Razorbacks Respond in Friday Practice

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. After a sluggish Thursday evening practice, the Arkansas football team returned to the practice fields Friday morning for a 75-minute workout that head coach Houston Nutt thought was much better and more in line with what he expects from his team.

“We came back and responded well this morning,” Nutt said. “The guys moved around and played faster and were better assignment wise, so that was good to see.”

Freshman receiver Crosby Tuck continued to impress Nutt with his hard work and ability to make plays. Nutt likes the fact that Tuck can create separation from the defense.

“(Crosby) makes plays,” Nutt said. “Unlike a lot of the other freshman receivers that have been here the last few years, he know how to get off the line of scrimmage.

“He’s a little bit stronger and more physical than the (freshmen) receivers we’ve had the last few years and he’s definitely in the mix.”

Linebacker Weston Dacus is having a strong preseason camp which Nutt says is to be expected from the senior.

“(Weston) has had a great camp,” Nutt said. “He’s been here in the program, so he knows what to do and has been a good leader for us.”

Offensive lineman Demarcus Love went down with a knee injury during practice, but Nutt expects him to be fine. Ben Cleveland and Peyton Hillis did not practice Friday.

Arkansas will have its second scrimmage Saturday evening at 6 p.m. at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Nutt is looking for the second-unit players to step up during the scrimmage. He will be looking for players from the offensive line and secondary, as well as the defensive line, to make the most of their playing time.

“We really need guys like (Fred) Bledsoe and (Marcus) Shavers to have a good scrimmage,” Nutt said. “This will be the depth-chart scrimmage all the way.”

The head coach is expecting to run approximately 80 plays during Saturday’s scrimmage.

Arkansas will return to the practice fields next week as the season opener against Troy on Sept. 1 approaches. Log on to www.hogwired.com for more news about the Razorback football team.