Football practice report

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The University of Arkansas football team continued to prepare for Saturday’s game against Mississippi State with a workout inside Walker Pavilion Tuesday. Following the session, UA offensive coordinator Paul Petrino spoke with the media:

On practice:"We had a good practice tonight. I thought the guys had good energy and were flying around. We need to have two better ones the next two days and get ready to go win a big game in Little Rock."

On Mississippi State defensively:"They are very multiple. They do a lot of unorthodox things in the secondary as far as coverage. We have to make sure we know what we are doing and take care of our assignments and play fast. It is a little bit different scheme than you are used to seeing."

On the play of UA running backs:"I think we’ve improved. One thing that has been a bright spot is we’ve converted all our short yardage plays for four straight weeks. Our third down conversions have got a lot better. We have to keep working hard and improving."

On turnover margin and the offense scoring after a turnover:"We talk about taking care of the ball and not turning it over ourselves. Our defense has done a good job of getting turnovers. When they do we have to capitalize on it and make sure we go get touchdowns. When the defense or special teams gets us good field position we have to go get seven points. That’s something we talk about all the time."