I just got back from Tuesday’s practice, and it was interesting.

Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino, who didn’t speak to reporters following Saturday’s 35-7 loss at third-ranked Alabama, took responsibility for how the game turned out. He said he thought he had gotten his players ready for the Crimson Tide, but apparently he hadn’t done enough.

Petrino said it was his fault, which comes after Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino accepted the blame for not getting his players to believe they could beat Alabama.

“We just didn’t get it done, that’s my fault. We didn’t get it done last week, and I take that all on myself,” Paul Petrino said. “I didn’t do a good enough job of getting them ready during the week, but we’re going to be ready to play this week.”

Later, Arkansas offensive guard Mitch Petrus was steaming. He said the offensive line was responsible for the offensive woes against the Crimson Tide, adding that he’s tired of the O-line continuing to mess up.

It appears the Razorbacks want to shake some things up following the lopsided loss. Backup safety Elton Ford and cornerback Andru Stewart were working with the first-team defense during practice. Ford took snaps at sophomore Tramain Thomas‘ spot, and Stewart worked at junior Ramon Broadway’s cornerback position.

There was also some changes along the offense line. Offensive tackle DeMarcus Love was absent from practice, freshman Antony Oden continued to work at offensive tackle and junior Zhamal Thomas moved up to get reps as one of the first-team offensive guards. We’ll see how this plays out during the week.

And finally, wide receiver London Crawford, who has been sidelined with a broke collarbone, practiced in a yellow jersey. Paul Petrino said Crawford hasn’t been cleared for Saturday’s Southwest Classic against Texas A&M, but the senior is coming along nicely.

“He’s not cleared yet, but he’s running around and he looks good running around,” said Petrino, who also coaches the wide receivers. “He’s got those fresh legs. He looks fast.”

That’s it for now. But check back on the blog and on Twitter (@NWAAlex) for more on the Hogs.

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.

  I just returned from watching the first 20 minutes of Wednesday’s practice, and here are a few items worth noting:

  -Freshman Anthony Oden appears to have replaced junior Ray Dominguez as one of Arkansas’ starting offensive tackles. Oden was taking snaps with the first-team offensive line in practice, and all signs pointing to the freshman making his first career start against third-ranked Alabama. At 6-foot-8 and 328 pounds, Oden is small compared to his brother, NBA center Greg Oden.

  -Wide receiver London Crawford was stretching and trying to do whatever he could at practice while being sidelined with a broken collarbone suffered in the season opener. Fellow wide receiver Lucas Miller is expected to make his debut Saturday after sitting out the first two games because of a broken collarbone suffered in preseason camp. Crawford’s return, however, could still be a few weeks away since his injury happened less than three weeks ago. 

  Other than that, it was the usual. But I’ll have more for you after practice on the blog and on Twitter (@NWAAlex).

Just walked back in the door from Arkansas’ press conference. Bobby Petrino, QB Ryan Mallett, WR Greg Childs and DE Jake Bequette were selected to participate today. Here are the biggest things we learned:

1. LB Jerry Franklin, indeed, will be back on the field Saturday. Petrino confirmed what the SEC office told us earlier today, saying Franklin won’t be suspended for his ejection. However, Petrino said reviewing the film showed that Franklin did bump an official and deserved to be ejected. He said it will serve as a lesson to Franklin and anybody else who was watching. Franklin will be disciplined in house according to Petrino, but will be back in his starting spot Saturday.

2. Arkansas’ WRs will get some help Saturday from senior Lucas Miller. The senior will be back on the field after missing the first two games with a broken collarbone. It should help, considering Petrino believed his sophomore trio of Greg Childs, Joe Adams and Jarius Wright were worn down in the second half. The Razorbacks plan to get Miller and freshman Cobi Hamilton more work, giving them at least five receivers they can count on against the Crimson Tide.

3. Petrino said there are a handful of players that need more playing time. The three he mentioned — freshman running back Ronnie Wingo, freshman offensive tackle Greg Oden, and junior safety Anthony Leon. Not sure if it means those three will find their way into starting roles (OK, not Wingo). But we’ll know more when we take a look at the first 20 minutes of practice. Petrino did say that Wingo’s lack of playing time is on him. He just didn’t want to put a freshman in a game like that and in a situation like that. Instantly, I thought of Houston Nutt’s decision not to play Darren McFadden and Felix Jones vs. Vanderbilt in 2005.

4. Speaking of running backs, Petrino was asked about Broderick Green and the goal line. He put the blame on the offensive line for not opening any sort of path for Green to run. Remember, the big back was stuffed a couple of times in the second half. Arkansas eventually scored on the drive, but the inability to run the ball into the end zone remains obvious.