Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

News and notes from Thursday’s Arkansas football practice …

I. Looking Sharp
Quarterback Tyler Wilson seems to be getting more comfortable with the Arkansas offense. He threw for 245 yards and four touchdowns in Thursday’s scrimmage and was incomplete on only four of his 20 attempts.

Wilson missed only two passes in 11-on-11 work in the previous day’s practice. He attributed his sharp passing to having eight practices under his belt and getting his legs underneath him in proper position on throws.

“I’ve been a little spread out, throwing the ball low and from different angles I don’t need to be throwing from,” Wilson said. “I’ve cleaned that up. My accuracy went up. My completion percentage has went up. We’re back on the same page again.”

Wilson threw a pair of touchdowns to Jarius Wright and Joe Adams. Wright led receivers with five catches for 110 yards.

II. Going Deep
Knile Davis’ injury wasn’t a topic players could discuss on Thursday. Questions about running back depth weren’t allowed either.

But scrimmage viewing suggested the Razorbacks do still have a few options in the backfield. And that’s without senior Broderick Green, who was lost in the spring to a knee injury.

Dennis Johnson and Ronnie Wingo both showed flashes in limited action. Freshman Kody Walker ran well, picking up 60 yards on 15 carries.

“I was really excited about Kody,” offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said. “He is a big, powerful runner. I was really impressed. He is big and nimble and has really good hips. It's hard to bring him down.”

III. Complete Game
Chris Gragg is a big-play threat at tight end. He’s averaged 21.7 yards per catch in limited game action and made several long catches on Thursday.

There is more to the tight end position than catching and stretching the field, Gragg understands. Blocking has been a focal point for him and he thinks he’s getting the hang of it, particularly in situations where his assignments change at the line of scrimmage.

“Today was probably my best day at camp blocking. I made some good blocks, did some checks and things the coaches want to see me do,” Gragg said. “I did well tonight.”

Speaking Out
“I don’t know what happened. It’s like they put some windows up here and tinted this thing. It’s nice. It wasn’t nearly as warm as it was the first few days.”
—Quarterback Tyler Wilson on scrimmaging in cooler temperatures.