Razorback football prepares for South Carolina

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas Razorback football spent just under two hours on the practice fields just south of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Tuesday preparing for Saturday’s game against South Carolina.

Arkansas handled the Tulsa Golden Hurricane and now preps for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Head coach Bobby Petrino and his staff have already started emphasizing what they predict will be key factors to Saturday’s game.

"On offense, we need to do a better job of running and blocking," offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said. "We worked on that today at practice. This week it’s important that we are able to run the ball well and we put a big emphasis on that today. We will emphasize that all week."

One key factor to Saturday’s game in Columbia will be the hopeful return of some of Arkansas’ sidelined offensive linemen.

"We hope we get as many of those guys back us possible," Petrino said. "At this point, I’m not updated on their status but we always hope to go into a game with as many healthy players as possible."

South Carolina’s multi-faceted defense will also present a challenge for the Razorbacks.

"(South Carolina’s defense) has done a great job this year," Petrino said. "They are very multiple. They line up in a lot of different fronts. They have some pretty good safeties who tackle really well. They are definitely a challenge. We have to do a good job of studying them all week. We have to have a good plan and go out there to execute it. They are similar to what we faced when we played Auburn but schematically, they are their own."

Overall, Petrino was pleased with the effort he saw out of the Razorbacks at Tuesday’s practice. Good energy coupled with the willingness to work hard led to productivity for Arkansas.

"I think we had a good practice today," Petrino said. "The guys showed good energy and were running fast to the ball. They are working hard and we have stressed that all year. We are trying to get better in the next two days to go get a win."

The Razorbacks will return to the practice fields Wednesday to continue preparations for South Carolina. For more information on Arkansas Athletics, visit ArkansasRazorbacks.com.