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FAYETTEVILLE — Just in time for the team to don full pads for the first time, Arkansas had its hottest practice of fall camp yet Thursday afternoon.
The Razorbacks hit the field with temperatures in the mid-90s and a heat index that climbed over 100. Despite the scorching heat, head coach Sam Pittman was pleased with how they responded.
“In my opinion it was the best practice we've had this camp,” Pittman said. “I don't even want to say they fought through the heat because you didn't even notice they were struggling through it.”
One reason it was such a successful practice was just how much Arkansas got accomplished Thursday. It was a heavy situational practice, with segments focused on the red zone, goal line, two-point plays, third downs and third-and-one situations.
Considering the Razorbacks open the season with a 1 p.m. CT kickoff against Rice on Sept. 4, it was a preview of sorts for what they can expect when they line up for real.
“I felt like we did good since it was so hot,” junior Greg Brooks Jr. said. “First game is going to be just like that, so I feel like we adjusted really well and came out there and practiced hard.”
Only 20 minutes of practice was open to the media, so it’s hard to say which side of the ball won the day, but Pittman did reveal that the defense beat the offense in a pass protection drill early on in the day.
“We've got to get better at protection,” Pittman said. “I'm not just saying we can't protect. We're violating our eyes a little bit, and between the backs and O-line we have to get better there because we can't cut somebody loose on our quarterback.”
Here are a few other tidbits from Thursday’s post-practice interviews…
Battle for RB2
What was a four-man race for the No. 2 running back spot appears to be down to three, with Josh Oglesby, Raheim “Rocket” Sanders and AJ Green vying for the backup job behind Trelon Smith.
Dominique Johnson is the odd man out, as he was moved to tight end because Pittman said he wasn’t in the top three or four at running back.
Listed at 5-foot-8, 175 pounds, Oglesby is the smallest of the group, but he has elite speed as an All-American sprinter for Arkansas’ track team. In fact, Brooks described him as “fast as hell.”
The key has been translating that speed - he’s been clocked at 10.3 seconds in the 100-meter dash - to the football field, and it sounds like that is starting to happen.
