Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

News and notes from Friday’s Arkansas football practice ...

I. Evolving Identity
Arkansas changed its offensive philosophy some in 2010 as Knile Davis emerged at running back. Now that Davis is likely out for the season due to an ankle injury, there will be some retooling of the offense for Bobby Petrino and the staff to do.

Davis, who underwent surgery Thursday night, was

 a focal point as the Razorbacks’ made a run to the Sugar Bowl. He finished with 889 yards and 12 touchdowns over the final six weeks of the regular season and the Razorbacks ran their offense through him down the stretch.

How Arkansas replaces that production remains to be seen.

Petrino, who faced a similar situation at Louisville in 2006, offered some thoughts on that Friday. Because the team is still in camp and evaluation is ongoing, the job will be less complicated. Not easier. But perhaps less complicated.

“We have to continue to work and see how we are going to be most effective operating the offense,” Petrino said. “Where [are] our big plays are going to come from, you know? Is it from our wide receiver group? Is it run first, pass second? Pass first, run second?  I don’t’ know that yet. We’ve got a lot of time to work through it.”

Arkansas has experienced backs besides Davis. Ronnie Wingo Jr. and Dennis Johnson are both expected to see an increase in carries. Fullback Kiero Small is another option to run or receive from the backfield.

II. Need Vs. Want
Razorback coaches wanted Kelvin Fisher Jr. at defensive back. They need Kelvin Fisher Jr. at running back.

Fisher worked with running backs on Friday and will remain at the position full time to increase numbers at the position after Davis’ injury. Arkansas was already thin there with Broderick Green out for the season with a knee injury.

Defensive back DeAnthony Curtis is another possibility to fill in at running back. But like Fisher, Arkansas coaches like what Curtis gives them in the secondary.

"[Fisher] has very good skill. The hardest thing about moving him to running back is he played really well [in the scrimmage] at corner,” Petrino said. “He showed his cover skills, he was tough, he tackled. But we’re going to need to have some guys who can practice there, get ready to play.”

III. Positive Outlook
Petrino talked to the team about not letting Davis' injury derail the season. He mentioned the loss of Greg Childs and Dennis Johnson in 2010 as examples of the team overcoming the loss of significant players.

"We’ve got two ways we can handle it: No. 1 we can use it as an excuse. It’s an excuse all year long or we can use it as the No. 1 motivating factor to work as hard as we can to be a good football team," Petrino said. "We’ll see how we handle it. The one thing I know about this team is we’ve been able to overcome situations like this before and other guys jump in, step up and come together closer as a team. That’s what we need to do."

Speaking Out
“I haven’t even thought about it yet until you just said it. It’s worth giving some thought to. It’s certainly a great weapon back there, but our numbers are getting thin.”
—Bobby Petrino on whether tailback Dennis Johnson will continue working at kick return with the team’s running back numbers dwindling.