FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said the net result of reducing the amount and intensity of two-a-day practices during camp was a healthier team less than two weeks away from the season opener.
"Today on our injured practice list we have one player, Tyler Colquitt," Bielema said Wednesday while speaking to the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club. "A year ago going into our Wednesday practice two weeks out from our game, I had 17 players listed.
"The benefit of it has definitely been a lack of injuries. The down side of it, if we get our you-know-what handed to us, everyone is going to go, 'How smart was that?' "
Bielema said Colquitt, who suffered a sprained ankle in Saturday's scrimmage, should be moving around on it today and back at practice next week.
Arkansas also lost tailback Jonathan Williams for the season to a left foot injury during the team's first live scrimmage work Aug. 15.
The Razorbacks had five opportunities for double-day practices but only did it once. Otherwise, longer film study and walk-throughs took the place of second practices.
Bielema said he was surprised the four fewer practices resulted in far fewer lingering injuries.
"It just blows me away," Bielema said. "I'm thinking we made the right call."
Full speed
The first practice with a full roster and scout team usage and the start of school slowed the Razorbacks for a spell Tuesday, but players said Wednesday that blip is over.
"Our intensity was a lot higher than yesterday, and I was proud of the team the way they came out and really improved from yesterday," said linebacker Brooks Ellis, a defensive captain.
"The scout team knows what we expect out of them, the freshmen know what we expect out of them," defensive end Deatrich Wise said. "I guess Day 1 was more like a feel-through. Now that we felt through it, now it's all full speed."
Linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves said players did a nice job Wednesday.
"They bounced back," Hargreaves said. "Today was so much better because the guys had an idea of what it is we were looking for, and I suspect it will continue to get better."
Day job
Tailback Juan Day has returned to practice to bolster the running back corps, Coach Bret Bielema said.
Day has had two knee surgeries and hasn't played a down of college ball.
"He looks great," Bielema said. "What I love about him is on our outside zone plays he's got a great pace to him, a great gallop. He kind of reminds me in style a little bit of Melvin Gordon, when I had him early on. Just a real tall, lanky, good runner."
Gordon won the Doak Walker Award last year while rushing for 2,587 yards in his redshirt junior season at Wisconsin.
Personnel report
Defensive end Deatrich Wise, who was held out of Saturday's scrimmage because of a shoulder problem, said he practiced Tuesday and Wednesday.
"I was just beat up a little bit, but I'm all good now," he said.
Coach Bret Bielema said the ankle injury suffered by running back Tyler Colquitt was not a high ankle sprain as originally thought and that he hoped to see Colquitt "moving around" by today and ready to practice by next week.
Freshman cornerback Ryan Pulley's grandfather, who has been in ill health, passed away Tuesday, Bielema said. The cornerback will fly out Friday to attend the funeral Saturday.
Need for Reed
Receivers coach Michael Smith said transfer Dominique Reed has played well enough to make the top rotation of receivers.
"He's shown us all a lot," Smith said. "He's still got a lot of work to do, but he's shown us that he can play football, he likes to play football, shown us that he can catch, shown us that he can run. Right now we have a plan to try and get him in the game, take the chains off and let him go."
Punt pick
Junior Toby Baker has a clear edge at punter over true freshman Blake Johnson, Coach Bret Bielema said Wednesday.
"If we played tomorrow, he for sure would hit it," Bielema said. "Not really disappointed in Blake. It's just as a freshman he's coming in and still feeling out things."
Baker said his average in camp up to Wednesday was 44 yards.
"What I look for is between 45 and 50," Baker said.
Kick campaign
Redshirt freshman Cole Hedlund, who worked with the first unit during camp, has an edge over Adam McFain and Lane Saling at place-kicker, Coach Bret Bielema said.
"I wouldn't say it's wrapped and packaged up yet and put under the tree, but he's looking pretty good," Bielema said.
A five-way battle is ongoing for the kickoff duties between Hedlund, McFain, Saling, freshman walk-on Mitch Carter of Colorado Springs, Colo., and holder Matt Emrich, who is also the back-up long snapper.
"Cole's obviously been our most consistent guy," specialists coach Rory Segrest said.
Sports on 08/27/2015