2012 SEASON PREVIEW
THE SCHEDULE
Arkansas opens the 119th year of Razorback football Sept. 1 against Jacksonville State in Fayetteville. The Razorbacks have won five straight season-opening contests and 14 of their last 15. UA is 92-22-4 (.797) all-time in season openers. Arkansas is hosting LSU in Fayetteville for the first time since 1992 in a game that has wrapped up the regular season for each team every year since Arkansas joined the SEC. UA is set to play Ole Miss in Little Rock for the 16th time, including the first meeting between the schools in 1913, and the first time since 1992. UA has hosted nine different SEC teams in War Memorial Stadium since joining the conference. UA’s schedule includes games against teams that have won four of the last five national championships (LSU 2007, Alabama 2009, Auburn 2010, Alabama 2011). Including this year’s meeting with Alabama, Arkansas has played the defending national champion 12 times in the last 20 years. Arkansas is 3-1 when hosting the defending national champions in Fayetteville. The Arkansas and Texas A&M series becomes a conference matchup and returns to 2012 SCHEDULE campus sites in 2012. DATE OPPONENT SITE The teams renewed their Sept. 1 Jacksonville St. Fayetteville, Ark. Sept. 8 ULM Little Rock, Ark. Southwest Conference Sept. 15 Alabama* Fayetteville, Ark. Sept. 22 Rutgers Fayetteville, Ark. rivalry by playing a nonSept. 29 Texas A&M* College Station, Texas conference game inside Oct. 6 Auburn* Auburn, Ala. Fayetteville, Ark. Cowboys Stadium from Oct. 13 Kentucky* Oct. 27 Ole Miss* Little Rock, Ark. 2009-11. The Razorbacks Nov. 3 Tulsa (HC) Fayetteville, Ark. Columbia, S.C. won all three of those Nov. 10 S. Carolina* Nov. 17 Miss St.* Starkville, Miss. contests and lead the all- Nov. 23 LSU* Fayetteville, Ark. *SEC Opponent HC-Homecoming time series 41-24-3.
THE STAFF
John L. Smith returned to Arkansas as head coach in April 2012 to provide guidance, energy and stability to the program. In addition to Smith, the Razorback coaching staff welcomed new faces and adjusted duties of some current coaches at the conclusion of the 2011 season. Below is a chart identifying coaches with new responsiblities for UA in 2012: Coach Position John L. Smith Head Coach Paul Petrino Offensive Coordinator/QBs Paul Haynes Defensive Coordinator/Secondary Taver Johnson Assistant Head Coach/LBs Kevin Peoples Defensive Tackles Steve Caldwell Special Teams Coordinator/DEs Bobby Allen Secondary
OUTLOOK: 2012 Season Preview
Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis are set to lead the Razorback offense in 2012. Wilson was a first-team All-SEC performer in 2011 after Davis earned first-team accolades in 2010.
Combined, the 2012 Arkansas football staff has 234 years of coaching experience. The staff also features eight coaches who have been either an offensive or defensive coordinator in their career.
THE TEAM
Arkansas has been ranked in 32 straight AP polls, tied for the seventh-longest active streak in the nation, and ended the 2011 season in the top 10 for nine straight polls, which also ranks seventh among active streaks in the country. Arkansas’ leaders in each of the following categories from the 2011 season are projected to return to the 2012 squad: total offense, all-purpose yards, passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, kickoff returns, scoring, field goals, extra points, punting, kickoffs, tackles for loss and quarterback hurries.
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