Arkansas is 1-0 in 2012 with a 49-24 victory Saturday over FCS Jacksonville St, but the Hogs aren’t exactly happy with the way they got there. Arkansas had three fumbles in the game and they were even losing in the second quarter. The team will be the first to say they're disappointed and have a lot to work on, but there are also positives to look at.
Other than a fumble early on, quarterback Tyler Wilson played great. He threw for 367 yards and 3 touchdowns, a new Arkansas record for a season opener. Tight end Chris Gragg and converted wide receiver Brandon Mitchell looked unstoppable catching the ball, combining for 232 yards. Yet the Hogs think this performance wasn't good enough for them.
“They know and they expect more out of themselves and more out of each other and more out of us as a team than we did,” said head coach John L Smith. “
Despite their disappointment, don’t expect the Razorbacks to need any motivation to get better.
“It's not like you have to go in there and encourage them,” said Smith. “They're encouraged. Any win is an encouragement. But at the same point they're disappointed. That's good. We're going to go to the field today and expect to get better, and that's what they expect to do.”
Another bright spot was All-SEC running back Knile Davis still being in one piece after fracturing his foot a year ago. Davis had 18 carries for 70 yards. He took a lot of big hits and he got up from every one of them.
“I think my speed was there, my cuts were there, my vision was there,” said Davis. “It was similar to the past. I think I did good but of course I can get a lot better."
The coaching staff took some criticism all summer long for not letting him get hit, but now it looks like that's paying off. Maybe now Davis can stop answering questions about if whether he's healthy.
“Ya, I think we're good after this. I think the questions of 'how does it feel to be back' will start to stop.”