FAYETTEVILLE -- Offensive guards can't shake off a quarterback's signals like pitchers shaking off a catcher's sign.
It's conceivable that one might have tried last August had Arkansas' new offensive coordinator called plays back then.
The screen passes to running backs Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins that offensive coordinator Dan Enos has incorporated since hired by Coach Bret Bielema just before last spring weren't conditioned for the condition that Sebastian Tretola was in last season. The 6-5 left guard weighed 376 after reporting as a junior college transfer in August 2014.
"It definitely involves a little bit more running," Tretola said of blocking for screens. "Thank God I am not 370 doing that, because that wouldn't be fun."
Slimmed to 340 during last season and now a svelte 325, the Outland Trophy candidate was made available to the media after Thursday's practice. Last season he would have done more gasping than talking after an August practice.
"Last fall camp after warmups I was gassed, breathing hard, pouring down sweat," Tretola said. "I needed a sponge after every rep. This is a whole different feeling."
Arkansas returns its starting offensive line this season with the exception of tackle Brey Cook, but only senior center Mitch Smothers and Tretola will start in the same places.
Junior Dan Skipper has moved from left tackle to right tackle. Junior Denver Kirkland is at left tackle after playing right guard last season, and sophomore Frank Ragnow now starts at right guard after being a backup at center in 2014.
Are all adjusted?
"Oh yeah," Tretola said. "Obviously you just moved Skip from the left to the right side. That's natural. Frank, I've said it before, is a freak. Regardless where you put him on the line, he is going to be good. He is doing his thing at guard. And Denver is freaky athletic. Him out there at left tackle is no worries at all.
"In the league and the nation, I feel like we are the best."
Other than Smothers, a letterman for Bobby Petrino's Razorbacks in 2011 who was then redshirted by John L. Smith in 2012, all the starting offensive linemen were recruited by Bielema and offensive line coach Sam Pittman.
"What Coach Pittman recruited us here for is because we have a certain type of attitude," Tretola said. "We hate to look bad. When you have five guys that hate to look bad, that culminates into something great."
They had some great moments while helping Arkansas improve from 3-9 to 7-6 but suffered five futile fourth quarters among their six SEC losses. Three losses (Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Missouri) were by seven points, and there was a 14-13 heartbreaker to SEC champion Alabama.
"It comes down to experience," Tretola said. "Obviously I wasn't here [ in 2013], but they came off a 3-9 season. So you know it's very unlikely to completely turn it around and beat everybody. I think we had to learn from losing those close ones. I felt we had to learn how that was, and it hurts."
It hurts so badly that it kept Tretola aching to lose weight.
Sports on 08/08/2015