Hogs Fix Mistakes; Concentrate on Utah State

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas returned to the practice field on Tuesday in an effort to correct mistakes from last Saturday and put in a game plan for this week’s showdown with Utah State at 6 p.m. Saturday.

The Razorbacks practiced in full pads for just under two hours Tuesday afternoon on the grass practice fields south of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

“We got a good days work today,” Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt said. “The guys really came out and concentrated hard. We really tried to correct the things that we could control; being offside; illegal procedures; taking care of the ball. Those are the things we can control. That is the most important thing, let’s not beat ourselves.”

Tuesday’s practice was the first full-scale workout with freshman quarterback Mitch Mustain running the first-team offense. Mustain was named the starting quarterback on Sunday as junior Robert Johnson made the move to wide receiver.

“He did good,” Nutt said commenting on Mustian’s practice. “He was thinking about the game plan a little bit. Overall (he) did a good job.”

Nutt has been impressed with Mustain’s approach to being named the starting quarterback just one game into his true freshman season.

“Just like everything he has done since he got here, he has been very mature, very focused,” Nutt said. “He doesn’t say much and I like that. He is a great listener.”

Johnson turned in a solid first day at flanker for the Hogs. His knowledge of the offense enabled him to step in right away and make an impact for the Razorbacks.

“I’ll tell you his (Johnson’s) attitude has been unbelievable,” Nutt said. “He has been a great example, especially for our younger people. To see a guy that has been around for a long time and played quarterback, to step out there and really focus hard on playing flanker was a tremendous example of a team player.

“He knows the routes, he knows what we are doing in the running game and he knows where to be. That is really a good first step. And then he has really good hands, strong hands.”