UA FOOTBALL PRACTICE : QB ready for more pass-friendly offense
Posted on Wednesday, August 27, 2008
ANTHONY REYES Northwest Arkansas Times Arkansas senior quarterback Casey Dick looks to pass during drills April 4 in the Pat and Willard Walker Indoor Pavilion.
Every year Casey Dick greets a new coach and pitches an old playbook.
Now in his fourth Razorback season starting with Saturday's 6 p.m. season opener at Frank Broyles Field at Reynolds Razorback Stadium against Western Illinois, Dick will be quarterbacking for his fourth Arkansas offensive coordinator.
"You've got to keep throwing old playbooks out and keep moving forward with what they've got," Dick said. "Disregard everything you've got and just worry about what's going on now."
Dick quarterbacked from 2005-2007 with the same head coach, Houston Nutt, and annually different coordinators Nutt, Gus Malzahn and David Lee.
Now it's all new with the Petrino Brothers, play-calling head coach Bobby and day-to-day offensive coordinator / receivers coach Paul.
Dick answers to them and quarterbacks coach Garrick McGee in an offense that puts more of a premium on passing and more responsibilities on the quarterback than Dick had the past three years with now NFL running backs Darren McFadden and Felix Jones as the offensive focal points.
"Not having played a true game for Coach Petrino, the play-calling will be different from where it was before," Dick said. "He throws a lot at you. We are ready to get it going but we've got to come out here and practice and keep getting better."
Paul Petrino said the Razorbacks did get better in Tuesday's practice in pads after a not-so-sharp practice Monday that the staff expected not to be as sharp with the first day of UA classes.
"That first day of school sometimes it's kind of hard getting going," Paul Petrino said. "It made today a lot better."
Second-team to junior tailback Michael Smith before injuring a knee two weeks ago, freshman De'Anthony Curtis is practicing again and working his way back into the picture behind Smith and freshman Dennis Johnson of Texarkana.
Paul Petr ino said it appears Curtis will be available against Western Illinois.
"I thought he looked good," Paul Petrino said after Tuesday's practice. "I thought he moved around good. He's always caught the ball well. The last two days have been very encouraging with De'Anthony."
Paul Petrino isn't as optimistic that senior fullback / tight end Lance Thompson of Searcy will be game-ready Saturday.
Thompson is just back at drills after a severely pulled groin muscle just a couple of days into the preseason drills that opened Aug. 4.
Sophomore weakside offensive guard and former Harrison Goblin Wade Grayson is accustomed to watching the Razorbacks with Harrison coach Tommy Tice and the Goblins.
Now for the second year, Tice and the Goblins have watched him as they did at Tuesday's practice.
"We've done that since I was a freshman in high school, where we've come and watched the Razorbacks," Grayson said. "It's always been exciting for me. And for them to come and watch me today, that's really exciting for me."
They are watching a starting guard. Grayson moved ahead of senior incumbent Mitch Petrus during preseason drills and tops the depth chart in tandem with strongside guard DeMarcus Love for the season opener.
Grayson has some experience for it having played enough to letter last year as a true freshman backup with one start against Tennessee-Chattanooga.
"I think that helps a lot to have gotten a few reps in and experience and be ready to play in this first game to the best of my ability," Grayson said.
Does starting the opener feel any different than before his backup assignments and lone start last year ?
"I can't tell you it's any different actually," Grayson said. "I'm just going to play to the best of my ability and see what happens. "
If Western Illinois kicks off to open Saturday's game, chances are the Razorbacks will open the season with a rookie touching the football.
True freshmen Elton Ford, the starting free safety, and Jarius Wright, a starting wide receiver from Warren, are deep on the kick returns.
"I think they've done a good job in camp," Paul Petrino said. "Elton's hit it real hard and they communicate well back there. And Jarius does a real good job of communicating with him and leading him up there in the hole. I feel confident that both of them will catch the ball and run hard."
Any hesitation opening the season with rookie return men on kickoffs and punts with Wright also deep on punt returns ?
"It's just kind of a case where a lot of our freshmen have got to play," Paul Petrino said. "They're really not freshmen anymore. They've been in camp. We've just got to get out there and play and believe in them and make sure they believe in themselves."
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