Arkansas Football 2012: Latest News, Updates and More from Spring Practice

If it weren't for the ridiculous success LSU and Alabama had last season, Arkansas would have been the team everybody was talking about. This is a team that averaged nearly 37 points per game last season and finished with an 11-2 record. Their only losses came from the two teams that played in the national championship.

This season the Razorbacks hope to get there as they return 13 total starters, including seven from that explosive offense. This doesn't include the fact that running back Knile Davis should be healthy and ready to go as well. Arkansas will remain one of the top teams in the conference as long as that offense can remain healthy.

Although the Razorbacks do have several questions to answer, they can begin addressing these issues in spring practices, which began March 14. The spring game will take place on April 21.

Stay tuned for all the latest news, updates and more involving your Arkansas Razorbacks.

Team Sticking Together Despite Coach Firing

With the recent firing of Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino, not everybody has given up on the Arkansas program quite yet. Some of the seniors have become leaders now off the field as they try to help guide the team through such a terrible time.

"I just stood up and told everybody to sit back down and delivered a message that we have to stay here and stick together," Defensive end Tenarius Wright said via the Atlanta Journal Constitution.  "And be one family with the coaches that we do have right now with (assistant head coach) Taver Johnson being the director at head coach right now."

Quarterback Tyler Wilson also had a few words for his team to try and get them to focus on the task at hand and not off the field issues.

"I felt afterward it was important I step up and say a few words," Wilson said. "Not give a pep talk because that's not what it's about, but (to) make sure we're all on the same page and assure the guys that we're going to be a successful football team and our goals are still in place."

Those goals are to not only win the SEC, but also win the national championship and keep the SEC winning streak alive. They have the talent to do it, but without their head coach and a black cloud hanging over the university, it has gotten a whole lot tougher than it was a few weeks ago.

Coach Bobby Petrino Hurt in Bike Crash

Head coach Bobby Petrino was recently involved in a motorcycle accident over the weekend and is in the hospital in stable condition. He's expected to make a full and speedy recovery as his family has released a statement.

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Coach Petrino was involved in a motorcycle accident on Sunday evening that involved no other individuals. ... Our family appreciates respect for our privacy during the recovery and we are grateful for the thoughts of Razorback fans at this time.

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In other news, running back Knile Davis will have to continue to wait before he's able to hit the field and participate in contact drills. Davis is still recovering from an ankle injury that sidelined him the whole season last year, but should be ready to go by the time September arrives.

"He's been doing everything full speed," Petrino said. "He's been cutting, making everything, looks good. There's just something in consulting with our medical staff, and we made the decision that let's not tackle him today."

The Razorbacks kickoff their spring game on April 21.

Happy with the QB Situation

Many would consider Tyler Wilson one of the top quarterbacks in the SEC and possibly the entire country after the remarkable performance he had last year. But with him leaving for the NFL next season it's time to look at the depth at the position and think about the future.

That's when the Razorbacks begin to look at players such as junior Brandon Mitchell and redshirt freshman Brandon Allen who will likely battle it out for Wilson's starting job next year. Arkansas coaches are not concerned as they like both players they have on the roster.

"Coach Petrino's always done a great job [recruiting] at quarterback," Wilson said. "Any time you get a skill set gathered around like the guys we've got, it makes playing the position fun and gives us a lot of weapons back there, throwing the ball and running it."

Both are mobile quarterbacks who have solid size and should provide a great battle in spring of next year.

Arkansas Working Without Jason Peacock

As Arkansas resumes spring practice after taking more than a week off for spring break, the offensive line looks a little different. That's because starting tackle Jason Peacock was arrested during the break and has been suspended indefinitely by the team. Although this leaves the Razorbacks without their most experienced offensive lineman, head coach Bobby Petrino says its business as usual.

“You just step up and play on,” Petrino said. “You worry about who’s out on the field and coach who’s out on the field. That’s what we always do.”

This also leaves youngsters such as David Hurd and redshirt freshman Grady Ollison to step in and try to fill the void.

“They’ve all been competing,” Petrino said. “They’ve been going at it. It’s kind of an open spot right now. We’re just kind of splitting them up. They’ve just got to keep working hard.”

This will now be the third offensive linemen the Razorbacks are looking to replace as Grant Cook and Grant Freeman graduated last season.

March 15 Updates and Highsmith Injury

In case you're wondering about running back Knile Davis and how healthy he is, he was one of the top performers during the strength and speed testing. He ran the 40 in the 4.3 range, squatted 570 pounds and bench-pressed over 400.

“My testing numbers were pretty good and I’m just proud about that,” Davis said. “I was trying to get them to let me do more (in squats), but they cut me off.”

I think it's safe to say he'll be ready by the time the season starts, which is fantastic news for Razorback fans everywhere.

Another worry that Arkansas fans may have is the questions at the wide receiver position. With so many key players on the offensive side of the ball no longer on the roster, many wonder if the Razorbacks will enough offensive weapons to repeat those great offensive numbers.

Quarterback Tyler Wilson says there are no worries:

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“We’ve worked together for four years and we’ve worked together in the offseason and all winter,” Wilson said. “So it was pretty good (Wednesday). … There’s always the first day jitters for a lot of guys and there were more dropped balls than we usually see, but I expect those to be cleaned up (Thursday) and the days to come.”

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And the bad news so far is senior linebacker Alonzo Highsmith will miss the entire spring practice with an injury to his left pectoral muscle.

Highsmith was a key member to the Razorbacks defense last season, finishing the year with 4.5 sacks and 80 tackles.

Wide Receiver Is a Position That Needs Attention

Arkansas was one of the top passing teams in the country last season, averaging 300 yards a game in the air. A lot of that has to do with a fantastic quarterback like Tyler Wilson, but it also helps when you have arguably the top wide receiver corps in the SEC.

Things have changed now, as nearly all of Arkansas's main receivers are no longer on the roster.

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“When you lose a Jarius Wright, a Joe Adams, a Greg Childs, who for four years those guys made a bunch of plays, a bunch of yards, a bunch of touchdowns, it’s how do you replace their production?” Head coach Bobby Petrino said Tuesday. “Obviously, we’re going to have to find that out as we go.”

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Now just because Arkansas is missing several key players from last season, it's not like the world is coming to an end. They still have senior wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, who is a huge target at 6'3", 209 pounds and has caught at least 30 passes in each of the last two seasons. It also doesn't hurt to have senior tight end back in the mix who caught 41 passes last season as well.

But other than those two players, there are a lot of inexperienced players on this roster at the wide receiver position.

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“A lot of times when you know you’re a backup, you kind of get used to that role,” Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said. “But now there are a whole bunch of guys gone. Cobi should be the go-to guy. He should be the No. 1 guy. But who’s going to be No. 2, 3 and 4 is up for grabs. You’ll see where guys step up.”

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Arkansas returns seven starters on the offensive side of the ball, but this is an area that you should focus on. Things could get real interesting with so many players battling for playing time.

Running Back Knile Davis Is Healthy

Arkansas has to be feeling good about their chances heading into the 2012 season as they return a total of 13 starters, including seven from an explosive offense. They should open up the season ranked extremely high in the polls and have a great chance to compete for the BCS National Championship.

Razorback fans received even better news as running back Knile Davis has said he is completely healthy and ready to pick up where he left off in 2010.

“I’m feeling good. I’m 100 percent and I’m ready to ride.” Davis said.

Although the player always says he's ready to play, head coach Bobby Petrino was a little more cautious about the running backs health.

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“It’s a decision we’ll make of when is he ready mentally for it,” Petrino told the Arkansas News. “That’s the key. You need to get out there and move around and be with bodies around you and make sure that mentally you’re ready and focused for when you’re going to get hit...So I don’t know if we’ll do that this spring or wait until fall. We really haven’t made a decision yet.”

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Petrino, of course, will have the final say when his running back can hit the field again, although the junior is very anxious and would like it to be as soon as possible.

“I can’t wait to play a game. I’m tired of being in the weight room,” Davis said. “I just want to be on the field. I’m anxious and I can’t wait until August gets here.”

Davis rushed for over 1,300 yards in 2010 and scored 14 total touchdowns. In his absence last season, the Razorbacks struggled to run the ball, as they averaged only 137 yards on the ground a game.

Updates

This slideshow will continue to be updated with the latest news, quotes, position battles and more throughout spring practice. Stay tuned for everything involving your Arkansas Razorbacks.