Razorbacks report

FAYETTEVILLE — UA coach displeased by defense

Asked to grade Arkansas' defense after Saturday's scrimmage, linebacker Jerry Franklin said he'd give it a B-minus.

Coach Bobby Petrino wasn't so generous.

"I didn't like what I saw," Petrino said when asked about the defense. "I didn't think we were playing aggressive, and I didn't think we were tackling well enough.

"We made some good plays, but defensively I expected us to stop the No. 2 offense. I thought we would dominate the offensive front and get more pass rush. We didn't do that. So that's a concern."

The second-team offense drove 83 yards in six plays for a touchdown - including a 46-yard pass from Tyler Wilson to Carlton Salters - on the first team defense's opening series.

Wilson was 4 of 4 for 74 yards on the drive and finished 22 of 32 for 242 yards and 2 touchdowns with 1 interception.

The second-team offense scored 17 points against the first-team defense in the scrimmage's first half.

"Defensively - we've got to get better. We all know it," Petrino said. "I thought we would come out and fly around to the ball more and be aggressive like we were a week ago.

"I didn't see that. So we've got to keep working at it and get more competition."

Askew, thank you

Defensive tackle Lavunce Askew has been wanting to score a touchdown ever since he started playing organized football.

The sophomore from Camden caught his big break early in Saturday's scrimmage on a mistake by Ryan Mallett.

Mallett had stepped up in the pocket and was coming forward with his throw when the ball squirted up in the air behind the line of scrimmage.

Askew snared it and ran 57 yards before receiver Joe Adams ran down the 290-pounder at the goal line.

The big question: Did Askew score?

"Oh, I scored," he said. "I got in. Joe tackled me into a touchdown. That was my dream, to scoop up a ball and score one day." Mallett the blocker

Quarterbacks aren't supposed to be hit in practice, but that didn't stop Ryan Mallett from knocking down defensive end Chris Berezansky with a block on a cutback run by Dennis Johnson.

The play resulted in a 2-yard loss, but the crowd cheered wildly for Mallett's block.

"It was a natural instinct.

D.J. cut back, and I hit [Berezansky]," Mallett said. "I don't know if I'm going to get in trouble for that one or not."

Defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard, asked his reaction, said he wasn't "a fan" of Mallett's block.

"If he does it in a game, I'm going to be jumping up and cheering," Malcolm said. "But it's a practice."

Sheppard said it was a good block, but added that if Berezansky had "known Mallett was live, he would have probably avoided the hit."

Tailback Michael Smith said the block showed Mallett's competitive fire.

"He will do whatever he has to do to help the team succeed," Smith said. "I thought it was cool to see a quarterback get a clean block like that."

Smith smiled when asked if he thought it was fair for Mallett to knock over a defensive player who isn't allowed to hit the quarterback.

"You know what? This is football," Smith said. "So if he wants to lay a block, I'm going to say it's OK." Nice return

Receiver Joe Adams, who said he would "love" to be Arkansas' primary punt returner this season, helped his case by returning a punt 85 yards for a touchdown.

Adams said that after picking up two quick blocks, he felt confident he'd score.

"Once I hit the edge, I knew I was going to take it to the crib," Adams said.

Broyles speaks

Frank Broyles, the former coach and athletic director who spent 50 years at Arkansas, addressed the Razorbacks at a team meeting Friday night.

"It's good to hear from a guy like that, that has been through it all and has brought a winning tradition to the Razorbacks," quarterback Tyler Wilson said.

"I think everybody was pumped up after he talked to us."

Petrino to Petrino

For the first time in camp during scrimmage work, transfer quarterback Nick Petrino completed a pass to his brother, Bobby Jr.

The Petrino connection went for 9 yards, but it did not end well, as Petrino Jr. appeared to be clipped on the right knee as he was heading out of bounds.

"That didn't look good, did it?" said his father, Coach Bobby Petrino.

Trainers took Petrino Jr. to a table and conducted knee stability tests, but there was no injury report.

Salters shines

Carlton Salters had a scrimmage-high 119 receiving yards on eight catches.

"Salters is a guy we just count on to know every position," Coach Bobby Petrino said. "He has got great hands.

When he gets open and the ball gets by him, he's going to make the catches. He has shown he can do that." Injury report

The Razorbacks appeared to dodge any major injuries, with Bobby Petrino Jr.'s knee appearing to being the most serious of the day.

Linebackers Austin Moss, Jelani Smith and Stephen Barnett all appeared to suffer minor setbacks, as did safety Seth Armbrust.

Tailback Broderick Green, linebacker Matt Marshall and offensive guard Kareem Crowell, who have all been ill, did not dress for the scrimmage.

Receiver London Crawford and running back Brandon Barnett dressed for practice and went through drills, but didn't scrimmage.

Worth noting

Freshman defensive tackle D.D. Jones blocked an extra-point attempt by Cameron Bryant.

Among the players with tackles for losses were linebackers Jerry Franklin, Terrell Williams and Stephen Barnett, nose guard Zach Stadther, safety Tramain Thomas and cornerback Andru Stewart.

Alex Tejada hit 5 of 7 field goal attempts, with a long make of 48 yards. He missed twice from 44 yards, with his second attempt bouncing off the left upright.

Dennis Johnson had a 60-yard kickoff return before being forced out of bounds by Bryant.