GAME HIGHLIGHTS

New Coach Victorious in Opener, Barely!

The Razorbacks under new head coach Bobby Petrino came from behind to pull out a 28-24 suspenseful victory from the jaws of defeat against the Western Illinois Leathernecks. Any Razorback fan following the game was sweating throughout the game as Arkansas struggled to move the ball and the Leathernecks chewed the clock and put points on the board. In the end, though, Casey Dick showed his Senior instincts and led the team to victory in the 4th quarter. While Casey threw for over 300 yards, his ability on the ground earned him the nickname Casey "Vick" as he ran for two touchdowns of 23 and 5 yards respectively.

Other bright spots included Freshmen talents at WR and De'Anthony Curtis. Not so hot performances came from the defense that dropped multiple interception opportunities and failed to stop the run on many occasions. Disappointing performances came from the OL and DL as they were supposed to be the strongest part of the team.

Areas most in need of improvement? 1) Holding on to the ball. The hogs fumbled the opening kickoff return and dropped multiple passes. 2) Time of possession. The Razorbacks were dominated in this area. Mostly due to a lack of a running game. 3) Special Teams. While the Razorbacks were perfect on PATs, they performed poorly on Kickoffs and Returns.

Hot or Not? Whether the new jerseys and red pants were a hit is to be determined. A loss would have sealed the deal, but the win may leave the door open. I do think the midfield hog was well received though.

The Razorbacks will take on Louisiana Monroe next weekend at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.

GAMEDAY

Western Illinois at Arkansas

WHEN 6 p.m. today
WHERE Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville
RECORDS Season opener for both teams
2007 RECORDS Arkansas 8-5, Western Illinois 6-5
RANKINGS Arkansas is not ranked. Western Illinois is No. 25 in the Football Championship Subdivision.
BETTING LINE No line available
COACHES Bobby Petrino (41-9 in four seasons at Louisville; first game at Arkansas); Mark Hendrickson (0-0, first game as acting head coach in place of Don Patterson)
SERIES First meeting
TELEVISION None
RADIO Arkansas Radio Sports Network
ANNOUNCERS Chuck Barrett (play-byplay), Keith Jackson (color analyst), Quinn Grovey (sideline reporter)

Starter Suspended for Game 1

Starting RB, Michael Smith, is suspended for game one against Wester Illinois today. His suspension is a result of a "textbook" violation. According to sources, this suspension is for one game only - making him available for the Louisiana Monroe game next Saturday. Today, look for Freshmen to get serious playing time - that includes De'Anthony Curtis and Dennis Johnson. Senior backup Brandon Barnett is the likely starter for today's game.

Another Preview from FSN

Razorback Nation Season Preview

It's Almost Here...

As we get closer and closer to the home opener, so does the field. In these two pictures you can see the placement of the new "midfield" Razorback. The first picture shows (if you look close enough) a stencil outline of the new hog. The second picture is a photoshop overlay of the standard Razorback logo on top of the stencil in the first pic.

Who's ready for some Razorback football!?!?!?!?!?

GO HOGS!

Razorback Depth Chart

Below is the Razorback Depth Chart at this moment. This list is subject to change on a daily basis as Coach Petrino has stated multiple times.



OFFENSE
OT Ray Dominguez 6-4, 315 So.
Michael Aguirre 6-6, 315 Jr.

OG Wade Grayson 6-4, 292 So.
Mitch Petrus 6-4, 305 Sr.

C Jonathan Luigs 6-4, 314 Sr.
Seth Oxner 6-4, 300 RFr.

OG DeMarcus Love 6-5, 302 So.
Grant Cook 6-6, 320 RFr.

OT Jose Valdez 6-5, 313 Sr.
Grant Freeman 6-7, 277 RFr.
-OR- Matt Hall 6-9, 300 Fr.

RB Michael Smith 5-7, 173 Jr.
Dennis Johnson 5-7, 195 Fr.

QB Casey Dick 6-2, 215 Sr.
Nathan Dick 6-4, 217 RFr.
-OR- Tyler Wilson 6-2, 180 Fr.

FB Mitchell Bailey 6-1, 220 Fr.
John Durmon 5-11, 217 Jr.

WR Lucas Miller 6-3, 201 Jr.
Carlton Salters 6-0, 191 So.

WR London Crawford 6-2, 200 Jr.
Greg Childs 6-4, 205 Fr.

TE D.J. Williams 6-2, 250 So.
Andrew Davie 6-5, 266 Jr.

WR Jarius Wright 5-10, 170 Fr.
Joe Adams 6-0, 175 Fr.

DEFENSE
DE Antwain Robinson 6-2, 258 Sr.
Jake Bequette 6-5, 265 RFr.

NG Ernest Mitchell 6-2, 305 Sr.
Zach Stadther 6-1, 285 Fr.

DT Malcolm Sheppard 6-3, 277 Jr.
Lavunce Askew 6-2, 290 Fr.

DE Adrian Davis 6-4, 238 Jr.
Demario Ambrose 6-5, 253 So.

JLB Walner Leandre 6-2, 213 Sr.
Jerico Nelson 5-9, 195 Fr.

MLB Jerry Franklin 6-2, 229 RFr.
Jermaine Love 5-11, 226 So.

WLB Jelani Smith 6-0, 205 Fr.
Khiry Battle 5-11, 215 Fr.

CB Jamar Love 6-1, 197 Sr.
Ramon Broadway 5-9, 191 So.

SS Matt Harris 6-2, 192 Jr.
Dallas Washington 6-0, 210 Sr.

FS Elton Ford 6-0, 208 Fr.
Rashaad Johnson 6-1, 191 Jr.

CB Isaac Madison 6-0, 181 So.
Tramain Thomas 6-0, 180 Fr.


SPECIAL TEAMS
KR Elton Ford 6-0, 208 Fr.
Jarius Wright 5-10, 170 Fr.

PR Jarius Wright 5-10, 170 Fr.
Joe Adams 6-0, 175 Fr.

PK Alex Tejada 6-1, 207 So.
Shay Haddock 5-9, 185 So.

P Jeremy Davis 5-9, 206 Sr.
Nick Grasshoff 5-11, 190 Fr.

KO Jeremy Davis 5-9, 206 Sr.
Alex Tejada 6-1, 207 So.

Game Notes - Western Illinois

http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/pdf5/137184.pdf?ATCLID=1568407&SPSID=30726&SPID=2419&DB_OEM_ID=6100

Who's Ready for Some College Football?

New Hog Cheer?

Could this be a new student section cheer for the 2008 season? Steve Lee thinks so, and he debuted his new cheer on ESPN's College Football Live "sound-off."

Comments?

2008 Schedule

Aug. 30, 2008 Western Illinois 6:00 pm CT
Sept. 6, 2008 at La.-Monroe 6:00 pm CT
Sept. 13, 2008 at Texas 2:30 pm CT
Sept. 20, 2008 Alabama TBA
Oct. 4, 2008 Florida TBA
Oct. 11, 2008 at Auburn TBA
Oct. 18, 2008 at Kentucky TBA
Oct. 25, 2008 Ole Miss TBA
Nov. 1, 2008 Tulsa 1:00 pm CT
Nov. 8, 2008 at South Carolina TBA
Nov. 22, 2008 at Miss. State TBA
Nov. 29, 2008 LSU 1:30 pm CT

Game Week - Western Illinois

College Football's 2008 season kicks off this week. The Razorbacks, under the new leadership of Coach Bobby Petrino, will take on Division II Western Illinois in Fayetteville this Saturday.

Hog fans are excited to see the new coach in action, but many remain concerned about an offense without McFadden and Jones. All indications are that Coach Petrino's offense will rely heavily on freshmen like RBs De'Anthony Curtis and Dennis Johnson and WRs Joe Adams and Jarious Wright. It will certainly be interesting to watch.

The Western Illinois game should be a cakewalk for the Razorbacks. This game, along with the Louisiana Monroe games will be good tune-up games in preparing the hogs for a big game in Austin against Texas on September 13th and a grueling SEC schedule.

New DMAC Nike Ad for Dick's Sporting Goods

New Jerseys Announced

As Arkansas kicked off 2-a-days, the Razorbacks unveiled their new football jerseys. In this photograph, Reggie Fish is demonstrating the new unis. The ARKANSAS on the front is slightly smaller than last year with a thin white line running above the lettering. The numbers are outlined in black. Also, a never before seen white streak comes up on both ribs resembling a razorback's tusks. Are these jerseys "tight?" Well, that's to be determined, but they are different. We'll see how they look with pads, pants, and helmets. The good news is that the players were excited by the new look.

10th Comes from Oklahoma

After a string of Texans committed to be Razorbacks, coach Petrino locked in another Oklahoman. 3 star OL Alvin Bailey committed to Arkansas today. This is shaping up to be a solid class for the Razorbacks, especially on the offensive line. Petrino is bringing in some HOGS!

Hawgs pick up 9th Commitment for 2009

Travis Swanson of Kingwood TX committed to the Razorbacks today. Swanson is a 6'5" 275 lb Offensive Lineman. He's currently rated a 3 Star recruit by Rivals. Swanson earned a scholarship offer from coach Petrino after attending the summer camp. He chose Arkansas over several other D1 schools in Texas and around the country.

Another Texan Calls Hogs

Austin Moss LB from Garland Texas (South Garland) committed to Arkansas today. Moss is 6'3" and 220. He is a blue chip recruit from Texas and fits the LB mold. He should fill some of the LB gap immediately next fall. He chose Arkansas over multiple top tier D1 schools.




http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JY8TmbMgDPs