Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino spoke to the media for a few minutes following Thursday’s practice, which ended earlier than usual.

The biggest news to come out of Petrino’s news conference is that Arkansas running back Michael Smith (hamstring) was able to practice at full speed for the first time this week. The senior has made progress over the past few days, but Petrino indicated that Smith is still a game-time decision for Saturday’s showdown at Ole Miss.

“He was running full speed. He probably took 30 percent of the reps, which is a lot of reps for a running back,” Petrino said of Smith. “The thing will be how he responds to it and how is (Friday), whether it swells.

“This is really the first day he’s burst and went full speed. If nothing happens as far as his response to pushing it that hard, then he should be ready to go. If he has a setback, then he won’t be ready to go.”

Petrino said wide receiver Joe Adams, who has been sidelined since suffering a mild stroke, was able to get some limited work in during Thursday’s practice. Petrino said he should know more about the sophomore’s status after he meets with experts in Little Rock next week.

“He came out this week, and (the doctors) allowed him to run around on Tuesday. Wednesday they let him catch some balls. He didn’t do a whole lot out there today,” Petrino said of Adams. “I think he got to catch a few balls, but we don’t do as much individual work. He did some stuff on the sideline. He’s got a trip to Little Rock next week, and we’ll know more after he goes down there.”

That’s about the gist of it, but we’ll have plenty more in Friday’s newspaper and on the blog. And again, you can follow me on Twitter (@NWAAlex).

I just came back from watching the first few minutes of today’s practice. The Razorbacks are practicing inside their indoor facility because, well, why not? A few things stood out immediately.

Wide receiver Joe Adams appears to be making progress. He ran routes and caught passes with the rest of the receivers during position drills. That was more than the sophomore did Tuesday, when he mostly caught passes from a ball-throwing machine. Adams has missed the past two games because a mild stroke, and it’s uncertain when he’ll be able to return to the lineup. But at least he’s showing signs of improvement.

Meanwhile, fellow wide receiver Lucas Miller was back at practice after missing Tuesday for an undisclosed reason. A few yards away, running back Michael Smith took part in position drills with the rest of Arkansas’ tailbacks. Smith continues to be bothered by a hamstring injury, and his status for Saturday’s game at Ole Miss is up in the air.

Cornerback Rudell Crim wasn’t wearing a yellow, no-contact jersey at practice, a sign that he’s getting over whatever injury has been bothering him lately. And finally, reserve quarterback Brandon Mitchell – who recently had surgery for a hernia – was watching practice. The freshman wasn’t dressed out, but stood nearby in shorts and a T-shirt.

Well, that’s it for now. But check back later for more information after practice. Also, you can follow me on Twitter (@NWAAlex).

Lots and lots and lots of stuff to talk about after Tuesday’s practice. Offensive coordinator Paul Petrino and offensive players were available (well, most of them anyway — see below) and there was plenty to cover.

The biggest topic? WR Joe Adams return to practice.

Adams practiced on a limited basis for the first time since suffering the minor stroke the week of the Auburn game. He caught passes with other receivers off the machine at the start of the workout, then did some work with the trainers. Players also told us that Adams, apparently, caught some punts later in the workout when it was closed to the media.

Either way, the fact Adams was back in some capacity was good sign to the Razorbacks.

“It was kind of a start to his recovery I guess you could say,” receiver Jarius Wright said. “He has to start somewhere, so putting back on the pads coming out to practice with us today, it meant a real lot for the team.”

There’s still no timetable for Adams’ return to full speed at both practice and on gameday. Paul Petrino was asked about the potential for Adams’ return and said he’s not the guy to comment on that. However, Petrino said “I’m just happy to see him happy.”

“I hope every day that he’s going to be back,” Petrino said. “But more importantly, I just hope that he’s healthy and fine. So whenever they tell us he’s fine, I’ll be jumping up and down happy as can be. Until then, I just wish him the best and hope he keeps getting better.”

Let’s rundown a couple of other items of interest:

1. Alex Tejada spoke with the media for the first time since Saturday, when he missed two critical field goals in the 23-20 loss. I didn’t get a chance to talk to Tejada, but Alex Abrams did. Look for more from the kicker in tomorrow’s paper.

Tight end D.J. Williams did have a few things to say about Tejada, though. It includes a message to fans.

“That’s my boy,” Williams said. “I can’t understand how hard it could be for a kicker. Everybody says that’s what they do all day, but those are the people saying it. They’re in the stands watching it. They’re not out there doing it. He’s a great character kid. I know he’s going to bounce back. Hopefully we can get our fan support and not everybody bashing them because he is on our team and he’s a part of our family. Hopefully we can get our whole state to back him up and he’ll be just fine.”

2. RB Michael Smith was back on the practice field, but still limited to some extent. In fact, running backs coach Tim Horton said he doubted Smith would’ve been able to play if Tuesday had been Saturday. Smith wasn’t available for comment today to tell us how he’s feeling. But Arkansas will continue to monitor his progress on a day-to-day basis the rest of the week.

3. Paul Petrino said the Razorbacks continue to work hard on their third-down success. Arkansas was 2 of 13 at Florida. The Hogs are 20 of 76 (26.3 percent) this season, which ranks 116th in the nation.

“It’s something we always work hard on, we’ve always game planned,” Petrino said. “We’ve always taken great pride in being real good at it. It’s just something that right now we’re not as good as we need to be and hopefully it will be our coming out week and we light it up on third down.”

Make sure you check out RazorbackCentral.com for more in tomorrow’s paper.

We just returned to the media room after watching the portion of practice open to the media.

There’s a couple of things worth mentioning:

• RB Michael Smith is out on the field practicing after missing Saturday’s game with the hamstring injury. Smith was out on the field last week, but looks much closer to full speed now than he did preparing for Florida. We saw him get in the mix in some early blocking drills for the running backs. I don’t think he did anything like that last week.

• Another return – of sorts — for the offense. WR Joe Adams is in his helment and pads today. Adams wasn’t doing anything on the field. He was catching passes off to the side and working with a member of the training staff. But it was a good sign for the sophomore, who is trying to bounce back after suffering a minor stroke the week of the Auburn game.

• A few more tidbits — 1. CB Rudell Crim is wearing a yellow, non-contact jersey out on the practice field today. Not sure what the exact injury is, but I didn’t see him sit out any of the open portion of the practice. 2. I did not see WR Lucas Miller out there. I know Miller collided with receiver Cobi Hamilton on crossing routes late in the first half, but he did play after that. Not sure what is wrong, if anything, right now. 3. RB Dennis Johnson is practicing after missing the final minutes of the Florida game after having his bell rung. He seems fine.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino and several players finished answering questions from the media a few minutes ago. And while they all admitted how tough last week’s 23-20 loss to second-ranked Florida was to swallow, they’re anxious to move on and prepare for Saturday’s much anticipated game at Ole Miss.

Here’s what we learned from today’s news conferences:

-Petrino said he doesn’t have any other options at kicker other than Alex Tejada, who had two costly missed field-goal attempts in the second half of the Florida loss. Petrino said the former Springdale High star simply has to boot the football through the uprights. It’s as simple as that. It appears the Razorbacks are going to live or die by Tejada, who has been shaky during his time at Arkansas.

-Petrino said there’s really nothing Arkansas can do about some of questionable officiating in Florida. He said the team submits questionable calls to the SEC’s office on a seemingly weekly basis, but there’s no recourse that can come from that. Petrino seemed hesitant to talk about the officiating because, of course, it can never go well for a coach. But he said he was disappointed that an offensive pass interference penalty wasn’t called against Florida when wide receiver Riley Cooper appeared to take out cornerback Andru Stewart in the end zone.

-Petrino said running back Michael Smith is improving, but he won’t know more about the senior’s status until tonight. Smith missed the Florida game with a hamstring injury, allowing sophomore Dennis Johnson to get the bulk of the carries. Johnson wasn’t able to finish the game because he took a hit to the head, but he should be fine. Finally, Petrino said there’s hope that wide receiver Joe Adams could return this season, but he’s just not sure. The sophomore has been sidelined since suffering what was described as a minor stroke.

There’s the Cliff Note version of what was said. I’ll have more in Tuesday’s newspaper, as well as perhaps on the blog and/or Twitter (@NWAAlex).

Arkansas wrapped up its week of preparations for Saturday’s game at top-ranked Florida. There was quite of bit of news to come out of Thursday’s practice.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said running back Michael Smith (hamstring) is a game-time decision. The senior has continued to practice this week, but he’s been limited because of the injury suffered in last week’s win over Auburn.

“Michael got out there today and did some work. Right now, I’d say it’ll probably be a game-time decision,” Petrino said. “But I’m encouraged in the fact that he did get some work yesterday and more today.”

Petrino didn’t want to say who would start at tailback if Smith is unable to go against the Gators. However, Petrino said wide receiver Jarius Wright (concussion) has looked good in practice and has shown no “ill effects” from the head injury. Expect Wright to play.

Petrino said freshman quarterback Brandon Mitchell, who hasn’t played this season, will be sidelined for awhile with what’s believed to be an inguinal hernia. In the meantime, redshirt freshman Jim Youngblood is working at both quarterback and tight end.

“He’s been able to do both,” Petrino said of Youngblood.

Finally, Petrino said wide receiver Joe Adams will make the trip to Florida, even though he’s out indefinitely with what’s being called a mild stroke.

There are still plenty of questions surrounding the status of wide receiver Joe Adams, who has been sidelined since suffering what was described as a mild stroke early last week. But Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino provided more details today on what led to Adams being diagnosed with the stroke.

“Well, what happened was on a Monday he had a severe headache and he had had a previous history of migraines. So he took some migraine medication, got better Tuesday, felt good,” Petrino said on an SEC coaches teleconference. “Wednesday, (he) went into the meeting room and then kind of really got a bad headache. The lights were bothering him, so we took him up to the training room and brought him down and got an MRI.”

Adams has attended the past two days of practice dressed in his jersey, but he’s not wearing any pads and has been limite to watching his teammates go through drills. But by all indications, his spirits are at least up.

“Joe’s doing good. I mean, he’s feeling really good. His headaches are gone completely,” Petrino said. “He’s out at practice, walking around (Tuesday) wishing he could practice. And all the tests are coming back very favorable.

“I just don’t know what the timetable is, and that will be a discussion with the doctors and everybody that’s working on it. But he’s feeling really good. It’s good to see a smile on his face, and the fact that he’s doing good, going to class, wants to be in the meetings, wants to come out to practice, all of that is very positive.”

Whenever we find out more information on Adams’ status, we’ll pass it along.

Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino spoke following Tuesday’s practice, and naturally several questions were about three of his top offensive weapons – running back Michael Smith (hamstring) and wide receivers Joe Adams (mild stroke) and Jarius Wright (concussion).

Smith and Wright took part in Tuesday’s practice, and neither of them showed any signs that won’t be able to play Saturday at top-ranked Florida. Still, Petrino said it’s day-to-day with both players.

“They moved around good. It was good to see them out there, good to see them dressed out and I think it’s just a day-to-day thing,” Petrino said. “But they look good.”

Adams’ status is a bit more complicated. The sophomore has been sidelined since suffering what Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino has described as a “mild concussion.”

Adams attended Tuesday’s practice, wearing his jersey and shorts while watching his fellow wide receivers catch passes. During position drills, he stood a few yards off the line of scrimmage to mimic a defensive back.

“His spirits are good. Joe’s a great kid,” Petrino said. “He really cares about his team and about his teammates, and he just likes to be around and helping them out. And his spirits seem real good, real upbeat, and it’s great just to have him out there and be around everybody.”

Just got back from practice a minute ago. Here are some quick observations from the first 20 minutes of practice, which were open to the media:

Running back Michael Smith (hamstring) and wide receiver Jarius Wright (concussion) were taking part in practice. Wright was catching passes with the rest of the wide receivers, and Smith was going through position drills with the other tailbacks.

As Wright practiced, fellow wide receiver Joe Adams stood nearby and watched. Adams has been sidelined since suffering what Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said was “mild stroke.” The sophomore was wearing his jersey, shorts and a red hat, and when the receivers started running routes, Adams stood a few yards away to mimic a defensive back. The receivers would have to run past him.

Adams’ status for the remainder of the season remains uncertain. Petrino said the sophomore has undergone tests since suffering his stroke early last week, but there are still a lot of questions involving Adams’ health.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said on the SEC Teleconference last week that his team was in great shape, injury-wise.

Well, it’s a little bit different today.

Petrino, quarterback Ryan Mallett and running back Dennis Johnson met with the media this afternoon and most of the conversation had to do with the health of several key offensive players. Here’s the rundown of what was said:

• We’ll start with WR Joe Adams, who Petrino said suffered a “minor stroke” last week. Petrino said Monday Adams is doing better. In fact, he feels well enough to practice. However, that won’t be happening for now. Petrino said Adams continues to undergo tests and is being monitored by doctors. He doesn’t know how long Adams will be out, but is pretty certain he won’t be playing at Florida on Saturday.

“I’m not sure how long he’ll be out,” Petrino said. “But it will be up to the doctors. But the main thing is, he’s doing good, he feels good, he has no headaches. He feels like he wants to practice. Obviously, he can’t at this time.”

• Adams’ position mate, Jarius Wright, seems to be doing well after leaving early in the second quarter with a concussion Saturday. Petrino said Wright was scheduled to do some exercising today and his performance will determine if he’s ready to go for the rest of the week.

• Arkansas isn’t so sure about Michael Smith, who tweaked his hamstring in the second half against the Tigers. Petrino officially labeled his status as “day-to-day” this afternoon. No word on whether he’ll be out at practice tomorrow. If he doesn’t (and if he can’t play Saturday) that means the Razorbacks will probably lean on its freshmen, Ronnie Wingo Jr. and Knile Davis, to carry the load at Florida.

In non-injury news:

• Petrino said the Razorbacks should be much better prepared for Florida than they were during the 35-7 loss at Alabama a few weeks ago. For starters, Arkansas has put together two important wins. Confidence is up. But Petrino said it will be important to make sure the Razorbacks actually believe they can beat the Gators before stepping on the field Saturday.

“We’ve had two good games back to back,” Petrino said. “We’ve seen ourselves perform well on video. We went out and played extremely well in three phases. It will be the challenge to really believe, everybody in the building, everybody that gets on the plane, believe that we can go win the game. And then play with our technique and play with our fundamentals and match their speed. I think that will be the key to the game.”

• He also was complimented Arkansas’ special teams play for setting up three touchdowns Saturday. Two of them came on Johnson’s big returns. The other came on a kickoff, when Andru Stewart force a fumble that was recovered by Jerell Norton.

“That’s huge when you set up three scores with your special teams,” Petrino said. “You’re certainly winning the battle there.”