Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino had plenty of news at his afternoon press conference. Here it is:

• RB Michael Smith isn’t expected to play in the season finale because of a hamstring injury. If that proves true he finishes the year with 1,072 yards and 8 touchdowns. He also caught 32 passes for 2 scores. It was a great season for Smith, but the injuries took their toll.

• LB Wendel Davis probably won’t play, either, because of the leg injury. That means Jerry Franklin will likely start at middle linebacker and Elston Forte will get more time at the other spot. Just like Satuday. However, Davis’ absence will hurt a defense that couldn’t stop anyone without him.

• In other personnel issues, DT Ernest Mitchell and DE Antwain Robinson have played the final games of their careers. Both were suspended for team reasons against Mississippi State. Neither player will be reinstated for the LSU game. It ends a frustrating season and career for both players who had good moments and very, very bad ones for the Hogs. If we learn more we’ll let you know.

• One more thing, Petrino once again said that Nathan Dick will start against the Tigers. No word on whether he plans to play Casey Dick in his final game or not.

Arkansas wrapped up another Wednesday practice, so I thought I’d throw a few tidbits on the blog before heading home to watch the presidential debate.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said there is a chance that nose tackle Ernest Mitchell could play Saturday at Kentucky. Mitchell underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee earlier this month, but the senior could return sooner than expected after practicing the past two days.

Arkansas defensive tackles coach Bobby Allen said Wednesday that Mitchell will hopefully play next week against Ole Miss if he can’t go Saturday in Lexington.

Other than that, there wasn’t much news. Offensive guard DeMarcus Love was working with the first-team offense at the first part of practice, but Petrino said he expects Grant Cook to get the start.

Well, that’s it for now. Time to finish work, so I can catch Round 3 of Obama/McCain.

In case you hadn’t heard, cornerback Jamar Love is going to undergo surgery for a thumb injury and will not be on the field for the Razorbacks this weekend. Without him, backup Ramon Broadway will start.

Love is the second cornerback and third defensive player to go down in the past two weeks. In addition, Jerell Norton (hamstring) and defensive tackle Ernest Mitchell (knee) are out. That’s never a good thing for a young defense that is struggling to stop opponents this season.

Here is what Bobby Petrino had to say about Love on the SEC Teleconference this morning:

“It’s hard on him in particular because he’s put so much into it. He did a lot of extra work in the summer. When other people had their breaks and left, he stayed and lifted weights and worked on his technique and quickness. So I feel bad for him.

“Now, we’re hopeful that the good news comes out. They can either go in and put a couple of screws in it and he might be back in two weeks. If they have to put a pin in it, then it could be up to six weeks. So we’re hoping that it’s a two-week deal.”

“Broadway has played a lot. We’ve rotated him and he’s played a lot. He really understands what we’re doing. So he can step in there. We also have Shedrick Johnson and Tramain Thomas.”

We just got done watching the first 20 minutes of practice and there were a couple of noteworthy things:

• Defensive tackle Ernest Mitchell was in uniform and working to rehabilitate his left knee. Mitchell was injured against Texas and underwent surgery last Wednesday. So less than a week later, Mitchell is out there at least beginning the rehabilitation process. That could be good news for the Razorbacks down the road.

• Offensive linemen DeMarcus Love and Ray Dominguez were both out there as well. Neither looked like they were working with the first-team unit, though. Grant Cook (guard) and Grant Freeman (tackle) continued to work with the starters after playing against the Gators. Love went down with an ankle injury in practice last week and Dominguez left the team to be with his sick grandmother. Bobby Petrino said yesterday that he expects Cook to start and said there could be a battle between Freeman and Dominguez.

Arkansas’ struggling defense will be without one of its most solid contributors for the Florida game.

The school announced (that’s new) that senior Ernest Mitchell underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee on Wednesday afternoon. Mitchell was injured against the Longhorns (when, we’re not sure). He will not play against the Gators and Arkansas is not exactly sure about the timetable for his return.

Here’s a Bobby Petrino quote:

“Ernest underwent a knee scope today for an injury he suffered in the Texas game. At this time, it is uncertain how long he will be sidelined. We are still hopeful that he could return at some point this season. I know that Ernest will work hard rehabilitate his injury with our training staff in an effort to get back on the field with his teammates.”

With Mitchell out, look for freshman Zach Stadther and senior Cord Gray to play a bigger role against Florida.

I’m not sure how many notes will actually make it in our newspaper tomorrow morning. So just in case, I’ve decided to hand the out early. Here are a lot of notes, nuggets and news from the last day of practice:

Wilson Hearts Arkansas
Alabama quarterback John Parker Wilson has a good reason to look forward to Saturday’s game at Arkansas. The senior has turned in two of his best performances against the Razorbacks.
In two games, Wilson has completed 40 of 65 passes for 570 yards with seven touchdowns and two interceptions. His pass efficiency rating is 165.58.
“I don’t think it’s like baseball, where the guy’s 4-for-6 against a pitcher and he’s gonna do good,” Wilson said. “It’s not like that. It’s a week-by-week thing.”
Wilson’s first road start came against the Razorbacks in 2006. He completed 16-of-20 passes for 243 yards and three touchdowns in Alabama’s 24-23 loss.
He was 24-for-45 for 327 yards with four touchdowns in the 41-38 win in 2007. That included a game-winning drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Matt Caddell with eight seconds remaining.
Wilson said Alabama had success because of Arkansas’ defensive scheme under former coordinator Reggie Herring. He’s expecting a change now that the Razorbacks defense is led by Willy Robinson.
“We get fired up about every team, but Arkansas ran that man coverage that they did,” Wilson said. “But they’ve got a new coordinator now so they’re doing some different things. … changing it up.”
Robinson said Arkansas will be wary of Wilson, though. He said the Razorbacks’ goal is to make sure the senior quarterback doesn’t get comfortable.
“If he gets a hot hand and we allow him to keep that hot hand, he’ll kill us,” he said. “If we can get pressure, he’s a completely different quarterback. But if he gets comfortable with a hot hand he can pick you apart.”

Just For Kicks
Alex Tejada is expected to hold onto place kicking duties over walk-on Shay Haddock.
Coach Bobby Petrino didn’t name Tejada the starter Thursday, but said the sophomore had another solid week after his poor outing against Louisiana-Monroe.
“We’re going to really take a good look at all the video (Friday) morning and then make a decision on who we’re coming out with,” Petrino said. “I’d imagine it would be Tejada. I was happy with the way he kicked the ball (Thursday), happy with the way he kicked it (Wednesday) night.”
Petrino said the Razorbacks practiced in the stadium for two days largely because of the kicking game. He wanted Tejada to get some work on the game field in preparation for Saturday’s game against Alabama.

Good Morning
How does Arkansas defensive tackle Ernest Mitchell prepare for an early game like this weekend’s 11:30 a.m. kickoff against Alabama?
“Different strokes for different folks. but most of us take cold showers so we can get up,” Mitchell said after Wednesday’s practice. “That’s about it. It’s just the regular pre-game routine, but just make sure you throw ice on everybody. Got to get it cool.”
Mitchell likes early games because there’s chance of catching the opponent napping. Petrino likes them, too. It keeps the team from waiting all day for kickoff.
“I don’t know if the fans like it as much. They like to be able to spend the day barbecuing and drinking water,” Petrino said, drawing a round of laughter.

They’re Coming
Petrino was asked once again about the Razorbacks’ turnover drought after two games. His response?
“They’re coming,” Petrino said. “I know they’re coming. We’re going to get turnovers. We’ve got to. The odds are in our favor. Hopefully it’s better than when I’m putting. I always think it’s got to go in one of these times and it doesn’t. But turnovers are coming.
“Like I said before, when they come they come in bunches so I feel good about it.”

Petrino vs. SEC
Petrino will put his perfect record against SEC opponents on the line Saturday.
Petrino compiled his 4-0 mark by beating Kentucky each year he was at Louisville (2003-06). This will be his first game as a head coach against any other SEC school, but Petrino believes Arkansas is ready.
“I think our guys will be fired up,” he said. “First SEC game, top 10 opponent. So it doesn’t take a whole lot to get fired up for that one.”

Third Down Success
Alabama and Arkansas are the most productive SEC teams on third down. The Crimson Tide leads the league in third-down conversions (54.8 percent), while Arkansas is second (54.2 percent).
“I just think it’s just an overall understanding of what we’re trying to do, especially with John Parker,” center Antoine Caldwell said of Alabama’s success.
Arkansas’ defense hasn’t been as good, though. The Hogs are last in the SEC on third down defense (40.6 percent). The Crimson Tide is sixth (26.8 percent).

Arkansas finished practice not too long ago, and here are a few tidbits that stood out:

Nose tackle Ernest Mitchell spoke to the media for the first time in months, and he gave an update on his status. He said he’s feeling around 90 percent, which is a reason to be optimistic considering he has been limited since the spring because of offseason knee surgery.

Mitchell said he has a bit of a sinus problem at the moment, but expects to be fine for Saturday’s season opener against Western Illinois. The senior is listed as Arkansas’ starting nose tackle.

Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson, meanwhile, said he doesn’t expect any of his injured linebackers to return in time for Saturday. The list of injured linebackers includes senior Elston Forte and junior Wendel Davis.

Robinson said the first-team defense tackled much better in last Friday’s final preseason scrimmage. He noted that starting middle linebacker Jerry Franklin stood out when it came to hitting and making plays. But Robinson admits he’s still nervous about the overall inexperience and youth on defense.

That’s a quick rundown of what came out of practice, but there will be more in tomorrow’s Morning News.