UA FOOTBALL : Hog defense healing wounded pride
Posted on Thursday, November 13, 2008
There’s always pain in losing but there isn’t always shame.
However to the Arkansas Razorbacks defense last Saturday, there was both. Pain and especially shame after a heretofore meager South Carolina running game bowed up with 11 straight runs on a 72-yard, 6-minutes-11-seconds, fourth-quarter scoring drive to seal the Gamecocks’ 34-21 victory in Columbia, S. C.
“ It makes you drop your heart, ” Arkansas senior safety Dallas Washington of Atlanta, Texas said right after the game, “ especially if you love the game. You understand the situation, to still have a chance, and then for them to run the ball down your throat like that, it will make you question yourself as a man. Do you really want to play ?”
On Wednesday, several on the Razorback defense said their fully-padded, hard contact bye-week practice showed they really want to play.
Yeah, well, the jury is still out, implies defensive coordinator Willy Robinson with another hard practice remaining today before a weekend break and Sunday’s regrouping practice for the Nov. 22 SEC game at Mississippi State.
“ It was OK, ” Robinson said of the practice.
Praise isn’t going to be lavished for a while following the defense’s struggling second half in South Carolina.
“ You look at the film and we didn’t do very well, ” Robinson said. “ We were an awfully soft defense, especially in the third and fourth quarter when we needed to strap it up and keep the game close. The physical part we are going to expect all the time. What we did Saturday was unacceptable. ”
Robinson did allow that while he was working with the defensive backs at one end of the field, the inside drill on the other end “ sounded like football, but when they ran play-action pass towards the end of the day they wore us out. To be honest our pride and character didn’t show up. ”
They’ll get today to get better in another hard practice before the coaching staff hits the recruiting road.
“ It’s a big motivator in practice this week, ” redshirt freshman defensive end Jake Bequette said.
Bequette, linebacker Freddy Burton and defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard all said they wished they had a game Saturday to “ erase the taste ” of the fourth quarter at South Carolina but all noted the bye week comes at an opportune time to heal the injured.
Senior starting quarterback Casey Dick and SEC leading rushing running back Michael Smith both rehab from injuries this week.
On the defensive side, end Adrian Davis, out the last two games with a knee injury, is dressed out and aiming to return for the Nov. 22 1: 30 p. m. Mississippi State game in Starkville, Miss.
“ I feel pretty good, ” Davis said after Wednesday’s workout. “ I feel I can go out there and play hard next weekend. I’ve had two weeks off and they have done a good job rehabbing me trying to get me back out there. This week they’ve got me taking it kind of easy but next week I’ll be out there full throttle. ”
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