Collins' '22' sign a tribute

FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas tailback Alex Collins has begun putting both hands in the air with two fingers up on both hands after scoring touchdowns as a tribute to injured teammate Rawleigh Williams, who was hurt in Arkansas' 54-46 victory over Auburn two weeks ago.

The "22" sign reflects the jersey number worn by Williams, who is recovering from neck surgery and is expected to be able to play again.

Collins first flashed the "22" symbol after his 7-yard touchdown run against Auburn on the same series that Williams was injured on a helmet-to-helmet shot with a defender. He got the opportunity to show his support for Williams a lot last week when Collins scored a career-high five touchdowns in a 63-28 victory over Tennessee-Martin.

Running backs coach Jemal Singleton said he heartily favored the show of support.

"We're a family in that room," he said. "That's how we've got to be. We all love each other, and we're all trying to help each other be successful and ultimately help the team be successful. So when one of your brothers goes down, it hurts you a little bit and you want to do everything to lift him up.

"I thought it was awesome."

Lunney steamed?

Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said facetiously that tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. was not happy after quarterback Brandon Allen passed him to reach sixth place on the Razorbacks' all-time passing yardage chart a couple of weeks ago.

Lunney laughed about it Tuesday.

"They were all giving me a hard time about it," Lunney said. "I've been giving B.A. a hard time about it a little bit. It's just fun."

Allen, with 6,057 passing yards, ranks fourth at Arkansas behind Tyler Wilson (7,765), Ryan Mallett (7,493) and Clint Stoerner (7,422). Lunney has 5,782 passing yards to rank seventh, with Matt Jones (5,857) and Casey Dick (5,856) also ahead of him.

"It's funny. We were giving Coach Lunney some heat the other day because B.A. overtook him ... and he was crying like a child because of the bubble pass and one other one, the hitch," Bielema said. "He's like, 'I never threw any bubbles. Those are free yards.' He was pissed. He was genuinely pissed about being overtaken, so it was kind of fun to have him in the office that week."

Junior jump?

Tailback Alex Collins and tight end Hunter Henry would lead the pack of Arkansas juniors who have a shot at declaring early with a solid grade for the NFL Draft, Coach Bret Bielema indicated.

"The NFL lets you do five guys that can go in and ask their grades," Bielema said. "I'm probably going to have to be selective on who those five guys are and sit down with certain guys and make it real, you know.

"Obviously Alex has put up good numbers and ... a lot of people, when they're talking about Hunter, refer to him as one of the best in the country right now."

Other top Arkansas juniors include offensive tackles Denver Kirkland and Dan Skipper, linebacker Brooks Ellis, defensive backs Jared Collins and D.J. Dean, defensive lineman Jeremiah Ledbetter, tight end Jeremy Sprinkle and receiver Dominique Reed.

Film star

Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche is tied for 12th on the team with 21 tackles, but Arkansas line coach Sam Pittman said it's a misleading stat.

"He just disrupts everything," Pittman said. "A lot of times the guys around him benefit from him. He may not necessarily make the play, but yet he does make the play. The stat says he didn't, but the film says he did."

Huge honor

Center Mitch Smothers said he was surprised Monday to learn he'd been named the SEC's offensive lineman of the week.

"It's definitely a huge honor," said Smothers, a senior from Springdale. "I can't take all the credit for it. I've got 10 other guys making me look good."

Offensive line coach Sam Pittman said Smothers graded out at 91 percent in the Razorbacks' 63-28 victory over Tennessee-Martin and did a good job making pre-snap calls.

"Mitch really handled the front and the communication," Pittman said. "I'm proud of him."

Summers time

Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema, who last week said the Razorbacks have "set a record for broken bones in this thing," was asked how valuable head athletic trainer Matt Summers has been this season.

"It's a troublesome year if your trainer gets a story," Bielema said. "I love Matt. I absolutely love Matt."

Bielema said the parents of two recruits on campus last weekend both said "your trainer is unbelievable" before saying that he decided to retain Summers after interviewing him during the winter of 2012-13.

"Matt is tremendous at what he does, and I'm truly blessed that he's here," Bielema said.

All four quarter

Arkansas scored in all four quarters of its past two games, plus in all four overtime periods in its 54-46 victory over Auburn.

Dispute

Arkansas and Ole Miss have differing records on the all-time results between the schools, and the dispute dates to early last century.

Ole Miss won the 1914 game 13-7 on the field in Little Rock, but Arkansas claims it as a forfeit victory. There was no NCAA in 1914.

Arkansas records indicate the Razorbacks lead the series 33-27-1, while Ole Miss claims the Hogs hold a 32-28-1 advantage.

What is certain is that Arkansas owns a 13-10 edge since it joined the SEC in 1992, and the Rebels lead the series 7-4 in games played in Oxford, Miss.

Sports on 11/04/2015