Razorbacks report

FAYETTEVILLE — Players start off sluggish

It didn’t sound like a repeat of Terrible Tuesday from a week ago, but to hear Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson tell it, the Razorbacks’ workout Tuesday wasn’t much better than last week’s snarling coaches debacle.

“It’s still not at the pace we want them to respond to when they come back with that type of rest period,” Robinson said, referring to the three day layoff after Friday’s scrimmage.

The Razorbacks went back to “shells,” their shoulder pads and light pants outfit, for a shorter than normal practice Tuesday inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Robinson said the practice “just didn’t feel like” it was any better than last Tuesday’s high-temper shout fest.

“The things that we did tempo wise were decent,” Robinson said. “We just didn’t execute things very well.”

The players available Tuesday somewhat mirrored Robinson’s comments.

“Tomorrow we need to come out with heightened tempo to make up for today, because we can’t have days like this,” senior cornerback Rudell Crim said. “If you want to be a champion, you can’t have days like this.” Injury report

Tight end Ben Cleveland, who underwent an appendectomy last Monday, wore his No. 86 jersey and did light jogging on the sideline but did no drills or team work.

Offensive guard Wade Grayson, who sustained a sprained medial collateral ligament in his knee the first week of spring, worked on the stationary bike and appeared to be moving well.

Cornerback Greg Gatson had an undisclosed injury and did rehab work on the sideline near Tenarius Wright (foot) and Grayson.

Linebacker Jerry Franklin, who returned to scrimmage work last week, sustained a minor leg injury in Friday’s scrimmage but was back at it for a while Tuesday before heading to the weight room.

Freshman receiver Lance Ray appeared closer to full speed after tweaking a hamstring in the first week of drills.

Personnel news

Sophomore Ross Rasner continued to take first-team reps at strong safety, which has moved Tramain Thomas over to the free safety spot formerly held by Anthony Leon.

Freshman quarterback Brandon Mitchell was excused from practice to attend the funeral of a family member.

Junior receiver Joe Adams did not participate in the workout.

Scrimmage report

A large number of players engaged in extra conditioning work following practice. Willy Robinson said it was based on “what we consider loaf situations” from Friday’s scrimmage.

“We’re just not going to talk about it,” Robinson said.

“We want to make sure they get the message and let’s see if we get a response out of them.”

The Hogs’ defensive coordinator called the scrimmage “pretty decent” but pointed out missed tackles and big plays were still a concern.

Robinson listed defensive end Damario Ambrose, linebacker Bret Harris, corner Rudell Crim and safety Anthony Leon as the individuals who had productive scrimmages, and later added linebacker Freddy Burton and corner Ramon Broadway to that list.

Worth noting

The punt return bunch was trimmed from six to three Tuesday, with Jarius Wright leading the way, followed by Cobi Hamilton and Dennis Johnson.

Running backs Ronnie Wingo Jr. and Knile Davis did not work with the group, and receiver Joe Adams was missing.

Jarius Wright had one of his best days of spring with lots of catches, including an away-from-the-body grab .

Ray Dominguez, a starting tackle, continued to take periodic reps at a guard spot to work on versatility. The move put Anthony Oden on first team at Dominguez’s spot.

Safety Elton Ford latched on to a pass tipped by Cobi Hamilton for a shoestring interception.

Walk-on receiver Alvin Chambers drew praise from Coach Bobby Petrino for getting separation on a go route down the right sideline, and a couple of plays later, Chambers made a one-handed grab on the left sideline.

Reserve cornerback Dustin Cain made his second interception off Jacoby Walker in the past two practices.

Cornerback Darius Winston had a pass breakup on a ball that was almost secured for a catch by Hamilton.

Other pass breakups went to Andru Stewart (2), Ramon Broadway and Tramain Thomas, while Bret Harris and Ryan Powers picked up fumbles and Zach Stadther, Stephen Barnett and Ross Rasner appeared to have uncalled “sacks.”

Injured cornerbacks Isaac Madison and David Gordon each got their most significant reps yet this spring in team and skeleton periods.