2009 Arkansas Razorback Recruiting Class

Arkansas Razorbacks 2009 Head Coach: Bobby Petrino

Arkansas Razorbacks

- 2008 Arkansas Season
- 2008 Arkansas Preview
- 2007 Arkansas Season

2008 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 6-6
2008 Record: 5-7

Aug. 30 Western Illinois W 28-24
Sept. 6 ULM (Litt.Rock) W 28-27
Sept. 13 at Texas PPD
Sept. 20 Alabama L 49-14
Sept. 27 at Texas L 52-10 
Oct. 4 Florida L 38-7
Oct. 11 at Auburn W 25-22
Oct. 18 at Kentucky L 21-20
Oct. 25 Ole Miss L 23-21
Nov. 1 Tulsa  W 30-23
Nov. 8 at South Carolina L 34-21
Nov. 15 OPEN DATE 
Nov. 22 at Mississippi St L 31-28
Nov. 28 LSU W 31-30

2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 8-4
2007 Record: 8-5

Sept. 1 Troy W 46-26
Sept. 15 at Alabama L 41-38
Sept. 22 Kentucky L 42-29
Sept. 29 North Texas W 66-7
Oct. 6 Chattanooga W 34-16
Oct. 13 Auburn L 9-7
Oct. 20 at Ole Miss W 44-8
Oct. 27 FIU W 58-10
Nov. 3 South Carolina W 48-36
Nov. 10 at Tennessee L 34-13
Nov. 17 Mississippi St W 45-31
Nov. 24 at LSU W 50-48 3OT
Cotton Bowl
Jan. 1 Missouri L 38-7

2009 Recruiting Class

Five Best Prospects

1. Darius Winston	CB	6-0	180	West Helena, AR
2. Rudell Crim	S	6-0	190	El Dorado, KS
3. Anthony Oden	OT	6-8	295	Chatham, VA
4. Knile  Davis	RB	6-0	205	Missouri City, TX
5. Austin Moss	LB	6-2	205	Rockwall, TX

Rest Of The Class

Alvin Bailey	OL	6-5	330	Broken Arrow, OK
Neal Barlow	WR	6-6	190	Little Rock, AR
Colby Berna	OL	6-4	275	Fayetteville, AR
Shauntez Bruce	OL	6-5	300	Tallahassee, FL
Ryan Calender	DE	6-8	220	Caddo Mills, TX
David Gordon	DB	5-11	160	Tulsa, OK
Cobi Hamilton	WR	6-3	190	Texarkana, TX
John Henderson	DT	6-1	300	Visalia, CA
Rickey Hughey	WR	6-5	220	Stamps, AR
DeQuinta Jones	DT	6-4	305	Bastrop, LA
Anthony Leon	DB	6-3	230	Visalia, CA
Kevin Lowery	DT	6-3	286	Gainesville, FL
Brandon Mitchell	WR	6-4	220	Amite, LA
Jerry Mitchell	DB	6-1	198	Mandeville, LA
Colton Nash	DE	6-6	240	Sulphur Springs, TX
Ross Rasner	WR	6-0	195	Waco, TX
Lance Ray	DB	6-2	185	Havana, FL
Andru Stewart	DB	5-11	190	Visalia, CA
Travis Swanson	OL	6-5	271	Kingwood, TX
Austin Tate	TE	6-6	230	Harrison, AR
Robert Thomas	DT	6-1	295	Muskogee, OK
Zhamal Thomas	OL	6-4	315	Corsicana, TX
Terrell Williams	WR	6-2	210	Tulsa, OK
Turell Williams	RB	6-2	215	West Helena, AR
Ronnie Wingo Jr.	WR	6-3	215	St. Louis, MO

Nov. 28
Arkansas 31 … LSU 30
Casey Dick came off the bench to lead Arkansas to 17 unanswered points with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jarius Wright, a 17-play, 90-yard drive finishing with a 22-yard Alex Tejada field goal, and a with just 21 seconds to play, a 21-yard scoring toss for London Crawford. LSU went on a 27-point midgame run highlighted by nice throws for scores from Jordan Jefferson, who hit Richard Dickson on an 11-yard touchdown pass late in the second and Brandon LaFell for a 32-yard score in the third. LSU had one final chance to try to get into field goal range, but a couple of missed throws forced Colt David to try a 63-yard field goal that came up short.
Player of the game: Arkansas QB Casey Dick completed 18-of-29 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: Jordan Jefferson, 9-21, 143 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jordan Jefferson, 19-50. Receiving: Brandon LaFell, 2-49, 1 TD
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 18-29, 197 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dennis Johnson, 18-127, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Williams, 8-51
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arkansas might not be going bowling and this might not have turned out to be a stellar first season under Bobby Petrino, while Houston Nutt is off doing big things with Ole Miss, but to show the fight that the team had in the second half against LSU to close out strong sets a nice tone going forward. Now there’s hope going into the off-season that the team really can play with just about everyone, and more importantly, that the coaching staff can make the adjustments to pull off a win when everything isn’t going well.

Nov. 28
Arkansas 31 … LSU 30
Casey Dick came off the bench to lead Arkansas to 17 unanswered points with a 46-yard touchdown pass to Jarius Wright, a 17-play, 90-yard drive finishing with a 22-yard Alex Tejada field goal, and a with just 21 seconds to play, a 21-yard scoring toss for London Crawford. LSU went on a 27-point midgame run highlighted by nice throws for scores from Jordan Jefferson, who hit Richard Dickson on an 11-yard touchdown pass late in the second and Brandon LaFell for a 32-yard score in the third. LSU had one final chance to try to get into field goal range, but a couple of missed throws forced Colt David to try a 63-yard field goal that came up short.
Player of the game: Arkansas QB Casey Dick completed 18-of-29 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: LSU - Passing: Jordan Jefferson, 9-21, 143 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Jordan Jefferson, 19-50. Receiving: Brandon LaFell, 2-49, 1 TD
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 18-29, 197 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Dennis Johnson, 18-127, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Williams, 8-51
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arkansas might not be going bowling and this might not have turned out to be a stellar first season under Bobby Petrino, while Houston Nutt is off doing big things with Ole Miss, but to show the fight that the team had in the second half against LSU to close out strong sets a nice tone going forward. Now there’s hope going into the off-season that the team really can play with just about everyone, and more importantly, that the coaching staff can make the adjustments to pull off a win when everything isn’t going well.

Nov. 22
Mississippi State 31 … Arkansas 28
Mississippi State got a huge day out of Anthony Dixon and the running game as he scored three times including a 63 yarder late in the third quarter. Arkansas was able to stay close on the arm of Nathan Dick, who connected with Lucas Miller for an 87-yard touchdown and finished with three touchdown passes. But the Bulldogs were able to hang on late as Dick hit Ben Cleveland for a one-yard touchdown with 25 seconds to play to pull within three, but the Hogs couldn’t get any closer.
Player of the game: Mississippi State RB Anthony Dixon ran 23 times for 179 yards and a touchdown, and he caught five passes for 32 yards and two scores
Stat Leaders: Arkansas - Passing: Nathan Dick, 25-43, 333 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 14-60, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Williams, 5-59, 1 TD
Mississippi State - Passing: Tyson Lee, 23-40, 219 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Anthony Dixon, 23-179, 1 TD. Receiving: Jamayel Smith, 6-64
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The offense ended up going with Nathan Dick over Casey, who appeared to be still struggling after getting knocked out against South Carolina. While Nathan had a huge game against Mississippi State, the defense couldn’t help out the cause with little production against anything the Bulldogs tried to do. Michael Smith didn’t get bottled up, but he didn’t get a chance to break out with only 14 carries for 60 yards. Now that a bowl game is out, a win over LSU would be the only saving grace going into the off-season. With the way the Tigers are playing, Arkansas can win this if its head is screwed on straight.

Nov. 8
South Carolina 34 … Arkansas 21
South Carolina alternated quarterbacks on a regular basis, occasionally on every play, as Chris Smelley and Stephen Garcia each threw a touchdown pass, and Garcia ran for one in the first quarter from 14 yards out. Arkansas hung around with a 70-yard touchdown catch from Jarius Wright and a four-yard grab from Mitchell Bailey, but Kenny McKinley put the Gamecocks up for good with a 15-yard touchdown catch early in the fourth. Mike Davis put the game out of reach with a 13-yard touchdown run with just over six minutes to play. Arkansas got a late one-yard touchdown run from Brandon Barnett, and a fight ensued after an onside kick attempt.
Player of the game: South Carolina WR Kenny McKinley caught seven passes for 130 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 16-26, 217 yds, 2 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Brandon Barnett, 7-45. Receiving: Lucas Miller, 5-57
South Carolina - Passing: Eric Baker, 9-59
Rushing: Eric Baker, 9-59. Receiving: Kenny McKinley, 7-130, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arkansas is trying to throw everything out there to see what works, but the offensive line isn’t getting the job done and the defense can only hold up for so long. Against South Carolina, Casey Dick got hit all game long, and it showed as he had to start hurrying his throws. Michael Smith could never get going; he didn’t have any room to move. Now the Hogs are behind the eight-ball, needing to beat both Mississippi State and LSU to get to a bowl. To pull it off, the line has to figure out something to do a better job of protecting the passer.

Nov. 1
Arkansas 30 … Tulsa 23
The high-powered Tulsa offense gained 528 yards, but it only managed three points in the second half and came up short in the final moments as David Johnson’s fourth down pass on the Arkansas seven was incomplete. Arkansas got up 17-0 helped by a 13-yard Andrew Davie touchdown catch and a seven-yard Michael Smith run, but the offense fell flat in the second half. The Golden Hurricane came back with two Charles Clay touchdowns in the second quarter and a 22-yard Trae Johnson catch in the first, but that would be it for getting into the end zone. Following a 22-yard Jarod Tracy field goal from Tulsa to tie it at 23 late in the third, Dennis Johnson took the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for what would turn out to be the game-winning touchdown.
Player of the game: Arkansas QB Casey Dick completed 25-of-38 passes for 385 yards and a touchdown with an interception
Stat Leaders: Tulsa - Passing: David Johnson, 17-31, 322 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Tarrion Adams, 9-45. Receiving: Charles Clay, 7-117, 1 TD
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 25-38, 385 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 23-67, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Williams, 6-129
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arkansas survived a dangerous scare from Tulsa, the nation’s most potent offensive team. The defense didn’t exactly slow down the Golden Hurricane offense, but it came up with the final stop when needed. Now hopes for a bowl game are back on, but with LSU to close, the team needs to win at South Carolina next week. Casey Dick has to be razor-sharp against a nasty Gamecock secondary, but that’s easier said than done. He got the passing game working against Tulsa, but he has to avoid turnovers and he has to keep spreading the ball around.

Oct. 25
Ole Miss 23 … Arkansas 21
Arkansas scored on a 22-yard Greg Childs catch with just over a minute to play, recovered the onside kick, after the initial call was reversed, and came close, but couldn’t get in range for the game-winning field goal. In Houston Nutt’s game against his old team, his Rebels came up with two Jevan Snead touchdown passes with an eight-yard play to Shay Hodge and an 11-yard pass to Mike Wallace.  A 28-yard Joshua Shene field goal gave the Rebels a 23-14 lead late before the Arkansas flurry.
Player of the game: Ole Miss WR Mike Wallace caught five passes for 120 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 20-38, 282 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 19-129, 1 TD. Receiving: D.J. Williams, 10-129
Ole Miss - Passing: Jevan Snead, 14-27, 209 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Cordera Eason, 19-81. Receiving: Mike Wallace, 5-120, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The close losses the young, improving team is getting hit with over the last two weeks should turn into wins once all the pieces are in place. The line play was iffy, at best, against Ole Miss, but the skill players did the best they could. Casey Dick was fine and Michael Smith was terrific, rushing for 129 yards on just 19 carries, but the offense couldn’t get moving on a regular basis until it was too late. Converting 3-of-14 third down changes was a problem, and now the offense has to get it cranked up for Tulsa before dealing with South Carolina.

Oct. 18
Kentucky 21 … Arkansas 20
Part time quarterback Randall Cobb wore the No. 12 jersey in honor of Dicky Lyons, the star receiver who’s out for the year, and he came through with touchdown catches from 32 and 21 yards out in the final 4:15 to give Kentucky the comeback win. Arkansas star RB Michael Smith dominated with 192 rushing yards with a two-yard touchdown run and a 22-yard catch for a score in the first quarter. UK stayed in the game with a 71-yard Alfonso Smith touchdown catch in the third, but the offense didn’t come to live until late. The Hogs were plagued by a rough day from QB Casey Dick, four turnovers, and 13 penalties, but they still had chances to hold on to the lead late and couldn’t.
Player of the game: Kentucky QB/WR Randall Cobb completed 2-of-3 passes for 45 yards and caught five passes for 73 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 11-29, 94 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 35-192, 1 TD. Receiving: Michael Smith, 3-33, 1 TD
Kentucky - Passing: Mike Hartline, 17-32, 239 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Moncell Allen, 7-46. Receiving: Alfonso Smith, 5-108, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arkansas should’ve beaten Kentucky. The offensive line struggled a bit against the Kentucky pass rush, but it did a great job of opening up holes fro Michael Smith. The passing game might not have been working, but outside of one big play, the defense was fantastic for about 55 minutes. 13 penalties and four turnovers turned out to be a killer, and the struggles in the passing game didn’t help. Now a win over Ole Miss is a must to keep bowl hopes alive.

Oct. 11
Arkansas 25 … Auburn 22
Michael Smith ran for 176 yards and a 63-yard fourth quarter score and the defense held on as Arkansas came up with the first big win in the Bobby Petrino era. Auburn managed a mere 193 yards of total offense, but the defense came up with three turnovers and Tristan Davis returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown on the way to a 20-10 lead. The Hogs went on a 15-point second half run and the defense didn’t allow any points over the final 27:43. Auburn managed just 56 rushing yards.
Player of the game: Arkansas RB Michael Smith ran 35 times for 176 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Auburn - Passing: Kodi Burns, 7-18, 119 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Kodi Burns, 15-38, 1 TD. Receiving: Tommy Trott, 2-31
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 17-32, 222 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 35-176, 1 TD. Receiving: Joe Adams, 4-60
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Auburn is reeling, so it’s not right to look too much into the win over the Tigers, but for a team reeling like Arkansas, this was important. The team needed something positive to happen after a rough start, and while Casey Dick and the passing game were effective, outside of two interceptions, it was 5-7 RB Michael Smith who has been a spark of life. He’s not big enough to run 35 times a game, but the offense will revolve around him over the next three weeks. With the right breaks, a lot of breaks, the Hogs can win two of three against Kentucky, Ole Miss and Tulsa.

Oct. 4
Florida 38 … Arkansas 7
Florida rolled up 514 yards of total offense, but it was only up 17-7 going into the fourth quarter. Percy Harvin ended the drama with a 21-yard touchdown catch, and Chris Rainey added the exclamation points with a 75-yard dash for a score. Jeffrey Demps, who ran for a 36-yard touchdown in the second quarter, ran for a 48-yard touchdown in the final minute. Arkansas stayed alive with a six-yard Michael Smith run in the third quarter, but the offense couldn’t make anything happen in the fourth quarter. The two teams combined for 20 penalties for 285 yards.
Player of the game: Florida CB Joe Haden made 11 tackles and an interception.
Stat Leaders: Florida - Passing: Tim Tebow, 17-26, 217 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jeffrey Demps, 7-103, 2 TD. Receiving: Louis Murphy, 5-70
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 24-38, 220 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 20-133, 1 TD. Receiving: Michael Smith, 6-43
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arkansas hung tight with Florida for three quarters thanks to the defense, which held firm after a rocky first half, but the offense couldn’t come through with points after cranking out some big yards. Casey Dick has to do more to stretch the field, and the running game could use another option other than Michael Smith. The team needs something positive to happen, and it needs a few breaks. The defense has to start creating the mistakes by forcing turnovers, and the offense has to do a better job of taking advantage of every opportunity.

Sept. 27
Texas 52 … Arkansas 10
Colt McCoy ran for two second quarter touchdowns and threw three scoring passes, including two to Jordan Shipley, in the blowout win. The Longhorn defense held the Hogs to 191 yards of total offense and only allowed a 30-yard second quarter Shay Haddock field goal. The Arkansas touchdown came on an 80-yard fumble return for a touchdown by Antwain Robinson with 2:20 to play. The UT defense also got into the act with an 81-yard interception return for a score from Aaron Williams.
Player of the game: Texas QB Colt McCoy completed 17-of-19 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns, and he ran nine times for 84 yards and two scores.
Stat Leaders: Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 7-13, 138 yds
Rushing: Michael Smith, 13-42. Receiving: D.J. Williams, 4-39
Texas - Passing: Colt McCoy, 17-19, 185 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Colt McCoy, 9-84, 2 TD. Receiving: Jordan Shipley, 8-83, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Texas is playing extremely well, but Arkansas still should've found something that worked. There was one problem: the offensive line. The pass protection was non-existent with Casey Dick getting sacked six times. There wasn't any running game with Michael Smith gaining 42 yards but the team netting 11. Things aren't going to be any better against a fired up and angry Florida team next week unless the lines come up with something different over the next six days, and if the linebacking corps doesn't start to play stronger.

Sept. 20
Alabama 49 ... Arkansas 14
Alabama got up 21-0 in the first half beginning with a one-yard Mark Ingram run, and then came the home runs. Glen Coffee ripped off an 87-yard touchdown dash and Javier Arenas took a Casey Dick pass 63 yards for a pick six to all but end the fun before the second quarter. The Hogs got a 12-yard touchdown catch from Andrew Davie early in the second, but Julio Jones answered for Alabama with a 25-yard scoring grab. The defense got back in the act with a 74-yard Justin Woodall interception return for a score. The Bama big plays kept on coming in the second half with a 31-yard Glen Coffee touchdown run in the third and a 62-yard Roy Upchurch dash in the fourth. Bama outgained the Hogs 328 yards to 92.
Player of the game:  Alabama RB Glen Coffee ran ten times for 162 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 20-39, 190 yds, 1 TD, 3 INT
Rushing: Michael Smith, 19-91 Receiving: Michael Smith, 6-67, 1 TD
Alabama - Passing: John Parker Wilson, 6-14, 74 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Glen Coffee, 10-162, 2 TD. Receiving: Earl Alexander, 2-38
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Four interceptions, no run defense, and a sputtering offense. The Alabama game exposed the major problems in the early part of the Bobby Petrino era. The linebackers struggled throughout the game and the two interceptions thrown for scores didn't help the cause. It's going to be a while before the Hogs are able to hang with the better teams, but until then there can't be mistakes. They committed five penalties to Alabama's one, four turnovers to Bama's one, and converted just 5-of-17 third down chances.

Sept. 6
Arkansas 28 … UL Monroe 27
Arkansas survived as UL Monroe’s Jeremy Gener missed a 45-yard field goal after the Hogs took the lead for good on an eight-yard D.J. Williams touchdown catch in the final minutes. The Warhawks had a 24-6 first half lead on two Kinsmon Lancaster touchdown passes to Anthony McCall and a one-yard Gary Frazier score, and then the Hogs rallied. Williams caught an eight-yard touchdown pass at the end of the third quarter and Michael Smith added a four-yard touchdown run in the fourth, his second score of the day, to close on a 22-3 scoring run. Arkansas outgained ULM 506 yards to 341.
Player of the game:  Arkansas RB Michael Smith ran 22 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns, and caught four passes for 23 yards
Stat Leaders: Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 22-34, 323 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Michael Smith, 22-157, 2 TD Receiving: D.J. Williams, 5-124, 2 TD
UL Monroe - Passing: Kinsmon Lancaster, 23-39, 270 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Rodney Lovett, 17-66. Receiving: Anthony McCall, 6-125, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Arkansas is obviously going to be a work in progress and it’s going to be a while before the offense is humming like Bobby Petrino will want it to, but the win over ULM was a positive step, even if it was a struggle. Casey Dick showed moxie with a big fourth down throw and in leading the team to the late win, but it shouldn’t have been so close. On the plus side, Michael Smith looked like the star running back the team was waiting for with Darren McFadden and Felix Jones off to the next level.

Aug. 30
Arkansas 28 ... Western Illinois 24
Three turnovers and an inconsistent offense made life tougher for Arkansas than expected, but Casey Dick saved the day against WIU with two touchdown passes and two scoring runs including a four-yard dash with under two minutes to play to finally give the Hogs the lead for good. Down 24-14 late in the fourth, Dick connected with Greg Childs for a 26-yard touchdown get close, and then led the way to a 12-play, 83-yard drive that culminated in the winning score. The Leathernecks got two scores from Herb Donaldson, who finished with 169 of the team's 262 yards.
Player of the game: Arkansas QB Casey Dick completed 25 of 41 passes for 318 yards and two touchdowns with an interception, and ran seven times for 12 yards and two touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Western Illinois - Passing: Matt Barr, 10-25, 105 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Herb Donaldson, 35-157, 1 TD. Receiving: Lito Senatus, 3-40
Arkansas - Passing: Casey Dick, 35-41, 318 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: DeAnthony Curtis, 6-36. Receiving: Greg Childs, 6-88, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Before getting too worried about the close call, Western Illinois is really good. It might be the best team in the FCS. Even so, the Hogs struggled way too much to put the game away and the running game was a long way from last year gaining just 76 yards and two touchdowns. Mistakes were a big problem, but the biggest issue was the lack of run defense. WIU's Herb Donaldson ripped off 157 yards.