First Day of Practice Hot for the Hogs

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (UA Sports Information) - Arkansas kicked off its first day of fall practice under a blazing sun and temperatures that reached 92 degrees on the practice fields south of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Monday afternoon. The Razorbacks worked out in shorts and helmets for just over two hours. "I will tell you it was good to be out here (on the practice field) today," Arkansas head coach Houston Nutt said. "The guys had a great attitude. They came out with a lot of anticipation and anxiousness, especially are younger people. "The sun got on them today. They had been off for about seven days and you could tell. We got a few overheated, but that is natural for as fast as they were going early on in practice. The new turf (on the practice field) is about 12 to 15 degrees hotter than the grass, and we were doing most of our team work on the turf." Several freshmen opened the coaches eyes on Monday with their athleticism and speed. "I was really excited about our young guys for coming in and handling everything we threw at them," Nutt said. "I thought those young (running) backs and linebackers really stood out," Nutt said. "Guys like Michael Smith, Felix Jones, Darren McFadden, Feddie Fairchild and Tyrell Graham really showed a lot of athleticism." The quarterbacks continued to do battle on Monday in an effort to lock down the starting job. "We are looking for that guy who is going to take care of the ball, the guy that is going to take care of the clock, the guy that is going to put the team in the end zone without a mistake and not turn the ball over. That is going to be are guy. I know it sounds simple, and it is." Nutt said the quarterbacks would continue to get the same number of snaps for the next few of days, and then they will start earning their snaps based on performance. "The more passes they complete, the more they get us in the right plays, the more snaps they are going to earn," Nutt said. "It is very competitive and they are all trying hard." The Razorbacks return to the practice fields on Tuesday for their second day of preseason workouts. Practice is scheduled to begin at 3:30 p.m. and is open to the public.