Tuesday Razorback Notebook | LT Week
-Linebackers coach Vernon Hargreaves worked with Skip Holtz at both East Carolina and South Florida. He said he does a great job preparing for bigger opponents and was great to work for at those two stops.
-Defensive end Randy Ramsey said he is comfortable at end because his responsibility is 'go get the quarterback.' He said he is a third down specialist. Down the road when they face teams like LSU and Alabama, teams that will run more 21 personnel, he may line up at SAM. He said when he was put back on scholarship, it was a feeling he cannot explain.
-Secondary coach Paul Rhoads said there is nothing better than giving a walk-on a scholarship. He said backup free safety Reid Miller was overwhelmed. And then it's another level of excitement when the teammates are overjoyed for him.
-It has been difficult for them to devise an accurate scouting report for Louisiana Tech quarterback J'Mar Smith because this is his first start, and he's a redshirt freshman.
-Early, Rhoads feels last year's struggles were something that drove the secondary to improve, but he said as they learned more about themselves that's not something in their vision anymore. If they're worried about that, they won't have the clarity they need moving forward. He wants to see an aggressive secondary that plays smart. He said they're going to play hard and fast.
-Cornerback/nickel Kevin Richardson said he feels they underestimated some teams last season, and that was part of the reason for the slow start. The No. 1 goal on Rhoads' list of goals is 'no deep balls,' because that is where most of the passing yardage is accumulated. Arkansas gave up 275.2 yards per game through the air last season - last in the SEC.
-Rhoads said there are two NFL receivers for Louisiana Tech, namely senior Trent Taylor (99 catches last year) and junior Carlos Henderson, but he said the entire Bulldog receiving corps is deep. Richardson compared Taylor to Wes Welker.
-Senior end Deatrich Wise said Louisiana Tech is going to have a physical offensive line, and he is most looking forward to going out healthy to start the season for the first time in a few years. Defensive line coach Rory Segrest said if Wise can stay healthy, they expect big things from him.
-Segrest said they have some versatility at defensive end and are planning to get after the quarterback. He wants to pick up where they left off last year. With McTelvin Agim growing to approximately 290, they moved him inside to get a more explosive player in there. He said their three-techniques are 'playmakers' for them.
-Senior linebacker Brooks Ellis, now a two-year captain, said he has really been working hard on his coverage skills and feels a lot more comfortable in coverage. He said he will play as much as he can, but it will be good to get a break every now and then (which never happened last year).
-Ellis said Khalia Hackett has been a 'crazy man' out there, making blockers miss and getting to the ball. He said he has really matured since he first arrived. Hargreaves said he will play more backup MIKE in nickel situations, though De'Jon Harris will see action on special teams and possibly at middle linebacker depending on how things unfold. He said for them to have the depth they need, Hackett coming on was imperative.
-Hargreaves said the difference in sophomore linebacker Dre Greenlaw from this year and last is he knows what he's doing. He said there is a real difference in how he handles himself on the field this year. Greenlaw started the the third game against Texas Tech last season and most of last season as a true freshman. In the season opener against UTEP last season, Greenlaw played four snaps and had four tackles.
MORE TO COME...