We just got through talking to Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino for the last time before Saturday’s game at No. 3 Alabama.

The question on everyone’s mind: Will the Razorbacks really be playing Anthony Oden on the offensive line?

Yes.

Petrino did not name a starter, but said both Oden and Ray Dominguez split reps at tackle in practice this week and will play against the Crimson Tide. Dominguez lost his grip on the starting job because of penalty problems against Georgia. Petrino said Oden continued to improve in practice this week and believes he’s ready for playing time.

“He’s had a good week of practice,” Petrino said. “He’s a guy who has all kinds of talent. Did a nice job in that first game, has been taking reps all the time. But he’s going to be a great football player before its over with. We’ve just got to make sure he’s ready now.”

There’s a couple other things worth mentioning, too:

• Petrino said RB Ronnie Wingo had a good week of practice, too. He’s expecting both Wingo and freshman Knile Davis to play a bigger role against the Crimson Tide. Once again, Petrino emphasized the Razorbacks need to get their running game going Saturday.

• Petrino spoke more about his defense tonight, saying the group’s “stinger was hurt a little bit” against Georgia. He said the defense has responded well in practice this week, but Arkansas needs to “go and have success” down at Alabama to gain confidence.

• There’s a decent chance for rain Saturday, but Petrino said there wasn’t any wet ball work in practice this week. Why? He said the Razorbacks have gotten “five or six days” of wet ball work this fall. Two of those days came last week, when rain chances were good for Arkansas-Georgia.

• Petrino was also asked about Alabama and how it uses nose guard Terrence Cody as a blocking fullback near the goal line. Petrino said Arkansas must keep Alabama off the goal line because its power running game is strong.

That’s all for now, but check out RazorbackCentral.com for more about the game tomorrow and Saturday.

And don’t forget to check the blog tomorrow because I’ll clean out my notebook with all kinds of leftover news, notes and quotes.