Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

This week in the Notebook we look at the injuries that have decimated Arkansas' defense, as well as this week's Hog opponent, Kentucky; we look at the South Carolina-LSU matchup, and we touch on the top performances of the past Saturday, plus our weekly Power Poll.

CALL A MEDIC
The hits just keep on coming for Arkansas' defense, and Kentucky's not feeling too well either.

On Wednesday's SEC coaches teleconference, Arkansas Coach John L. Smith revealed that end Tenarius Wright had chosen to get his shoulder "fixed" now after an MRI on Monday revealed damage requiring surgery. So Wright, who redshirted as a freshman and is a fifth-year senior, is done as a Razorback.

Wright started the year at middle linebacker before being moved back to end, his position for the past three years. The shoulder injury apparently occurred during August drills and bothered Wright through the first five games, and he missed the Auburn game.

So, the two players who started at linebacker for Arkansas in Week 1 are now out for the season. Senior Alonzo Highsmith tore a ligament in an ankle, also requiring surgery, and is lost for the year.

Cornerback Tevin Mitchel has missed four weeks after suffering a concussion against Louisiana-Monroe and then having his gall bladder removed. Mitchel has returned to practice this week and might play Saturday, Smith said.

Another cornerback, Kaelon Kelleybrew, had a concussion at Texas A&M and missed the Auburn game. Safeties Rohan Gaines and Eric Bennett have missed time.

And defensive end Chris Smith wasn't hurt, but he was arrested this week for failure to appear over a traffic ticket. Seven Razorbacks have been arrested for various offenses since Bobby Petrino was fired as head coach, though Chris Smith's offense is relatively minor compared with the others. John L. Smith said Chris Smith would play Saturday. "We will handle it," the coach told the media on the conference call Wednesday.

The injuries, however, have been critical — particularly the loss of the linebackers, where Arkansas had little depth and its biggest question marks entering the 2012 season. It's necessitated true freshmen Otha Peters and A.J. Turner having to play significant minutes, while little used, mostly special team seniors Jarrett Lake and Terrell Williams have been prepped to start this week. Williams had his best game of his Razorback career last week at Auburn with 12 tackles and a sack.

"Some years you just lose a lot of guys," John L. Smith said.

But don't expect Kentucky Coach Joker Phillips to cry over Arkansas' misfortune. He's down to his fourth-line, freshman quarterback and will likely be missing three-quarters of the defensive backfield against an Arkansas team that loves to pass.

Arkansas' Smith said, "I'm not sure what they’ve gone through but I know what we’ve gone through. We’ve had enough [injuries] for two or three teams."

If Kentucky's secondary regulars sit Saturday, Phillips said, "We’ll have three true freshmen starting against a an Arkansas team that throws the ball as well as anyone in the country."

He might not have much to counter with offensively with original starting quarterback Maxwell Smith out maybe for the season, senior Morgan Newton and promising freshman Patrick Towles also hurt, and freshman Jalen Whitlow now starting. "Our quarterback [Smith] was playing at a very high level before he went out," Phillips said.