I’m still working on my final story for the week. One that will appear in tomorrow’s paper. But wanted to take a break from putting it together to run through all of the leftover notes, quotes and tidbits. It’s a weekly thing I like to do here on the blog. So let’s get started:

• Saturday’s game is shaping up to be a very interesting battle between head coaches. Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino is regarded as an offensive mastermind, whose team is rolling (especially through the air) this season. Alabama’s Nick Saban, on the other hand, is well-known for his defensive background. And the Crimson Tide has one of the nation’s best defense. It has clearly impressed Petrino this week.

“They’re really good on defense,” Petrino said Thursday. “They have real good players. They have a great scheme. They challenge you. They come up and try not to give you anything easy. They make you earn it. They have great schemes to attack your protections and your pass protection. I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for what they do defensively and what he’s always done defensively.”

• The anchor of ‘Bama’s defense is nose guard Terrence Cody, who has given teams fits the past two years. After all, the guy is a 360-pounder and plugs up the interior. Not an easy thing to deal with. Arkansas guard Mitch Petrus talked about the challenge Tuesday.

“I’ve never played against him, but I know he’s big. I know he can move,” said Petrus, who was ineligible for last year’s game. “We don’t have anybody on the offensive line that’s 360. We’ve got to really make sure we use good technique and come off the ball. … You can’t go in there and get all freaked out and go in there and get scared. You can’t let him dictate where you go. You’ve got to hold him off the best you can.”

• We touched on it a little earlier this week, but defensive coordinator Willy Robinson indicated that S Elton Ford could be ready for playing time this weekend. Ford hasn’t played since his severe neck injury last October and an ankle injury slowed him the past couple of weeks.

But getting Ford back could help a secondary that struggled. Robinson said it has been a long process for Ford, though.

“He’s starting to come back,” Robinson said. “He’s starting to get healthy and he’s starting to put it all together. The mental aspect of it and the assignment aspect of it. We’re bringing him back. The thing is, we’re bringing him back slowly. It’s still a major situation. I think there was a confidence issue with him. Even thought I thought earlier there wasn’t, I think there was.”

• Along the same line, it’s clear Anthony Leon is getting closer and closer to contributing more. Robinson said he played about 30 snaps against Georgia and the Razorbacks want to see him continue to improve. Leon reported to campus later than most incoming players and it has taken time for him to get adjusted to the Razorbacks’ system.

“I think he had over 30 snaps and played pretty decent,” Robinson said. “He had two mental errors at the end of the first half that were kind of costly, but you live to play the next day I guess. He got more production last week than he’s had. So that was good.

“He’s starting to settle down. It’s coming to him. He’s had a really good week of practice.”

• Arkansas freshman LB Terrell Williams was put in a tough spot last week. He replaced Jerry Franklin when the sophomore was ejected. Georgia went right after him, too. Williams made a mistake on the 80-yard touchdown run.

But position coach Reggie Johnson said Williams can learn from the experience, as rough as it was.

“He is a good football player and he’s going to bounce back and he’s going to make some big plays for us this year,” Johnson said. “We’ve just got to get him in the right situations. He’s got to continue to grow and learn in the defense as we go with this thing. Again, he’s going to come back and have some big-time ballgames for us. We’re not down on him by any stretch of the imagination.”

• Arkansas’ defense didn’t play well. We know that. But the Razorbacks weren’t totally discouraged. In fact, I got to talk to DE Adrian Davis about the run defense the other night. Outside of the 80-yard touchdown run, it was good. Georgia had 75 yards on 35 other attempts.

“That 80-yard run hurt,” Davis said. “But we held them other than that. We feel like we’ve got a better defense than what we had last year.”

Arkansas will find out how good it is against the run Saturday, though. ‘Bama is averaging 267.7 rushing yards a game.

• Last week, Georgia WR A.J. Green had a field day against the Hogs. This week, the secondary gets the pleasure of covering Alabama’s Julio Jones. We got a chance to catch up with Matt Harris, who spoke about the challenge Wednesday.

“It’s just the SEC,” Harris said. “Every week we’re expecting a different opponent with another star player. So it’s nothing that we fear.”

Harris was asked to explain the differences between the two receivers: “A.J. Green, I think has a litlte more speed than Julio Jones,” Harris said. “But Julio Jones is a big body guy. He can go up there and run across the middle and make you play.”

• We know Arkansas can throw the ball. But we don’t know if they can sustain success on the ground. Michael Smith’s injury left that a question mark last week, but Smith said he’s ready to go. And he said Arkansas is ready to balance out its attack at ‘Bama.

“We have to,” Smith said. “We don’t want them to just sit back deep and wait on the crossing pass, wait on the deep route. We want to come up every now and then so we can hit the play-action pass or sit back deep and run right down the middle. That’s what we’ve been working on since December, to become a more balanced offense. Now it’s time to start putting it together.”

OK. I think that about does it. I’m going back to writing my story for Saturday’s paper. I’ll check in later today if something newsworthy pops up.

If not, we’ll be bringing you more from Tuscaloosa, Ala., tomorrow. Make sure to check the Hog Blog and follow us on Twitter.

We all know Arkansas’ defense was shredded by Georgia, leaving plenty of questions about this group as it enters the Alabama game.

The run defense played well except for one costly, 80-yard touchdown run. The pass defense was woeful, giving up play-and-play-after-play to the Bulldogs. Defensive backs were beaten in coverage numerous times. Defensive linemen didn’t put much pressure on the quarterback. There were assignment errors. Missed tackles. Mental busts. It’s something we’ve been writing about and will continue to do so.

But there is one thing that did go right Saturday night. For awhile anyway.

Arkansas forced three Georgia turnovers in the first half. One came on special teams, when Wendel Davis pounced on a muffed punt and it led to Arkansas’ first touchdown. Then there was a fumble recovery by Arkansas defensive end Adrian Davis. And the third turnover came when Tramain Thomas intercepted a Joe Cox pass (It was the play that led to Jerry Franklin’s ejection).

Arkansas has forced five turnovers in two games. Not bad if you think back to last year, when the Hogs didn’t force a turnover until the fourth quarter of its 49-14 loss to Alabama. That was the third game of the season. It’s one positive Bobby Petrino did point out this week.

“We did get three turnovers in the game,” Petrino said Monday. “We are on the plus side of the turnover battle, which is good.”

Arkansas is plus-3 in turnover margin so far this season, which is tied for third in the SEC with Ole Miss and LSU. Auburn leads the league at plus-7, while South Carolina is at plus-4. Georgia is last at minus-7.

Even more important, Arkansas has done a good job of cashing in on the turnovers. The Razorbacks have scored 28 points off the five turnovers forced so far. The only time they didn’t score was after Thomas’ interception last Saturday.

Thomas leads Arkansas with two interceptions in two games. Wendel Davis has a fumble recovery and an interception.

Interestingly, Davis was holding a football during post-practice interviews yesterday. I asked the senior how he has been around the ball.

“I’m just hustling and getting to the ball,” Davis said. “That’s what defense is all about. It felt good for the first couple of games, getting hold of the ball. Hopefully I can make a third one (Saturday) and just keep it going.”

Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson was the only coach to speak with the media after practice this afternoon.

One interesting thing to note: Robinson said he watched the video of last year’s spring game and was surprised.

“We’re so much better than we were at this time last year,” Robinson said. “You watch it and you get mixed emotions. It was a wonder how bad we were, but then you realize how far ahead we are. … I think our kids are getting very comfortable in what they need to get done.”

Robinson said several players have stood out this spring on defense. He said LB Wendel Davis, S Tramain Thomas, CB Isaac Madison and DT Malcolm Sheppard have all been impressive. He also had plenty of praise for DE Adrian Davis.

“He’s gotten stronger,” Robinson said. “He’s heavier. He understands what he’s doing and he’s doing it pretty darn good.”

Even though Arkansas does look better on defense, there have been some flaws. One of the biggest has been in the secondary, where big plays have been problematic. A lot of it has come against the second-team defense, but Robinson is hoping that can be eliminated tomorrow.

“We’ve given up too many big plays,” Robinson said. “I think we’re tackling better than we did last year. We’re not being smart with our pursuit angles, but I think we’re taclking better this year. But we’re giving up way too many deep balls.”

So now the only thing left  is tomorrow’s Red-White Game, which will begin at 6 p.m.

Don’t forget, RazorFest will take place before hand. Festivities start at Noon and run to 5:30.

If you can’t make it, the game will be broadcast on Razorback Sports Properties radio affiliates. It’s also going to be on XM 200 and Sirius 214. And if that’s not good enough, Cox Sports Television is going to carry the game as well.

That’s a lot of information. If you want even more, click this link.

That’s all the football news for now. But we will have plenty of live comments, thoughts, news and notes from the spring game tomorrow night here on the Hog Blog. And if that’s not enough information, you can also follow me on Twitter tomorrow night at twitter.com/rneiswanger.

Just got done filing two stories from Wednesday’s football practice.

It was a defensive day, but the biggest news came from the offense.

Quarterback Casey Dick didn’t practice and wasn’t on the field. That probably wasn’t unexpected after coach Bobby Petrino said Dick didn’t pass the mandatory concussion tests Tuesday. It’s likely that he’ll miss most of this week. Nathan Dick filled in for his brother with the first-team offense Wednesday. Alex Mortensen, Ryan Mallett and Jim Youngblood also got some work.

Here are some other nuggets:

• DE Adrian Davis was in uniform and took part in some individual work after missing the past two games with a sprained knee. Davis said he feels good and plans to be ready for the MSU game. Arkansas is taking it easy with him this week, but Davis said he should be full speed by next Tuesday’s practice.

• DE Damario Ambrose and S Jerico Nelson were both out. But they were on the sideline for the first time since suffering their knee injuries. Nelson was riding a stationary bike, while Ambrose was jogging. There’s no word on their status for the MSU game, yet.

• Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson spoke today and said the defense was “soft” against South Carolina. Especially in the second half. It’s an area the Razorbacks are planning to correct with more physical practices this week. In fact, a couple players told me it had a preseason vibe to it. There was more hitting and more first-team vs. first-team work. We’ll see if it pays off.

The Razorbacks will be back on the field Thursday for their final practice of the week (I think). The offensive players will be available for comment along with coordinator Paul Petrino. We’ll let you know what they say.

  Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino finished talking with reporters after an abbreviated practice Tuesday evening. The starters didn’t do much but run. However, some noteworthy items came out of practice.

  Petrino said running back Michael Smith will take the entire week off to let his injured shoulder, as well as several other aches and pains, improve. Petrino hopes the SEC’s leading rusher will be able to return to practice next Tuesday when Arkansas begins preparing for Mississippi State.

  “I think the rest will really help him. I think it will help him not only with his shoulder but his legs and getting everything back,” Petrino said. “But it’s an injury, there’s no question about it and it hasn’t come back as quick as you would like. So he definitely needs the week off.”

  Meanwhile, quarterback Casey Dick didn’t practice Tuesday as he continues to be bothered by a possible concussion. The senior was injured on a helmet-to-helmet hit late in last Saturday’s loss at South Carolina.

  “Casey would not have practiced today,” Petrino said. “He didn’t get the test passed, so he would not have practiced.”

  Redshirt freshman Nathan Dick will get reps with the first-team offense this week if his older brother remains out because of the head injury.

  Petrino did offer some good news, though. It appears that defensive end Adrian Davis, who missed the past two games because of a sprained left knee, will return to practice Wednesday and be ready for next week’s game.

  ”Adrian should be back. He’ll get some work tomorrow and Thursday, get some of the individual work and get some one-on-one work,” Petrino said. “(But we’ll) keep him out of the team drills. And then he should be full-go by next Tuesday when we come normal game day practice.”

  Arkansas’ depth at the defensive end position has taken a hit over the past few weeks because of injuries.

  Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said this morning that sophomore Damario Ambrose won’t play in Saturday’s game at South Carolina because of a knee injury suffered in last week’s win over Tulsa.

  “Well, he won’t be available for this game,” Petrino said.

  Petrino hasn’t given any specifics about the severity of Ambrose’s injury, and he declined to answer when I asked him if Ambrose will need surgery or if his knee will heal on its own.

  ”We don’t like to talk that much about injuries, particularly when we’re preparing for another game,” Petrino said.

  Along with Ambrose, there is a chance that Arkansas defensive end Adrian Davis could miss his second consecutive game because of a sprained left knee. I’ll know more about Davis’ status after today’s practice.

  Well, that’s it for now. I’ll try to  give an update after practice.

Just got in from the portion of practice open to us media folks. There is injury news to pass along:

• Defensive end Damario Ambrose wasn’t on the practice field after suffering what appeared to be a knee injury against Tulsa. In addition, Adrian Davis didn’t practice again after missing all of last week (and the Tulsa game) because of a sprained knee. Without those two, Antwain Robinson and Jake Bequette were working with the starters at defensive end. Lavunce Askew and Chris Berezansky were with the second team. And it looked like linebacker Ryan Powers was sticking around with the defensive ends after getting a few snaps there last Saturday.

• Another defensive player, linebacker/defensive back Jerico Nelson, didn’t practice. Nelson hurt his knee against Tulsa and the severity of the injury is unknown. It’s bad enough that he can’t practice, though. Nelson has started seven games at a variety of positions. He has been a good hybrid guy.

• There’s better news on the offensive line. Tackle Ray Dominguez was back on the field and looked like he was moving around pretty well. Dominguez missed last week’s game with an ankle injury. He was replaced by Michael Aguirre, who had been hurt for a couple weeks too. Not sure if Dominguez will get his starting spot back or not. At the very least, it looks like he could be ready to play.

There’s roughly 45 minutes until kickoff, but we have some injury news we can share.

Defensive end Adrian Davis, offensive tackle Ray Dominguez and offensive guard Grant Cook are all sitting on the bench right now in their jerseys, watching the Razorbacks warm up. Those three, it appears, won’t be available for today’s game. Unless they’re pulling an elaborate trick on Tulsa. Maybe that’s it.

Look for Damario Ambrose to start at defensive end, Grant Freeman to start at tackle and DeMarcus Love to start at guard. In addition, Rashaad Johnson will likely start at free safety in place of Elton Ford, who is out with a neck injury.

We’ll see how much the missing players affect the Razorbacks today.

It should come as no surprise, but the Southeastern Conference has honored a couple of Razorbacks for their performance at Auburn.

Running back Michael Smith was named SEC Offensive Player of the Week after rushing for 176 yards and a touchdown in the 25-22 win. Defensive end Adrian Davis was recognized as the SEC Defensive Lineman of the Week after piling up three sacks, an interception and a forced fumble against the Tigers.

Smith’s efforts have helped him jump to the top of the SEC in rushing with 119.8 yards a game. Davis, who became the first player in the SEC to register three sacks in a game, is tied for fifth in the league in sacks (3).

Congratulations to those guys. I’m sure we’ll be talking to them a little later today.

Arkansas got a big, big win at Auburn on Saturday. But how did they do in the five keys? Let’s see:

1. Finish Drives: Arkansas was struggling to score in its previous three games and still had some trouble in the first half Saturday. Two interceptions wiped out scoring chances inside Auburn territory. But the Razorbacks got to the end zone three times and kicked two field goals. Two of the touchdowns came on 11- and 9-play drives. So with that said — KEY ACCOMPLISHED

2. Stop the Run: Arkansas went to Auburn allowing more than 200 rushing yards a game. But the Razorbacks bottled up Auburn’s struggling attack the entire night. The Tigers rushed for 56 yards and Auburn’s longest run of the night was an 11-yarder. It averaged 1.7 yards a carry — KEY ACCOMPLISHED

3. Open Strong, Close Stronger: The scoreboard may not have indicated it, but the Razorbacks got off to a great start against Auburn. Arkansas outgained Auburn 134-21 in the opening quarter, but trailed 7-3 because of Tristan Davis’ kickoff return touchdown. The Razorbacks won the fourth quarter, too, scoring the game-winning touchdown on Michael Smith’s 63-yard run with 8:50 left. And the defense held on with a goal line stand late in the game. And another stop to seal the win — KEY ACCOMPLISHED

4. Win the Turnover Battle: The Razorbacks forced three big turnovers against Auburn. One of them came after Auburn had moved the ball to Arkansas’ 19. Another sealed the win in the fourth quarter. But the Razorbacks also turned the ball over three times, which led to 13 of the Tigers’ points. So as important as the three turnovers were to the Razorbacks — KEY NOT ACCOMPLISHED

5. Be Strong Up Front: Arkansas was very, very sound against a very, very good group of linemen. The Razorbacks didn’t allow a sack for the first time this season. They also pushed Auburn’s offensive line around and sacked quarterback Chris Todd three times. Defensive end Adrian Davis had all three sacks. It was clearly the best performance of the season in the trenches — KEY ACCOMPLISHED