Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

New and notes from Wednesday’s Arkansas football press conference…

I. Taking Advantage
If only Arkansas defensive players had taken advantage of their opportunities last week, a pair of interceptions for touchdowns were very real possibilities. Razorback defenders had nothing by green grass in front of them to the end zone.

"But you know what they say about ifs," defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said.

By Robinson’s count the Razorbacks have missed seven opportunities for turnovers through two games. That includes defensive backs dropping potential interceptions or tipping the ball up instead of coming down with it. Robinson further estimated two of those could have resulted in touchdowns.

With 10 regular season games remaining the Razorbacks are minus-1 on turnovers. That means they’ve generated one less than they’ve created. That number will likely need to improve if Arkansas is to contend for a SEC championship.

Jericho Nelson is the only Razorback with a turnover this year. He had an interception in the opener and figured he was going to celebrate a couple with teammates a week later.

Didn’t happen.

“It hurts, you know,” Nelson said. “… Watching my teammates drop one, running over there and getting ready to celebrate with him and he drops it, you just let him know to let that play go. You make up for it with the next one, the next time the ball comes your way, you catch it.”

Currently the Razorbacks rank No. 93 in turnover margin. Two weeks into last season they were No. 108 (out of 120) in 2010 at minus-2, but ended the year at .08, good enough to rank No. 51 nationally. They've been working on additinoal ball drills this week.

“We obviously need to do a better job of creating turnovers and catching balls when we have the opportunity,” Coach Bobby Petrino said. "I expect us to improve on our turnover ratio."

II. Keeping His Word
Freshman kick return specialist Marquel Wade promised his special teams coach John L. Smith a kick return for a touchdown in last week’s game against New Mexico. He delivered an 85-yard return against the Lobos, giving the Razorbacks three returns for a touchdown in two games.

“Sure enough, he didn’t lie,” Smith said.