MEMPHIS — Mallett playing it cool
Excitable quarterback Ryan Mallett striking a balance might be one of the keys to an Arkansas victory in Saturday’s Liberty Bowl game against East Carolina.
Arkansas coaches love Mallett’s fiery leadership, but he has gotten too excited on occasion.
“You know my personality. You’ve seen me play,” Mallett said. “Sometimes I let getting excited get to me a little bit. But I think through the season I’ve learned how to handle all the situations.
“Going into this game, I feel confident in what I need to be before the game, the energy level and getting the guys ready to go.”
Offensive coordinator Garrick McGee said Mallett’s practice efforts have been his best of the year.
“He’s building up and he’s at the point where he’s ready to go out there on Saturday and be efficient,” McGee said. “I do think he’ll be really excited. We’ve got to get him calmed down.
“It’s hard, because what he brings to our team is excitement. He can run into the locker room and he can rally our guys, so we don’t want to calm him down too much.”
Mallett has fielded questions about whether he’ll return to Arkansas or declare early for the NFL Draft by Jan. 15 for much of the past month. A reporter asked him Thursday how he can keep his mind off his future, what with fans asking him on Beale Street or wherever.
“Beale Street? Don’t put me in any public settings if you didn’t see me there, now,” Mallett said, chuckling. “No, it’s part of the process when you sign on to play college football and you’ve got a chance to play at the next level if you keep getting better and better.
“I’m not worried about it right now. Everybody keeps asking, but I’m a guy who just lets it bounce off me, and I’ve always been like that. When something’s not important at the time, I don’t let it worry me.
“What’s important right now is the game, and that’s what I’m worried about.” Early night
Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino set a 10 p.m. curfew on New Year’s Eve, the night after seniors Wendel Davis and Matt Harris and junior Marques Wade were suspended for issues involving Wednesday’s 11 p.m. curfew.
“No kissing when the ball drops,” tight end D.J. Williams said. “Hopefully no kissing when the ball drops, since we’ll be in our rooms.
We’re here to play the bowl game, not to celebrate.”
Said receiver Joe Adams: “I understand. This is a bowl game, and it’s the last game of the season. We need to be prepared.” All or nothing
Arkansas guard Mitch Petrus was wearing a nice pair of warm-ups with a Liberty Bowl logo stitched on the breast during media interviews Thursday.
When a reporter pointed out how they looked, Petrus replied: “Yeah, nice jacket, but I don’t want to wear this if we don’t win the game.
“I’m not going to feel good about it. So I want to make sure we go out and win the game so I can wear this around and kind of have my chest poked out. It’s kind of all for nothing if you don’t win.” NFL open
East Carolina defensive coordinator Greg Hudson said he’s reminded of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger when he watches Arkansas’ Ryan Mallett.
“He’ll be as big a challenge as we’ve ever faced because he can make all the throws and he makes them in body positions that most guys can’t,” Hudson said.
“So our players are learning what ‘NFL open’ means. You know, you think you’ve got your man covered, but that’s a throw he can make, and that’s open in that league.” ECU and Sheppard
Arkansas’ Malcolm Sheppard was scheduled to take a recruiting visit to East Carolina when he was at Bainbridge (Ga.) High School.
“But I didn’t take the visit,” Sheppard said. “The week I was scheduled to go there, I canceled on them.”
Sheppard canceled on the Pirates to visit Arkansas, and he has no regrets.
“When I visited Arkansas, I loved it, and that was the end of the story as far as recruiting,” he said.
O-line consistency
East Carolina has started the same five offensive linemen at the same spots through 13 games.
Last season, the Pirates had eight players start on the line, and only two who started every game at the same spot.
“We’re being rewarded for what we went through a year ago,” Coach Skip Holtz said. “We’ve just been really lucky with being able to keep guys healthy.” Tough guy
Arkansas defensive ends coach Kirk Botkin has been wearing shorts at practice despite the cold weather.
“Coach Botkin is one of those coaches who will try to use psychology on you,” linebacker Jerico Nelson said. “Make you think it’s not cold.” Ready to go
Razorbacks receiver Joe Adams said he can’t wait to finally play a game again Saturday.
“I’ve been ready to play since the LSU game,” Adams said. “You can only practice for so long.”
Nice memories
Arkansas and East Carolina will meet for the first time Saturday, but Pirates defensive coordinator Greg Hudson has previous experience in beating the Razorbacks in a bowl game.
Hudson was a Minnesota assistant in 2002 when the Gophers beat Arkansas 29-14 in the Music City Bowl.
“It was my first game as coordinator at Minnesota,” Hudson said. “It was a fun game.”
Sports, Pages 24 on 01/01/2010