FOUR DOWNS – ARKANSAS VS. OLE MISS NOTES
1. BCS Motivation
Arkansas found out Sunday it was ranked No. 9 in the first Bowl Championship Series standings, which marked the highest opening spot in the program’s history.
But Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino hopes the starting point simply stands as motivation as the Razorbacks (5-1, 1-1 in SEC) begin the season’s second half at Ole Miss (2-4, 0-3).
“That’s something that didn’t just happen,” Petrino said. “Our players put a lot of hard work and a lot of dedication into it. We’ve competed extremely hard. We stuck together when we could have fallen apart.
“What it needs to be now is really understanding if we’re tough enough mentally to focus one practice at a time, work on getting better one practice at a time, then we have a chance to keep on winning.”
Arkansas enjoyed plenty of second-half success last season, winning its final six games to finish the regular season 10-2. The Hogs climbed as high as No. 7 in the BCS standings thanks to the win streak and the finish helped them earn a Sugar Bowl berth.
The Razorbacks are in position for a run once again with the next six games against Ole Miss, Vanderbilt, South Carolina, Tennessee, Mississippi State and LSU.
The Tigers and Gamecocks are ranked among the top 14 in the BCS standings. The other four are a combined 1-13 in SEC games.
“We all see it, but we are still not where we want to be right now,” Arkansas linebacker Jerry Franklin said Monday.
Quarterback Tyler Wilson agreed, saying it’s “kind of an honor” to earn Arkansas’ highest starting point in the BCS. But he quickly added the Razorbacks aren’t planning to settle for simply a solid start.
“Obviously we’ve got some work ahead of us,” Wilson said. “We’ve got a lot of goals that are much higher than even that. We’re not going to get too caught up in it.”
2. Injury Updates
Petrino said defensive tackle Robert Thomas should be ready to play against Ole Miss.
Thomas dressed out, but did not play in the Auburn win after suffering a leg injury.
“He’s going to come out (Monday) and get some work in,” Petrino said. “As long as he doesn’t have a setback this week because of practice, he should be ready for the game.”
Arkansas also expects to have running back Ronnie Wingo (toe), cornerback Darius Winston (knee) and cornerback Isaac Madison (arm) healthy and ready for Ole Miss. The three were among a handful of starters slowed by injuries during the first half.
The Razorbacks will play once again without defensive end Tenarius Wright (broken arm), who remains sidelined after suffering his injury in the Alabama loss. Arkansas’ original timeframe for Wright’s return was four to six weeks. The Ole Miss game will mark four weeks since Wright’s injury.
“He’s still aways away,” Petrino said. “He’s really been working hard on getting his legs back and running and doing some of that. But he’s not close to playing yet.”
3. Fast and Sharp
Petrino said he was impressed by Arkansas’ work during its off week practices. The Razorbacks worked out three days before being released for a relaxing weekend.
“I really felt like last week practicing was as fast and as sharp as we’ve practiced,” Petrino said. “And I saw improvement. I’m really happy about that.”
Wilson said it was a “perfect” time for the off week for players to relax and recover from bumps and bruises. But he also believed the Razorbacks made the most of the time on the practice field before being released.
“It’s good to go into the weekend feeling good about yourselves,” Wilson said. “You’re on the same page with the guys around you.”
4. Vanderbilt TV Info
Television information has been set for the Arkansas-Vanderbilt game on Oct. 29.
The game will be broadcast by the SEC Network with kickoff set for 11:21 a.m. It will be the second straight week the Razorbacks will play on the SEC Network.
Quotable
“It kind of never was an emotional charge for me. It’s a game on the schedule playing against another team. A lot of the guys on the team — we don’t look at is an emotional game, but as just playing another team.” — Franklin on meeting former Arkansas coach Houston Nutt for the fourth time when the Razorbacks play at Ole Miss on Saturday.
— Robbie Neiswanger • Arkansas News Bureau
