Usually, my notebook is loaded with football leftovers. But this hasn’t been a normal week.

Basketball duty pulled me away from football practice on Tuesday and Thursday nights. Alex Abrams was there for the entire week, but it has left me searching for some leftover stuff worth sharing here on the blog. The good news? I think I found some.

• We all know that Arkansas running back Michael Smith will be a gametime decision before of his hamstring injury. It’s a situation Florida has been keeping track of, apparently. Florida coach Urban Meyer said earlier this week the Gators are paying attention to Smith, especially since he played so well against the Florida defense last season.

“I guess he’s got a little hamstring injury that we’re keeping an eye on because that’s how much respect we have,” Meyer said. “He ripped us apart last year. I’d never really heard of him until we played him, and I saw firsthand a hard guy to tackle, has great acceleration through the hole. They’re a big zone running team, and he’s perfect for it. No, we think he’s one of the top five backs in the league, no question.”

• Remember what Arkansas did with its punt return team last week? The Razorbacks dropped both Jerell Norton and Michael Smith back deep to catch the ball the entire game. Well, I asked John L. Smith about it on Wednesday night and he said it was something the Razorbacks came up with because of what the Tigers did. Auburn’s punter shaded the ball to the side and was getting extra yards on the roll.

“If we can eliminate the 10-, 20- and 15-yard rolls, then that’s going to save us and make us a lot of ground,” Smith said. “I told them our goal this week for us is to not let a ball hit the ground and we did that. Even though it doesn’t show in the stat as a 10-yard return or whatever, it shows up.”

No word on if the Razorbacks will try the same thing Saturday. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

• Arkansas LB Jerico Nelson has gotten plenty of publicity this week. And he deserves it, too, after his performance against Auburn. But there’s another reason for Arkansas’ defensive resurgence the past couple weeks. S Elton Ford has been back in the lineup and playing well. Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson was asked about Ford on Wednesday night.

“I think he’s done a great job tackling,” Robinson said. “There’s still some liability with him in pass coverage. But I think he’s doing a great job of tackling the catch, showing up on the run. He’s starting to stay on his feet when he tackles and great tacklers do do that. They stay on their feet when they tackle. That’s something he’s made great strides in since these last two games as opposed to the last couple of games he played”

• It doesn’t really need to be said that Robinson and the Razorbacks have plenty of respect for Florida QB Tim Tebow. Who doesn’t, right? Well, here’s what Robinson had to say about Tebow and the way he leads the Gators’ offense even after the concussion.

“He runs that offense and he loves being the leader of that offense,” Robinson said. “So regardless of his injury or what it once was, he’s still going to be that competitor. So even though they might say, handoff, or be cautious here, that’s not part of his nature. His nature is to compete and compete and compete until the final bell.”

• Arkansas WR Greg Childs has really played well this season. His performance against Auburn was even more important because the Razorbacks were without Joe Adams and Jarius Wright. Childs will be needed once again against Florida. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino explained how much confidence Childs has and how important he will be against the Gators.

“Childs right now, he’s begging guys to come up and press him,” Petrino said. “That’s how you want it. You want to have that type of confidence. Come on and play me man and I’ll get the opportunity to make plays. More times than not he’s made the play and we’ve been pretty accurate with the throws. It balances out and opens up your run game. That’s kind of the balance you see. When you run the ball better, you can throw it better. When you can beat man coverage and beat one-on-one coverage, then that allows you to be able to run the ball better because they have to get out of the man coverage.”

• Finally, how does Arkansas feel about playing the No. 1 team on the road? The Razorbacks are looking forward to it, of course. Here is QB Ryan Mallett’s take from Monday’s press conference.

“I mean, there’s always a little bit extra when you’re playing a ranked team, getting ready to prepare for it,” Mallett said. “And then coming in No. 1 and playing the No. 1 team, it’s a big deal for our program. We need to go out there and come home with a win.”

If all goes as planned, this will be the last you hear from me today. I’m hoping to take the rest of the day off after a busy, two-sport week.

If that’s the case, I’ll check back in with you from Gainesville, Fla., tomorrow.

Make sure you follow us here on the Blog and also on Twitter (@NWARobbie, @NWAAlex and @NWAOnlineHogs)

There wasn’t much news out of Arkansas’ practice tonight. But we can still find three things worth talking about, right?

Of course. So here we go.

• Injury updates: RB Michael Smith was on the field again Wednesday, but didn’t do much in the portion of practice open to the media. Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said earlier Wednesday that the hope was that Smith could do more in practice. Maybe he did after we left. WR Jarius Wright was on the field practicing, but did wear a yellow, non-contact jersey. Wright was running well and should be ready. Another guy that was dinged up Saturday, S Elton Ford, was on the field Wednesday and said he’s doing fine. Ford hurt his ankle when teammate Matt Harris collided with him in the second half. Ford missed some time, but did return to the field later.

• Tim Tebow talk: Since it was defensive day, plenty was said about Florida quarterback Tim Tebow. The Razorbacks will get their second crack at trying to beat the Tebow-led Gators, but know it’s a big, big challenge. Defensive coordinator Willy Robinson said no matter what happened to Tebow at Kentucky, the quarterback’s game won’t change. “His nature is to compete and compete and compete until the final bell.” Robinson, who typically refers to players by their numbers, said Tebow has his respect, too. “He’s No. 15, but with great respect. I know who the young man is. He’s a fabulous football player. I admire the heck out of him. I think we all do.”

• Jerico Nelson a hot topic: LB Jerico Nelson was a popular guy, doing plenty of interviews after his 10-tackle performance against Auburn. We’ll have a feature on Nelson in tomorrow’s paper, but here’s a good quote from Willy Robinson on the sophomore’s big hit against Auburn: “He’s one of those guys that, all of a sudden, you say, ‘Woah,’ to after he’s hit you. That play that he made on saturday, it ignited us on defense.” And here’s one more from position coach, John L. Smith. “After you watch Jerico and you watch his work ethic and you watch him work out a little bit, pretty soon, it doesn’t take you long to say, ‘Yeah, we can find a spot for this guy in a lot of places because he’s got a great attitude and a great work ethic.’ He just goes to the field and gives you what he has.”

A lot has been said and written about the Alabama postgame press conference last Saturday because two big issues/topics emerged.

First, Bobby Petrino’s assessment that the Razorbacks didn’t believe they could win raised eyebrows.

Second, the fact that Arkansas’ offensive and defensive coordinators weren’t available for comment did.

I was able to go cover the first topic in today’s notes, but didn’t get into the coordinator talk. However, Petrino was asked why Paul Petrino, Willy Robinson and John L. Smith weren’t available after the loss. Especially since they’ve been available throughout his tenure – win or loss.

Petrino classified it as a misunderstanding Monday. Apparently, when Kevin Trainor and Zack Higbee — who are in Arkansas’ media relations department — went to get the assistant coaches for interviews Saturday, they were already on the team bus.

“After the game, I did get on the players and I guess the last thing I said was, ‘Guys, lets get in the shower, get dressed, and get on the bus,’” Petrino said. “Coaches did the same thing. By the time Zack came in to get the coordinators, I guess they were on the bus.”

Petrino said he wasn’t keeping the assistants off limits.

“It wasn’t something that, ‘Hey, they’re not talking to the assistant coaches,’ or anything like that,” Petrino said. “We get our butts kicked they need to face the music just like I do. I’d rather say, ‘Hey, I’m on the bus and you talk to the coordinators.’ We can do that if it ever happens again. But it was nothing like that. I said, ‘Let’s get dressed, get on the bus, and get home. And that’s what the coaches did also.”

I’ve been flipping through media guides and game notes this morning and something struck me. Granted, it won’t have a say in what happens Saturday afternoon. And it might be useless or pointless information. But it’s interesting nonetheless.

Did you know there will be three former Michigan State head coaches in Bryant-Denny Stadium on Saturday?

• Alabama head coach Nick Saban (Michigan State HC 1995-99)

• Alabama TE coach and special teams coordinator Bobby Williams (MSU HC 2000-2002)

• Arkansas OLB coach and special teams coordinator John L. Smith (MSU HC 2003-2006)

That’s a pretty good chunk of MSU’s recent football history. Three coaches who combined to lead the Spartans from 1995-2006. Wonder what current coach Mark Dantonio is doing Saturday? Maybe he can come down, too, and watch the game from the sideline.

I’ve got nothing else to add. Just thought I’d bring it to your attention. On with the day.

We got a lot of info from special teams coordinator John L. Smith last night. Some of it made it in the notebook in today’s paper, some of it did not. But it’s worthwhile to break down how things are shaping up a little more.

Smith said Arkansas is about “80 percent solid” in regard to personnel decisions on special teams. He said there still are some changes that will be made, however. So at this point, here’s a look at which direction Smith and the Razorbacks seem to be leaning at a few of the most-talked about spots.

Place Kicker: Alex Tejada — This is no surprise because Tejada is the most talented of Arkansas’ kickers. The question is whether or not Tejada will deliver. He had a better day last Saturday. One that Tejada said gave him some more confidence as the season gets closer. But he knows it’s just one day. So he’s not dwelling on it.

Punter: Briton Forester — John L. Smith has been up front from the start about his punters. Forester has some Division I experience and that means a lot to the Razorbacks right now. They don’t want to lean on true freshman Dylan Breeding if they don’t have to. But both punters have been inconsistent this preseason.

Punt Returner: Joe Adams — The receiver REALLY wants to return punts. He’s hoping his 85-yard TD on Saturday convinced Smith he should. Adams told Smith after the big return he was the man for the job. Smith’s response – “As quick as he looked, he kind of looked like the guy.” Don’t count out Michael Smith yet.

Kick Returner: Dennis Johnson — Johnson returned kicks last season and did it well. It didn’t look like he was going to be the man again early in camp because so many were trying out, but he may have gained the edge. Smith Smith indicated his resume makes him the leader. “He’s a nice looking body coming downhill at you,” Smith said. “That’s what you want, coming downhill and not wavering much. It’s not a dance deal, it’s a hit it deal.”

We got to talk to special teams coach John L. Smith after practice today and he covered a lot of ground.

Here’s a rundown:

• There’s a true freshman who is probably going to play this year not many would’ve guessed — linebacker Terrell Williams. Smith said the Tulsa native is a guy who has a chance to make an impact on special teams. He was working with the first-team kickoff coverage this morning and Smith said the Razorbacks are looking for youngsters that can excel in special teams this year.

When asked about Williams on special teams he said: “You said it.” When asked if Williams would redshirt he added: “I don’t think so. We’ll have to wait and see. Coach makes those decisions. But he could be on everything.”

Smith said the Razorbacks have a lot of starters on special teams right now and will leave it that way if they have to. But the goal is to find younger players who can excel on special teams.

“If we find a young guy we can use on three or four special teams, we want to do that,” Smith said. “Coach definitely wants to use those guys. Those are the kind of guys you need.”

• Place kicker Alex Tejada “didn’t have his best day,” missing field goals in both the morning and afternoon practices. Smith said he has been fairly pleased with Tejada throughout preseason camp, but wants to make sure Tejada keeps things simple in his approach to kicking.

“If he just concentrates on a couple of things: Plant and swing it and let it happen,” Smith said. “Don’t punch it. Don’t try to steer it. Just make sure you have a good plant and we finish the swing.

“I think that’s his biggest problem. He wants to hurry some things. He wants to get it to the green close, if you golfers know what I mean. Instead of swing it and let it happen.”

• The competition between punters Briton Forester and Dylan Breeding is still open. But Breeding has been getting more work with the first-team group lately. Smith said a little more about Breeding:

“We have both of those kids working and we’re just trying to figure out who’s going to be the guy,” Smith said. “He does have a strong leg. consistency, he’s just got to keep working on that. And it’s going to come.”

Smith was asked if that competition would go up to the opener. He said they prefer it didn’t. They don’t have to make a decision right away, but want to know which punter they’ll use as soon as possible.

• This always seems to be a popular question: Who are going to be Arkansas’ gunners on the punt coverage team. Well, Isaac Madison was one of those guys until he tore his ACL last Saturday.

So the competition is still undecided at this point. But he mentions that receivers could be in the mix. I did see Jarius Wright getting a look at one of those spots in the morning practice.

“Madison would’ve been the one guy you say, ‘OK, he’s probably the guy right now,’” Smith said. “But that’s a position that receivers can come over and play as well because they’re great with their hands. They’re used to getting off press and all of those things. You might even see some wideouts out there as well as DBs. We haven’t made a decison on those yet, either.”

I was busy at the ballpark Thursday night, so I didn’t have a chance to update the Hog Blog with something I thought was interesting.

It is a little extra info from a conversation I had with special teams coordinator John L. Smith on Tuesday night. I spoke to Smith as part of a story I wrote for Thursday’s paper on the added emphasis to Arkansas’ special teams this spring. You can find the story here.

Anyway, I asked Smith about his responsibilities since arriving and the first decision he made when he got on staff. It was a pretty big one. He told me it had to do with whether or not Arkansas would keep trusting in kicker Alex Tejada, who was coming off a disastrous 2008 season.

“Coach Petrino said what about our kicker? Do we need to go get a kicker?” Smith said. “After evaluating, I said, ‘No, we don’t need a kicker but we do need a punter. That’s what we better go find because I think our kicker is going to be fine.’”

Interesting, huh?

Smith’s decision still seems open for debate. Tejada hasn’t been particularly impressive kicking the ball this spring. He has shown plenty of leg, but his accuracy has been very, very inconsistent. To his credit, it’s something Tejada hasn’t hidden from.

“It’s inexcusable,” Tejada said. “I’m on my way to being a junior. Those mistakes and lack of concentration, whatever it is, is just inexcusable now. Inconsistency. I come out and miss one, two a day. We don’t need that. This team doesn’t need that.”

Stay tuned because we won’t know how to judge Tejada until next fall, when he steps out on the field to attempt a field goal.

  There’s no reason we can’t have a little football news unrelated to National Signing Day.

  Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino announced during his news conference this afternoon that defensive coordinator Willy Robinson will coach the entire secondary and special teams coordinator John L. Smith will oversee the outside linebackers along with the nickel and dime positions.

  Smith said he spoke with Petrino over the past few days, and it was determined that he could help the Razorbacks the most by coaching the outside linebackers.

  “The biggest deal was first to sit down as a staff and say, ‘OK, where can I contribute the most? And where can I help you guys the most?’ And not only coach Petrino, but Willy Robinson and the other people,” Smith said Wednesday afternoon.

   “And so put me in that spot that helps the team the most. So being with the linebackers, with that outside guy, those safeties, that’s where I’ve coordinated from in the past. That’s probably where I’m the most comfortable, so it fits. So it was, ‘Where can I do the best job for this team?’”

  Now back to National Signing Day…

  For anyone starving for news on Arkansas’ football team, here is a small bit:

  The terms of John L. Smith’s deal at Arkansas were announced a few minutes ago. Arkansas associate athletic director Kevin Trainor said Smith agreed to a two-year deal that will pay him $210,000 annually. 

  Smith, who will serve as Arkansas’ special teams coordinator along with being a defensive assistant coach, also received moving expenses and a vehicle allowance. This is all standard for an assistant coach.

  Smith’s salary will make him the fourth-highest paid assistant on Bobby Petrino’s coaching staff, behind defensive coordinator Willy Robinson ($350,000 annually), offensive coordinator Paul Petrino ($300,000) and offensive line coach Mike Summers ($225,000).

The John L. Smith teleconference is going on as we speak, but one funny thing stood out.

Smith said he doesn’t need to learn how to call the Hogs.

“I grew up on a farm,” Smith said. “I know how to call the pigs. I’ve got ‘Sooiee’ down.”

It’s already pretty clear this guy is going to be an interesting coach to cover