Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

News and notes from Monday’s Arkansas football media availability ...

I. Ball Security
If it felt like Arkansas players lost the football a lot in Saturday’s season opener, well, they did.

Those three lost fumbles in the 49-24 victory were the most in four seasons. During the 2008-11 seasons the Razorbacks had multiple game with two, but you have to go back to the 2008 Cotton Bowl to find a game with worse ball security.

Arkansas fumbled five times and lost four against Missouri in a 38-7 loss to end the 2007 season.

Coach John L. Smith said the team would put extra emphasis on ball security in practice this week.

“We have to do a better job of that,” Smith said. “Those kids understand that, and we’re going to make an effort to work on that in practice as well. … Had you not turned the ball over there, who’s to say what our offense, how many they could have put up?”

Tight end Chris Gragg, quarterback Tyler Wilson and running back Ronnie Wingo Jr. all coughed the ball up to Jacksonville State. Wilson lost the ball on the Razorbacks’ first possession.

“We’ve just got to work on that,” Davis said. “We’ve got to make sure we keep the ball off the ground.”

II. Like The Old Days
Film study can be pretty revealing for players. Sometimes good feelings about a performance dissipate after reviewing game tape.

Not for Knile Davis, though. He was pleased with what he saw from his first game since Jan. 2011. Davis finished with 70 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

“My speed was there. My cuts were there. My vision was there. Similar to the past,” Davis said. “I think I did good. I think I did real good.”

Not that there wasn’t room for improvement. Davis lost 15 yards and he failed to break a run longer than 13 yards. His touchdown came from 5 yards out in the second quarter.