Petrino Hires Offensive Line Coach

On Friday, Coach Petrino announced Chris Klenakis "Coach K" (former offensive coordinator/offensive line coach for Nevada) as a new hire for assistant coach of the offensive line for the University of Arkansas. Klenakis is set to replace former offensive line coach Mike Summers who went back to his hometown of Lexington, Kentucky to be an assistant there after Kentucky hired a new head coach. Summers and Petrino were together for seven years prior to his departure.

Coach K has 19 years of Division I experience and comes to Arkansas from Nevada where he was the head of the Wolf Pack"Pistol" offense that had a powerful running game led by the offensive line for the last six seasons. In 2008, the Wolf Pack offense steamrolled over opposing defenses to capture a number of school records including total offense, most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. In 2009, Klenakis and the offense eclipsed all those marks and the Wolf Pack had the number one ranked rushing offense in the nation, averaging 344.9 yards per game. Nevada also became the first team in NCAA history to have three players rush for more than 1,000 yards in a single season. In addition, the Wolf Pack ranked second nationally in total offense (505.6) and sixth in scoring (38.2).

As offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, Klenakis has tutored 12 All-WAC selections, and fourteen offensive linemen coached by Klenakis have gone on to the NFL.

Prior to his most recent stint at Nevada as offensive coordinator, Klenakis held the responsibility for three years at Southern Mississippi (2000-02) and one at Central Missouri (2003). His experience at Southern MIss and Central Missouri gives him a great familiarity with recruiting in the region, and his time in Nevada gives Arkansas a new recruiting market in the Western U.S.

Petrino on Coach K:

"I've been able to follow his impressive career since the beginning and Chris has an innovative offensive mind. There are elements of the Pistol offense he ran at Nevada that are intriguing and blend well with our philosophy of being aggressive and attacking defenses in a number of ways. He was raised in the profession by Chris Ault, who is one of just a few active head coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. Chris Klenakis brings great energy and I know our offensive line will enjoy playing for him."

CHRIS KLENAKIS PERSONAL INFORMATION

BORN:
April 21, 1964

HOMETOWN:
Fallon, Nev.

EDUCATION:
Bachelor's, Physical Education and History, Carroll College 1986; Master's Exercise Physiology, Nevada, 1992

COLLEGE FOOTBALL:
Four-year letterwinner as an outside linebacker at Carroll College

COACHING CAREER:
Gabbs High School 1986, Churchill County High School 1987-89; Nevada 1990-99; Southern Mississippi 2000-02; Central Missouri 2003; Nevada 2004-2009

BOWL GAME COACHING HISTORY:
1992 Las Vegas, 1995 Las Vegas Bowl, 1996 Las Vegas Bowl, 2000 Mobile Alabama, 2002 Houston, 2005 Hawaii, 2006 MPC Computers, 2007 New Mexico, 2008 Humanitarian, 2009 Hawaii

Let the Campaign Begin

D.J. Williams is Coming Back for 2010

Today, All Star Tight End D.J. Williams announced his intent to return to the University of Arkansas for his Senior season. In announcing his decision, D.J. cited the potential of this Razorback football team going into the 2010 season with Ryan Mallett at the helm.

Below is D.J.'s quote from his announcement:

“Taking into consideration the rewarding total experience I have had in Fayetteville, I feel there is no reason to cut this short. There are a lot of teammates and people I’ve grown close to and the ability to spend another year with them pursuing our goals is a big reason I want to come back. With Ryan (Mallett) and most of the key guys from last season returning I think this team understands what we can accomplish next season. That is something I’m excited about and something that means a lot to all of us. It is something our fans, who are the best in the nation, deserve to be a part of. The coaches here and the atmosphere we practice and compete in have helped me develop into more of a complete player. I understand the value of gaining another year of experience and the value of working towards finishing my degree.”

Mallett is a Razorback for 2010 Season

After weighing his options between the NFL and returning for his junior season at Arkansas, Ryan Mallett has decided to come back for at least one year. While he undoubtedly would have been drafted, he may not have gone as high as he would with one more year of maturity and experience under his belt. With a solid, experienced team returning next year, the Razorbacks will likely be a very difficult team to deal with, especially on offense. In addition to the talent returning, the schedule is far more favorable to the 2009 schedule. Most of the tough games will be played in Fayetteville or Little Rock. With Mallett's return, the national media will likely look favorably on the hogs in the rankings and recognize Mallett as a heisman candidate early in the season. Also, look for Mallett to continue to put himself in the record books with his return.

In Mallett's own words: "I'm coming back and we're here to win Championships here at Arkansas"

Petrino Brings on Assistants

Yesterday, Coach Petrino announced the addition of Steve Caldwell and Kris Cinkovich to the coaching staff as assistant coaches.

Caldwell, a former Tennessee defensive line coach, is set to coach the Razorbacks defensive ends. Kris Cinkovich will replace Paul Petrino, who recently left to be an offensive coordinator for Illinois, and work with wide receivers.

Caldwell, a former Arkansas State player, spent 14 seasons as a coach at Tennessee. Cinkovich spent the last six seasons on the UNLV staff working with wide receivers. Both coaches are well known for their abilities to coach players and recruit well.

Earlier this week, Coach Petrino announced that defensive ends coach Kirk Botkin will not return. Botkin's departure made room for Caldwell who is a close friend of Coach Petrino.

Redemption for Tejada

The Razorbacks pulled out a W against a very physical East Carolina team at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis last Saturday night in bone chilling cold temperatures. While the Razorback offense was as flat as they possibly could be, only producing a single touchdown, the Razorback defense and special teams stepped up their play by scoring on a Tramain Thomas pick six and a 31 yard interception return for Jerry Franklin, which set up a Tejada field goal. In addition, Tejada hit a field goal in OT for the win.

Fortunately for the Razorbacks, ECU's kicker pulled a Leigh Tiffen missing several field goals late in the game that could have won the game or extended the game. And finally for the Hogs, Alex Tejada kicked and actually made a game winning field goal in overtime. Such kicks had previously plagued the kicker. One need not look further than the LSU and Florida games from this year to remember Tejada's previous meltdown problem.

STATS

Gameday - East Carolina University

WHEN 4:30 p.m. Central today
WHERE Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium (62,380), Memphis
RECORDS Arkansas 7-5; ECU 9-4
RANKINGS Neither team is ranked
BETTING LINE Arkansas by 7 1 /2
COACHES Bobby Petrino (12-12 in second year at Arkansas, 53-21 in sixth year overall);
Skip Holtz (38-26 in fifth year at East Carolina; 72-49 in 10th year overall)
SERIES First meeting
TELEVISION ESPN
RADIO Razorbacks Sports Network, beginning at 1:30 p.m.

A New Offensive Coordinator

A day after it was announced that Coach Petrino's brother Paul was moving on to be offensive coordinator for Illinois, Coach Petrino announced the promotion of Garrick McGee to be offensive coordinator. Paul Petrino was the wide receivers coach and McGee was the quarterbacks coach this year. Bobby Petrino, the head coach, was the play caller. With the new job at Illinois, Paul Petrino will receive a significant pay increase and full reigns on play calling.

It's unclear if any additional hires will take place, but it's clear that there could be some salary room to retain current coaches or bring in additional help. The loss of Paul Petrino will certainly challenge Arkansas's recruiting efforts, but things are already going in the right direction and defense is really the focus this year. The loss of Paul Petrino really does not change much of anything with regard to the playbook and play calling.

Look for Garrick to expand his recruiting territory and for him and Running Backs coach Tim Horton to have an increased roll in recruiting and offense.

Petrino Discusses Recruiting and Bowl Preparation

Razorbacks getting ready for 2010

Liberty Bowl

Arkansas officially accepted an invitation to play in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis on January 2nd. The Razorbacks will play the East Carolina Pirates. The game kicks off at 4PM central. The LIberty Bowl will likely serve as Razorback Stadium East as the short drive to Memphis will attract a full house of Hog fans.

LIBERTY BOWL

Ethan Hamilton; #1 Hog Fan

What Happened Last Weekend

Great Game, But Hogs Fall Short

Looks like the Liberty Bowl for the 7-5 Razorbacks. The future continues to look bright for hogs with most of the team, especially the stars, returning next year and the fact that Arkansas came so close to knocking off top LSU and top ranked Florida on the road this year. In addition, the schedule for next year is far more favorable as the hogs swap Florida for Vanderbilt, and the most difficult games will be played at home.