Petrino: Safety too risky
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Taking a safety seemed like a possible alternative for Arkansas as it nursed a six-point lead with less than three minutes to play and punter Jeremy Davis standing in the end zone awaiting the snap.
Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino called for a safety last week at Auburn with the Razorbacks leading by five points with 1: 03 left and Davis took the snap and ran out of the end zone to cut the Razorbacks’ lead to 25-22.
That stood up as the final score.
So why didn’t Petrino call for a safety again Saturday night, which would have made the score 20-16, and Kentucky still would have needed a touchdown to win.
“I never did think about taking a safety at the end of the game,” Petrino said. “There was a lot of time left on the clock.... We felt like we could get a good punt.”
Davis hit a 37-yard punt and Randall Cobb returned it 14 yards to the Arkansas 35 with 2: 39 remaining.
Two plays later, Cobb caught the game-winning touchdown pass.
There was a 1: 36 difference on the clock from when Arkansas took a safety at Auburn and didn’t at Kentucky.
Flags everywhere
Arkansas was penalized 13 times for 102 yards; Kentucky five times for 53.
“It seemed like a lot of penalties, a whole bunch of them all called frrom the same side of the field,” Razorbacks Coach Bobby Petrino said.
Was Petrino referring to Arkansas being penalized more or that the calls came from the same officials ?
“I just said they all came from one side of the field,” Petrino said.
Liberty interested
Harold Graether, the Liberty Bowl’s associate executive director, scouted Saturday night’s Arkansas-Kentucky game.
“We don’t travel unless we’re serious about a team,” Graether said. “And we’re very serious about Arkansas.”
Graether said he also on hand to scout Kentucky, and that other SEC teams also could play their way into a Liberty Bowl invitation.
Arkansas, Kentucky, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, Auburn and Ole Miss all are on the Liberty Bowl’s radar.
“It’s just wild every week in the SEC,” Graether said. “That’s what makes it such a great conference.”
Arkansas has played in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis three times, most recently in 1987 when Georgia beat the Razorbacks 20-17. “We’re always interested in Arkansas,” Graether said. “We have a great history with the Razorbacks, and we know how fervent their fans are about their football.”
Nice returns Michael Smith’s first two punt returns for Arkansas covered 16 and 12 yards. Those also were the two longest punt returns for the Razorbacks this season. The previous long return was 11 yards by Jerell Norton. Acting lessons When Kentucky safety Winston Guy ran into Arkansas punter Jeremy Davis in the third quarter, Davis quickly hit the turf as if he’d been shot. It was quite an improvement for Davis from earlier this season at Texas, when he was hit by a Longhorn after punting, but didn’t go down. The next week, Razorbacks Coach Bobby Petrino noted that Davis wouldn’t be nominated for an acting award. Davis apparently got the message, and he did draw a penalty, but it was only a 5-yarder for running into the kicker and not a 15-yarder for roughing the kicker. Because it was fourth-and-11 after the penalty, Davis punted again and Kentucky got the ball at its 43 instead of the Arkansas 47.
Locked out Sophomore tailback Derrick Locke, Kentucky’s leading rusher on the season with 305 yards, didn’t play in the second half after suffering a sprained knee. Who are the Hogs ?
An ad in Friday’s edition of the Louisville Courier-Journal was touting the newspaper’s coverage of the Arkansas at Kentucky game with the following copy: “Coming Saturday: Cats Battle Petrino’s Team.”
The ad didn’t mention Arkansas by name and the only reference to “Petrino’s team” was a helmet with a Razorback on it.
Petrino was Louisville’s coach from 2003-2006.
Tejada kicks off Arkansas sophomore kicker Alex Tejada played for the first time in three games, since being benched at Texas after going 0 for 3 on the season on field-goal attempts. Shay Haddock continued to handle field goal and extra-point attempts for the Razorbacks, but Tejada kicked off in place Jeremy Davis. Tulsa tickets remain The Arkansas athletic department announced Saturday that tickets remain for its Nov. 1 homecoming game against Tulsa at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Bench seats for $ 45 and club seats are available by logging on to ArkansasRazorbacks. com or by calling the ticket office at 1-800-982-4647. Next Saturday’s Arkansas-Ole Miss game at Razorback Stadium is a sellout. Honoring Dicky Kentucky freshman Randall Cobb wore No. 12 on Saturday to honor senior Dicky Lyons Jr., the team’s top receiver, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last week against South Carolina. “Dicky was my role model even before I got here,” Cobb said of his request to wear No. 12, which Coach Rich Brooks approved. “He called me and asked about wearing my number, and I told him, ‘The honor’s all mine,’” Lyons told the Lexington Herald-Leader. Lyons ranks fourth on Kentucky’s career receiving yards list (1, 752 ), fifth in career receptions (141 ) and is tied for third in touchdown catches (18 ).
Ribbing A local hotel and restaurant in Lexington used its marquee to advertise one of its buffet items on Saturday: Baby Razorback Ribs.
Hello Larry Kentucky running backs coach Larry Brinson held the same position at Arkansas from 1984-1989, when he was a member of Ken Hatfield’s staff. Brinson also coached with Hatfield at Clemson and Rice before coming to Kentucky in 2007.
Thumbs up To Michael Smith, who continues to carry a massive load for the Arkansas offense. He’s not a bellcow, he’s practically the whole herd. To Kentucky’s offense, for its late rally. Thumbs down To the Kentucky fans for giving up on their team and leaving after the third quarter. To Arkansas’ defense for the late breakdowns when Kentucky scored two touchdowns in the final minutes. Information for this article was contributed by Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
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