Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

News and notes from Arkansas football media availability on Wednesday …

I. Poor Tackling
Paul Haynes didn’t know how many tackles Arkansas defensive players missed in the final scrimmage of fall camp. Or the defensive coordinator wasn’t willing to reveal a specific number.

There were simply far too many of them.

“One is too many in our minds. One is too many,” Haynes said when asked how many tackles the team had missed. “We’ve got to fly around and we’ve got to gang tackle and do those things to make us successful.”

Additional emphasis has been placed on tackling this week in practice. While the team isn’t going through full contact, defensive players are being asked to “thud up” the offense. They go through their normal tackling routine, but release after engaging and wrapping up the ball carrier.

Haynes said far too often the defensive players weren’t “stepping to contact.” They were lunging at the offensive player and not using proper form.

It wasn’t just the defensive coordinator that thought the tackling was bad. Linebackers coach Taver Johnson and others noticed.

“It wasn’t very good at all,” Johnson said. “I think anybody that was at the scrimmage — my son was there and he’s 8 years old and he can tell that. Just like coach Haynes said, we make it a big emphasis all the time but I think our guys really realize if we don’t tackle we give up big plays and it can hurt us.”

II. Small Coming Up Big
Having seen fullback Kiero Small work at linebacker throughout fall camp do coaches really consider him an option on defense? Can Small be anything more than a situational player?

Absolutely, Haynes said. Small has shown a great deal of what the team calls FBI — football intelligence — and his work on offense has helped him develop a better understanding on defense.

“I think the kid is a big-time player,” Haynes said. “He’s just a football player. So whatever we ask him to do, I mean, he does.”

III. Getting Prepped
Arkansas has begun installation of its game plan for Jacksonville State. Coaches have mixed in prep for the Gamecocks with fundamental and technique work the team needs to fine tune for the season opener.

“We still want to make sure that we’re concentrating on our base fundamentals and technique … ,” Haynes said. “We’ve still got to get better at the things we do first.”

Speaking Out
“I'm ready for them to get out there and get those horses behind me. We look forward to those guys. They help a lot in communication and getting everybody doing what they need to get done. It's a boost for our defense having those guys out there. “

— Defensive tackle D.D. Jones on the return of injured linebackers Tenarius Wright and Alonzo Highsmith