FAYETTEVILLE -- With Arkansas tailbacks Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins -- both 1,000-yard rushers last season -- sitting out Saturday's Red-White game for precautionary reasons, Kody Walker became a workhorse in the running game.
Walker, a fifth-year senior from Jefferson City, Mo., who has battled injuries much of his career, rushed 26 times for 174 yards and 3 touchdowns, with a long run of 44 yards. He also caught two passes for 9 yards.
"I'm not going to lie to you, I got tired," Walker said with a smile. "That was a heavy load for me.
"I haven't run the ball that much since high school, but it was great work for me."
Walker, who has rushed 58 times for 250 yards as a Razorback, is expected to play fullback this season, but showed in spring practice he also can help at tailback if needed.
"I see myself doing both, and the more I can do, the better," Walker said. " Any way I can get on the field, I want to do it.
"I think overall I had a pretty good spring. I can still get better on some stuff."
Walker said it was fun to get a lot of carries.
"I love carrying the rock, so when I get the opportunity, it's in my blood," he said. "My teammates were cheering me on and really supporting me, and the energy in the stadium was kind of like game day."
Playing well -- even in an intrasquad game -- was a confidence boost for Walker.
"It's huge for a guy like me," Walker said. "Coming off two season-ending injuries earlier in my career, I didn't have that confidence like I needed to have.
"Having a game like this puts it back up there where it needs to be."
Injury report
Senior guard Marcus Danenhauer appeared to suffer the most significant injury of the day. Danenhauer went down on a pass play and needed help getting off the field after suffering what looked like a left leg injury in the first half.
"We'll do some X-rays to see how serious," Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said.
Safety DeAndre Coley fell to the turf after a big collision with Kody Walker on the game's first possession. Coley went to the sideline for a bit and was able to return.
The Razorbacks came through spring with only a major knee injury for freshman tailback Juan Day, the Saturday injury to Danenhauer and only minor ailments.
"To get out of spring that clean is pretty good," Bielema said.
Was he in?
Receiver Keon Hatcher claimed he scored a touchdown before defensive back Ryder Lucas raked the ball free from his grasp on the first play of the second quarter.
Hatcher appeared to have hauled in the 25-yard pass from Brandon Allen on the 1-yard line and taken a step into the end zone before the ball came loose and rolled out of bounds. It was ruled an incomplete pass by the officials.
"Yeah I caught that ball," Hatcher said. "I caught the ball and I turned around and tried to reach for the plane or whatever and he kind of knocked it out. I feel like it crossed the plane, but can't leave it up to the refs."
Kicker competition
Junior Adam McFain, who finished last season as the team's top place-kicker, went 5 of 8 on field goal attempts. He hit from 27, 30, 31, 42 and 43 yards and missed from 32, 38 and 52.
Sophomore Lane Saling was 6 of 8 on field goal attempts, hitting from 27, 32 twice, 38, 42 and 43 yards and missing from 27 and 37.
Redshirt freshman Cole Hedlund didn't kick Saturday because of a strained hamstring.
Coach Bret Bielema said Hedlund kicked well in practice this week, but aggravated his hamstring in pregame warmups.
Harris a hit again
Linebacker Josh Harris, a redshirt freshman walk-on from Pine Bluff, had a game-high 14 tackles playing for the White team. He had 11 tackles in each of the full-scale scrimmages earlier this spring.
Good call, bad hands
Dallas Walker, a 14-year-old Arkansas fan from Farmington, got to call a play in the second quarter.
It was a repeat of offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola's touchdown pass to deep snapper Alan D'Appollonio on a fake field goal against Alabama-Birmingham last season.
This time the offensive line included some of Arkansas' mascots and SEC Network sideline reporter Laura Rutledge was the snapper and intended receiver.
Rutledge dropped Tretola's first pass, but Coach Bret Bielema threw a flag on the defense. Rutledge dropped the pass again.
"We ran it with a mascot on Thursday and he dropped three balls," Bielema said. "So we thought we'll give Laura Rutledge a chance to do it."
Rutledge -- the sideline reporter for Arkansas' game against UAB -- caught 4 of 6 passes in pregame warmups from a UA staff member, but couldn't pull in Tretola's attempts.
Walker has Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a neurological disorder. He attended the Razorbacks' practice Thursday to meet Bielema.
Sports on 04/26/2015