I apologize in advance if you’re tired of reading about the new synthetic surface inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium, but I have a quick update about it.

  Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long said Wednesday that the construction work on the turf is done and that the Razorbacks will likely use the field for the first time later today.

  ”The turf gets turned over to us today, and I believe they’re going to have  a conditioning workout this evening,” said Long, who attended the first day of the SEC Media Days in Hoover, Ala. “So we’ll officially have the field today.”

  Long said a few weeks ago that he expected the turf to be in place by the end of July, ahead of his original hope that the field would be complete by early August.

  ”The construction folks have turned it over to us,” Long said. “They’ve done all the testing for compression and everything passes with flying colors, and it’s now ours to work out and take control of.”

  Long said he believes that the Razorbacks will benefit from the construction getting done early, allowing them to work on the synthetic surface before the start of preseason camp on Aug. 6.

  ”They can do conditioning stuff out there and get used to the field,” Long said. “And I think being on the surface and being on the stadium will just help our team this tough season ahead.”