We’re in the press box of Reynolds Razorback Stadium, and in a bit of a surprise, Arkansas wide receiver Joe Adams is in sweatpants.

Adams isn’t dressed out for today’s game against No. 17 Auburn, an indication that he’s a late scratch from the lineup. I had heard a few days ago that Adams could miss a few weeks because of an undisclosed injury, but an Arkansas official wouldn’t confirm it.

But we have visual evidence now that Adams won’t be playing into today’s game. While the rest of Arkansas’ receivers were catching passes, the sophomore was standing next to injured tight end Chris Gragg on the sidelines in sweatpants.

Fellow wide receiver London Crawford, meanwhile, is dressed out and will see his first action in a game since breaking his collarbone in the Sept. 5 season opener against Missouri State.

We’ll have more on Adams’ status – and apparent injury – later.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino spoke to the media following Thursday’s practice, which was held indoors because of the rain. Practice also started early, so the players would have more time to get their legs fresh in time for Saturday’s 11 a.m. game against No. 17 Auburn.

Petrino said wide receiver London Crawford has been cleared to play Saturday after being sidelined since breaking a collarbone in the Sept. 5 season opener against Missouri State. The senior has practiced this week without wearing the yellow jersey reserved for injured players.

Crawford’s return gives the Razorbacks another wide receiver to count on. In addition, he should give sophomore Greg Childs a much-needed break during games, allowing him to stay fresh.

“London is ready to play. He had a good week,” Petrino said Thursday evening. “He practiced a lot yesterday and today, caught the ball well, understands what he’s going to do. So he should be available to play. How much he plays is yet to be seen. It will be great to have him back because now he can keep Greg fresh and keep his legs fresh. You know, London’s been very productive for us.”

Petrino said there wasn’t any discussion about redshirting Crawford, who has played every season since arriving at Arkansas as a highly touted freshman in 2006.

“We feel like he’s ready to go, and he wants to play,” Petrino said. “And he’s not interested in a redshirt.”

The status of freshman cornerback Darius Winston, meanwhile, is more uncertain. He has been bothered since tweaking his ankle in a practice last Thursday. Winston is a backup who could give the Razorbacks some help in the secondary.

“Darius did all right today. He’s still limping a little bit at times on his changing directions,” Petrino said. “We’ll really have to see how he does tomorrow.”

Finally, Petrino was asked for his opinion on recent comments by former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville that Arkansas will lose by three touchdowns on Saturday. Coincidentally, Petrino worked as Tuberville’s offensive coordinator at Auburn for one season.

But Petrino wasn’t interested in getting into a war of words.

“I don’t have any thoughts on that,” Petrino said.

That’s it for now, but check back later on the blog and on Twitter (@NWAAlex) for more updates on the Razorbacks.

Why is the blog practice report so late? It’s Auburn offensive lineman and former Rogers High star Lee Ziemba’s fault!

Let me explain: I spent about 15 minutes talking to Ziemba on the phone after practice tonight, gathering several items for stories/notes/blogs that I’ll use later in the week. So I couldn’t get to the blog until a few minutes ago. (By the way, I’m not really blaming Ziemba. That would be dumb since he’s much, much bigger than me. I appreciate the phone call Lee!)

Anyway, on to the practice notes:

• Arkansas receiver London Crawford is tired of watching games from the sideline. But if things go well the rest of the week, Crawford might be back on the field against Auburn on Saturday. Crawford said he went through contact work during Tuesday’s practice for the first time since breaking his collarbone during the season opener against Missouri State.

“It felt pretty good to be out there with my teammates, being able to run around,” Crawford said. “The past few weeks I had to be kind of a cheerleader, which I didn’t really have a problem with. But seeing those guys out there running around made me want to be out there making plays with them. For me to be out there running around (Tuesday), making plays with them, it felt great.”

Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said the Razorbacks will continue to be cautious with Crawford, though. He said the receiver did shed his yellow, non-contact jersey during practice. But they want to see what he does the rest of the week before playing him Saturday.

“It means we keep an eye on him all week and see how he’s going,” Petrino said. “He was able to practice today and not in yellow. That was good to see. We’ll judge him each day, see how he comes along and make our decision at the end of the week.”

• Big news: Paul Petrino said the running backs topped the receivers in Arkansas’ bull yards competition. If you don’t know what I’m talking about, Arkansas calculates yards after catch for receivers and yards after contact for running backs. The receivers had dominated the competition the first three games, but RB Ronnie Wingo helped the backs Saturday thanks in part to his 62-yard touchdown run.

I was surprised to hear that, especially since WR Joe Adams had such a big day running in the open field after catches. Petrino said Adams did account for plenty of bull yards, but didn’t have much help. (Program note: Check for more on bull yards in The Morning News later this week)

• Arkansas’ offensive line turned in its best performances against Texas A&M. In particular, Petrino said center Seth Oxner played his best since getting the starting job. He added that DeMarcus Love and Mitch Petrus played well, while Ray Dominguez performed better.

“They all probably had their best games run-blocking wise,” Petrino said.

Petrus was tougher when he spoke to the media. He said Arkansas’ line made mistakes that could prove costly against a team like Auburn. “We did all right,” Petrus said. “Better than we did at Alabama. We strive for perfection, but it’s unrealistic a lot of times.”

• Finally, Petrino was asked about QB Ryan Mallett’s development in his ability to make checks and changes at the line of scrimmage.

“He’s done a nice job,” Petrino said. “It’s a process. As the year goes on he’ll get better and better. He’s a smart football player. I think that’s one of his strengths. He does a good job of understanding football and does a good job of checking for us.”

We just got back from Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino’s weekly Monday news conference. He spoke, then quarterback Ryan Mallett, defensive end Jake Bequette and finally running back Ronnie Wingo Jr.

Here’s what we learned:

-Petrino said he’ll find out this week if wide receiver London Crawford is ready to return from a broken collarbone suffered in the Sept. 5 season opener against Missouri State. Crawford has been running in practice and appears to be close to making his return, but Petrino said the senior will have an X-ray to determine his progress.

- Meanwhile, Petrino said running back Dennis Johnson was swollen this morning after injuring his leg in Saturday’s win over Texas A&M. Petrino added that the sophomore will continue to return kickoffs if he’s healthy, but for now, Johnson is sore.

- And the final piece of injury news, Petrino said the plan was to play highly touted freshman Darius Winston in the Southwest Classic, but the cornerback “tweaked” his ankle in practice late last week. Petrino said it’s too early to tell if Winston will get in the game against Auburn, but of course, everyone will be looking for him.

- Running back De’Anthony Curtis has improved so much that Arkansas’ coaches are starting to have confidence in him. Petrino said the sophomore was recently named the team’s special teams player of the week because of his blocking, and it’s gotten to the point where Petrino no longer sees Curtis as a fullback. He’s now a “flyback” because after all what running back wants to be called a fullback.

- Petrino and several of Arkansas’ players said that facing Gus Malzahn’s offense last year when the former Springdale High coach was at Tulsa should help them as they prepare for Saturday’s game against Auburn. In his first year as the Tigers’ offensive coordinator, Malzahn has his new offense rolling in ways it didn’t a year ago. But the Razorbacks will likely pay close attention to what Malzahn did at Tulsa to get ready for this weekend.

Well, that’s it for now. But we’ll have more in tomorrow’s newspaper, as well as on the blog and on Twitter (@NWAAlex and NWARobbie).

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.

  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).

Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino spoke to the media after Thursday’s practice.

The biggest news? He gave us an update on receivers Lucas Miller and London Crawford. Miller broke his collarbone in the preseason. Crawford broke his during the season opener.

But Petrino said Miller could be coming back soon.

“We’re hoping best scenario, Alabama,” Miller said. “Worst, the week after that (against Texas A&M). That’s what I’ve heard.”

Crawford obviously has a longer timetable until he can return. If he returns this season. Petrino was asked if there has been any discussion about Crawford redshirting and he said there is a chance.

“That’s a possibility,” Petrino said. “We all talked about that and a lot of that depends on how fast he heals. But with him having the redshirt available, that’s a positive for him and us.”

Arkansas wide receiver London Crawford will miss 4 to 6 weeks after breaking his right collarbone Saturday.

Marc Henning / The Morning News

The senior, who was injured in the second half, underwent surgery on Monday morning to repair the broken collarbone, according to a university release. Crawford was injured after catching a 23-yard pass from quarterback Ryan Mallett in the third quarter of the 48-10 win.

It was part of Arkansas’ 99-yard touchdown drive.

Crawford left the game after catching two passes for 44 yards in the opener. He is the second Arkansas receiver sidelined so far this season with a broken collarbone. Receiver Lucas Miller was injured in the preseason.

Arkansas does have depth at receiver, which could help ease the loss of Crawford. Jarius Wright, Joe Adams, Greg Childs and Cobi Hamilton led the Hogs in receiving in the opener.

Each caught at least four passes against Missouri State. Wright led the way with six catches for 139 yards.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino told a pretty good story on his Bobby Petrino Live radio show last night.

Petrino was asked whether or not coaches get as nervous as the fans about a new season. His initial response to the question was basic: “You lock things out and focus on the task at hand.” But then he mentioned former Arkansas coach Ken Hatfield, who apparently visited with Petrino Wednesday and told him a story about his first game in Little Rock.

“He was talking to me about the first game he got to coach in Little Rock,” Petrino said. “They played Ole Miss and he was so excited for it, and before he knew it they were down 14-0. He said, ‘I learned never to get so excited for a game again.’”

Funny stuff. Now, let’s move on to some links.

• We know who is on the depth chart for the opener. But one intriguing name not on it: CB Darius Winston. The highest rated member of Arkansas’ recruiting class is still behind on the depth chart and doesn’t know if he’ll play Saturday. Or this season. Alex spoke with Winston after practice yesterday and wrote a story for today’s paper.

• Safety Matt Harris was challenged late last week and has responded, according to defensive coordinator Willy Robinson. The senior has regained his starting spot after being replaced by Jerell Norton last week. Nathan writes about Harris, receiver London Crawford going back to Little Rock for the first time since the catch against LSU, and more in notes this morning.

• Missouri State is being paid $325,000 to play Arkansas, according to the Springfield News-Leader. So what do the Bears think about their all expenses paid visit to Little Rock this weekend? Lyndal Scranton of the Springfield News-Leader wrote a good story on the David vs. Goliath matchup. One MSU player told him it’s “like Christmas,” getting an opportunity to knock off an SEC team.

• One more link just because – Arkansas is two days away from its opener, but the first SEC team is on the field TONIGHT. South Carolina opens against North Carolina State. Here’s a preview of that game by Travis Haney of the Charleston Post & Courier.

Just polished off a feature that will appear in tomorrow’s paper and wanted to get out some news and notes from Thursday’s practice. It was the last chance we’ll have to speak to the Razorbacks until Monday morning, which means we spent plenty of time trying to collect every bit of information for the weekend.

Bobby Petrino spoke to the media this afternoon and had plenty to say. So let’s run through the highlights:

• Ryan Mallett is officially Arkansas’ starter. I know. Surprise, surprise. Petrino said the sophomore will start and added that he would like to play Tyler Wilson in the opener. But there’s no guarantees. It’s a bit of a change from the spring, when Petrino said Mallett would start and Wilson would play the second quarter.

“Tyler is a good quarterback and I certainly want to get him into the game,” Petrino said today. “I haven’t made the decision yet whether that will be the second series of the second quarter or not. It’s something we’ve spent a lot of time talking about. We’ve got all the confidence in the world in Tyler.”

• Joe Adams missed his second straight practice Thursday and now we know why. Petrino said he has tweaked his hamstring and has been doing some rehab this week. But Petrino said Adams’ injury isn’t serious and added that he’ll be back at practice next week. For now, he simply said Adams is “on a little vacation.” Nice.

• The Razorbacks will hold a mock game tomorrow and Petrino said it will be “big for depth.” It’s the last chance for younger players to prove they deserve to be in the rotation or save themselves from a redshirt. Petrino said it also will serve as an opportunity for players to move up the depth chart.

What does that mean? Well, I think it’s probably a big day for running backs like De’Anthony Curtis and Knile Davis as they try to earn some carries. It’s got to be big for freshmen cornerbacks like David Gordon and Darius Winston. And it will be interesting to see how the demoted defensive players respond in the scrimmage opportunity.

• Wide receiver London Crawford is back at practice this week after missing most of last week with a leg injury. And Crawford had plenty to say about his time on the sideline.

“It’s not fun. I’d rather be in the battle with those guys any day. Those guys, they kept me focused. Kept pushing me. Telling me it’s going to be all right. Just sit aside, get healed and come back strong. That’s what I’ve been doing.”

• Petrino said the Razorbacks have split their time on the practice field this week. Half of the practices have been used to challenge each other and compete for starting spots. Half of it has been spent on preparing for Missouri State.

• Lastly, as if you didn’t know it, the Razorbacks are ready for an opponent. At least, that’s what Mallett said when asked about it tonight: “Any day you can come out and play, it’s a lot of fun. But we’re ready to see a different color jerseys out there. There’s no doubt about it. We’re ready to get after some people.”