Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

FAYETTEVILLE — A broken foot kept Tenarius Wright off the field in the spring. Back problems limited Wright during fall camp.

But judging from his performance against No. 1 Alabama, it sure seems like Wright is healthy again. Wright had two sacks in the Razorbacks’ last outing and he said he feels "100 percent."

“I had a quiet first two, three games,” Wright said. “Came out hungry every day. I came out trying to make myself better and it’s really paying off now.”

So far this season, Wright - known on the team as "Tank" - has 12 tackles and 2.5 sacks. His sack total ranks him tied for second on the team with linebacker Anthony Leon.

Wright and the Razorbacks are hoping his effort against the Crimson Tide was the breakout performance for 2010.

“I think Tank really came on in the Alabama game and looks like he did towards the end of last year,” Coach Bobby Petrino said. “I think now he is back to feeling 100 percent and looks quick again and is doing a good job rushing off the edge. This was kind of a breakout game for him a year ago and really changed our speed coming off the edge.”

Wright had come to Arkansas as a linebacker and converted to play on the line after redshirting in 2008. He enjoyed something of a breakout game last year against A&M. It took some time for him to develop at defensive end but his performance against the Aggies signaled progress was being made. He had three tackles and two forced fumbles in the 47-19 victory. One of his forced fumbles was returned 85 yards for a touchdown by Jerry Franklin and helped Arkansas to a 23-point second quarter.

“I left the game smiling, laughing,” Wright said. “If you have a game where you can have fun the whole game, it shows that you went out and executed good. We left with a victory.”

Bouncing Back
Texas A&M quarterback Jerrod Johnson had a nightmarish outing against Oklahoma State in last week’s loss. Johnson threw four interceptions and had four fumbles.

Aggies Coach Mike Sherman thinks Johnson will be better this week. Johnson has performed well in practice and knows not to dwell on the mistakes, Sherman said.

“I think he’s proven he can do it,” Sherman said. “He’s a very smart quarterback, so I think he can work through this.”

Johnson has completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 1,274 yards and 12 touchdowns. He does have eight interceptions, however.

Defensive Depth
Cornerback Darius Winston has been seeing first-team reps this week.

Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said usual starter Isaac Madison is “just peachy”; it’s simply a matter of Winston, who has just three tackles and one pass breakup in three games, pushing for playing time. Other reserves are also making a push, Robinson said.

“[Winston’s] confidence in back. He’s really doing everything right now,” Robinson said. “I think he feels better about himself. It’s been very competitive. Shoot, we’re starting to get back at that position. I think the development of [Winston] and Eric Bennett and Greg Gatson has helped us get some more depth … They’ve all been working hard.”

Quotable
“We’re not going to play anybody better than our offense and ... the skill people we have. We’re just not. It’s a matter of knowing day in and day out you’re practicing against the best and not going to fear anybody. You just have to execute and do your technique.”
—Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson when asked about tackling Texas A&M players “in space.”