team. It will have new players on it. We have to find out a lot about ourselves as we get starting practicing here.”
Some of the questions: Will the offensive line hold up under youth? How smoothly will Wilson — or perhaps Brandon Mitchell — settle into the starting job? Will an experienced defense take another step forward?
Arkansas’ coaches also left spring practice saying the team’s leadership needed to improve.
It’s an issue Davis said won’t be a problem as the season nears.
“I think the leadership is there,” Davis said. “He’s not with us at all times. We have leadership. We have to make sure that during the season it shows up.
“He’s just put it on the front of our minds that we have to do what we say we are going to do.”
If Davis’ recent accomplishment is any indication, the Razorbacks have no issues with motivation.
The SEC’s leading returning rusher, who is on the preseason watch list for both the Walter Camp and Doak Walker awards, bench pressed 430 pounds this week. It was a mark that rivals Arkansas’ strongest linemen.
Davis said he was aided by strength and conditioning coach Jason Veltkamp in a special way.
“He put a sign of Alabama in front of me,” Davis said in reference to Arkansas’ first SEC game at Alabama on Sept. 24. “He said what are you going to do when you get on the field with Alabama? I took it personal. …
“We put the work in. We work hard. We don’t see why not. There’s a lot of hype for all the teams in the SEC. We don’t see why we don’t fit in the picture as well.”
