Arkansas Basketball Portraits

Arkansas' basketball team didn't host an official media day this year, so I didn't have the opportunity to get portraits of the whole team. We did get to pick three players to have access to. Pictured above is freshman forward Glenn Bryant.


Sophomore guard Rotnei Clarke.


Senior center Michael Washington.

Clarke's Lucky 13...I Was There.

Arkansas sophomore Rotnei Clarke put his mark on Arkansas and SEC basketball history on Friday the 13th by sinking 13 of 17 from three-point range against Alcorn State in the Razorbacks' 130-68 season-opening win. Clarke's 51 points in the game also set a new school scoring record.

Personally I am proud to say I was there and able to record Clarke's historic night.


Clarke was dubbed "the best shooter in college baskeball" in a preseason article by Fox Sports’ Jeff Goodman.


Clarke had hit 275-of-300 and 281-of-300 shots while practicing his three-point stroke the previous two nights leading up to the game.




What made this game even more special was there were only 7,713 fans in attendance at the 19,200 capacity Bud Walton Arena due to lack of interest in the game. Five players, including star point guard Courtney Fortson and freshman big man Glen Bryant, were suspended for the start of the season for off season violations. Many fans simply didn't come because they didn't care to watch a thinned-out team struggle against a lesser opponent. Boy were they sorry the next day.


Clarke even had coach John Pelphrey cracking smiles during the game (an equally incredible feat). Once the team is back to its full compliment of players it will be very interesting to see how the season goes. Clarke is such a threat when he's on his game, it will create scoring opportunities for four other players whenever he's on the court. The Hogs were picked as a bottom tier SEC West team in the preseason. The jury is certainly out on that verdict.

Four Hawgs Covers

Catching up on Hawgs Illustrated covers. Pictured from Volume 18 are Issues (clockwise from top left) 14, 15, 17 and 16.

Arkansas Football Medley (USC, EMU & Ole Miss)

Arkansas 33, South Carolina 16 (Nov. 7)


Arkansas picked up their second conference win of the season against the Gamecocks in Fayetteville. Joe Adams, above, dives for the end zone in the first quarter against USC to put the Hogs up 7-3.


Broderick Green continued to develop as a serious offensive threat against USC. Green had one touchdown in the game.


Ryan Mallett proved against the Gamecocks he is the real deal.


Mallett went 23-27-0 for 329 yards against South Carolina and scored one touchdown on the ground. His 85.2 completion percentage set a single game school passing record for 20 or more passing attempts. Mallett is 152 yards short of the school's single season passing record.


London Crawford goes upstairs for a key third down conversion in the first quarter.


Tight end D.J. Williams came back on the radar with 137 yards on seven catches.


The Razorback defense stood strong against the Gamecocks. Quarterback Stephen Garcia was sacked twice.


Jerell Norton had a game-changing interception in the third quarter. Above has a big punt return for 38 yards. Adrian Davis, right, sacks Garcia.


Another big moment came when a bad snap went over Garcia's head. Jerico Nelson knocked the ball loose from Garcia and the play resulted in a safety.


More Broderick Green.


Ronnie Wingo Jr., left, and Michael Smith.


The Hogs celebrate their must-win victory over the Gamecocks by singing the Razorback fight song.

Arkansas 63, Eastern Michigan 27 (Oct. 31)


Arkansas' game against cupcake Eastern Michigan was a chance for the Hogs to get the bad taste out of their mouths after back-to-back losses to Ole Miss and Florida. They got it out for sure. Seth Armbrust created one of the biggest moments of the game by blocking an EMU punt and carrying it into the end zone for a touchdown.


Broderick Green set a school rushing record by going 99 yards from the line of scrimmage for a touchdown.


Ryan Mallett throws and runs.


Joe Adams, left, marked his return to action after suffering a mild stroke earlier in the season by scoring two touchdowns. Greg Childs turns up field after a catch.


Cobi Hamilton races for the end zone after a catch. He didn't score, but he set the Hogs up for another touchdown.


Ronnie Wingo Jr., left, and Knile Davis carry the ball against EMU. Davis had two touchdowns against the Eagles.


Cobi Hamilton and Ross Rasner cover EMU on a kickoff. Jermaine Love, right, makes a stop.


Lucas Miller and D.J. Williams celebrate Miller's touchdown in the second half.

Ole Miss 30, Arkansas 17 (Oct. 24)


Arkansas game with Ole Miss was marked as a must win by the Hogs and fans alike after letting Houston Nutt slip out of town with a win last year in Fayetteville. The only problem was the Hogs pretty much emptied their tank the previous weekend against Florida. Nothing went Arkansas' way in the game. Passes were dropped, tackles were missed, fans left early. This was the low point for Arkansas, they've rebounded since and are on track to finish with a respectable record and bowl bid. It was also a low point for me. I had my worst game of the season. This is all I want to show of the game. It's not much, but this was one to forget about anyway. Above, Greg Childs fights for extra yards on the Hogs' biggest pass play of the game.


Michael Smith leaps across the line.


This shot pretty much illustrated the whole game. The entire receiving corps, not just Greg Childs, dropped passes that have been money all season. I shot about 20 frames of him juggling this pass. I'm just glad the Hogs were able to put this game behind them. UGLY!

Several people have asked my why I haven't updated my blog in the past several weeks. It's been busy and a lot of crazy things have happened at work. I will be posting game again regularly and will have more catchup updates this week. Stay Tuned.......

No. 1 Florida 23, Arkansas 20

Arkansas went to The Swamp on Saturday as a 24 point dog against No. 1 Florida. The Hogs almost pulled off the biggest upset in Razorback history. Despite the loss, this is one of those games anyone would be proud to say "I was there." Arkansas had the lead on the Gators until late in the third quarter. A shaky kicking game and several bad calls on the Gators' final drive doomed the Hogs' upset.


Arkansas' defense, who had little respect coming into this game, had their way with Tebow and Florida's offensive line. Jake Bequette forced a huge fumble in the first quarter.


The fumble was one of four Florida turnovers in the game.


Tim Tebow was sacked six times on the day by the Razorback defense. Here DeQuinta Jones manhandles Tebow for the freshman defensive tackle's first sack of the season.


Jerry Franklin, left, and Matt Harris also got sacks on Tebow.


Broderick Green stretches out to the one yard line late in the first quarter. The ball popped out after he was down, made for a good shot. Green punched the ball in on the next play for Arkansas' first score in the game.


Dennis Johnson stepped up and filled Michael Smith's role at running back against Florida.


Johnson had 107 yards on 14 carries.


Ryan Mallett was up and down in the game. He started off shaky and finished 12-27 for 224 yards and one touchdown. Florida's defense got to him four times, which is still amazing considering the lack of respect Arkansas' O-line received coming into the game.


Mallett's numbers would've been much better had it not been for a few dropped passes, including this pass to Greg Childs in the end zone in the third quarter. Childs caught the same pass against Georgia. The ball just slipped between his elbows. What a heartbreaker.


The biggest plus out of this game was the defense. This is the same group that was dominated by Alabama during the Hogs' 33-7 loss on Sept. 26. They took on the No. 1 team in the country and essentially shut them down for an entire game. Malcolm Sheppard, above, drew a bad call on a crucial Florida scoring drive in the fourth quarter that gave them a first and goal. Had the call not been made, and the Hogs held, Florida wouldn've settled for a field goal. The SEC announced on Tuesday that the late hit penalty against Sheppard was a bad call. Too little, too late. (Update: The SEC announced Wednesday that the officiating crew of the game was suspended until Nov. 14 due to questionable calls in this game and the Georgia vs. LSU game a week earlier)


On the same drive Andru Stewart was blatantly interfered by Florida receiver Riley Cooper on a deep pass to the end zone. Had Cooper not touched Stewart it would have been an interception. Had the officials called offensive pass interference the Gators' drive would've stalled and the game probably would've gone into overtime. Nope, the officials were either blind, stupid or too scared to make the right call against the No. 1 team in the country at their house. Bobby Petrino had little to say officially after the game, but he had plenty to say to the officials on the field.


Unfortunately for Arkansas the game came down to kicking. And Florida made their kicks when it counted. The Razorbacks didn't.


Even after the way Arkansas' defense manhandled Tebow, Florida fans still think the man is a God. I really feel for the dude pictured above. You know he was laughing inside, just a little bit, each time Tebow was sacked. :)

Oh well, on to Ole Miss and Nutty this Saturday in Oxford.

Arkansas 44, Auburn 23

Since this is over a week late I won't go into too many details about the game, but Arkansas put a serious beat down on Auburn a week ago in Fayetteville. The forced turnover above by Andru Stewart was one of the biggest moments in the game, giving the Hogs a first down inside the Auburn 20 moments after putting seven on the board.


Michael Smith had 145 yards on the ground.


Strong safety Jerico Nelson was the Hogs' defensive hero of the game. He forced a fumble late that set up another Arkansas touchdown.


And he laid a killer hit for a loss on Auburn's Mario Fannin that fused their helmets together.


For a moment it looked like he just ripped the guy's head completely off.


Dennis Johnson on a big kickoff return and D.J. Williams picks up yards after a catch.


Arkansas' defense was incredible against Auburn.


Broderick Green punches into the end zone for a touchdown.


Greg Childs hauls in a touchdown pass and Cobi Hamilton goes over an Auburn defender for a catch.


Ryan Mallett went 24-37-1 for 274 yards and two touchdowns. He even scored his first TD on the ground for the season.


The game created a big boost for Arkansas. It carried them well into their game against Florida in Gainesville. We all know by now how that one turned out. Stay tuned for those photos in a few days....

Welcome to the Jungle

A feature snap from Bentonville's game against Rogers Heritage on Friday night. The game was all down hill for Heritage from this point on. Final score Bentonville 56, Heritage 27.

Arkansas 47, Texas A&M 19

Arkansas played their inaugural Southwest Classic game against Texas A&M last weekend at Jerry World, a.k.a. Cowboys Stadium, in Arlington, Texas. Talk about having to step up your game to get noticed in such a grand venue. The Hogs started off slow, falling behind 10 points to the Aggies in the first quarter. The forced fumble above sparked a furious comeback by the Razorbacks in the second quarter. The Hog calls would be non-stop from then on.


Linebacker Jerry Franklin returned the fumble 85 yards for a touchdown.


It was a big moment, to say the least.


Everyone played a role in the win. Both running back DeAnthony Curtis, left, and wide receiver Joe Adams put sixes on the board.


Freshman running back Ronnie Wingo Jr. was runner-up for play of the game with his huge 62-yard run to finish the Aggies in the fourth.


Wingo already has whispers of McFadden and Jones coming from the media and fans alike. Time will tell.


Senior tailback Michael Smith, left, and power running back Broderick Green also had sixes against Texas A&M.


Ryan Mallett was stellar once again going 17-27-1 for 271 yards and 4 TD's against the Aggies. He spread the ball out to seven different receivers. Greg Childs had 3 catches for 10 yards.


Bobby Petrino was throwing around a lot of compliments to his players. He had more happy faces than frowning faces this time around. It's hard not to smile when you've got guys like Wingo making plays.


Cowboys Stadium was simply amazing. Huge isn't huge enough to put the place into words. Obscene, maybe. That freakin' video board really is something to behold. Can't wait to return for another dose of Jerry World next year. :)

Time for bed. Arkansas vs. Auburn, or Petrino vs. Malzahn if you like, at 11 a.m. Could be a 100 point game.

Cover Time

More covers, Hawgs Illustrated Vol. 18, Issue 12 and Vol. 18, Issue 13.

War Hawk

A feature from tonight's cross-town rivalry game between Rogers Heritage High School and Rogers High School at Gates Stadium. The startup War Eagles put a 24-9 beat down on the Mounties in their old house.

No. 3 Alabama 35, Arkansas 7

Arkansas traveled to Tuscaloosa on Saturday and took a beating from No. 3 Alabama. Nobody really expected that the Razorbacks would be able to hang with the Crimson Tide. The first quarter did look promising for the Hogs, the score was 0-0 heading into the second quarter. After that though it really became a tale of two defenses. Alabama's being arguably the best in the league and Arkansas' being a work in progress.


Ryan Mallett entered the game as one of the league's highest rated quarterbacks. Three hours at Bryant-Denny Stadium brought that rating down considerably. Alabama's Greg McElroy had a great game, thanks to the Razorbacks' secondary.


When Mallett did manage to get the ball into the hands of Arkansas' receivers, like D.J. Williams, left, and Greg Childs, the pass was either broken up by Bama's secondary or the ball was simply dropped. Even the Hogs' studs looked nervous at times.


Tailback Michael Smith, left, and wide receiver Joe Adams were the biggest contributors to the offense. Smith had 61 yard on 12 carries and Adams netted 81 yards off six catches.


None of Arkansas' other backs, Broderick Green, left, and Dennis Johnson, could get much else going on the ground. The Hogs finished with just 63 yards rushing.


Bama, on the other hand, racked up 134 yards rushing. To Arkansas' credit, the defensive line did do a lot better against the run compared to their first two outings.


It was the Tide's passing game that really made Arkansas look bad. This 80 yard touchdown pass was one of the ugliest moments in the game. Rudell Crim had a chance to make a play on the ball, but didn't look back and didn't get his hands up when he should have.


Miscues and poor tackling plagued Arkansas' secondary throughout the game.


Hopefully the secondary will take notes from the defensive line's progress and things will come together for the whole unit by this coming weekend against Texas A&M.


Bobby Petrino has his work cut out for him this year. The Hogs have to start playing "Bobby Ball" if they're going to get enough W's for a bowl bid. Nick Saban, on the other hand, is pretty much in command of the SEC's west division. I bet the Tide will be in Atlanta for the SEC Championship Game this year.


You stay classy Bama!

I'll be headed to Jerry World, a.k.a the new Dallas Cowboys Stadim in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday for Arkansas' inaugural Southwest Classic game against Texas A&M.

Georgia 52, Arkansas 41

It's Friday night and I realized I haven't posted photos from the Hogs' game last Saturday against Georgia. It was a shootout, as is stated on the cover latest issue of Hawgs Illustrated. The Razorback secondary was the weak link for the Hawgs against the Bulldogs. They're going to have to get things figured out if they want to win any games on the road this season. The offense, however, was stellar. Mallett set a school record with five touchdown passes and 408 yards in the air. The Petrino era has certainly arrived. Above is Greg Childs on one of his two touchdown catches.


Mighty mite tailback Michael Smith, left, was the Hogs rushing leader and Ryan Mallett was simply amazing.


Joe Adams, left, and Jarius Wright both had a pair of touchdowns in the game.


True freshman Cobi Hamilton, left, had a big first down catch and D.J. Williams had a touchdown catch.


Broderick Green, left, and Dennis Johnson contributed against the Bulldogs.


Sophomore receiver Greg Childs was the stud receiver against Georgia with five catches for 140 yards and two touchdowns.


Defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard had the Hogs' lone sack on Georgia quarterback Joe Cox.


Mallett, on the other hand, got his fair share of harassment from the Bulldogs defense.


Georgia's star receiver A.J. Green, left, embarrassed Arkansas' secondary by racking up 137 yards on seven catches and running back Richard Samuel rushed for 104 yards, 80 yards of which came on one forgettable touchdown run straight down the Hogs' throat.


If the Hogs are going to get the best of Alabama tomorrow they need more production from their corp of running backs. The Tide is expecting Mallett to put the ball down field. They've gotta mix things up.

Now excuse me. I have a plane to catch in the morning for the 2:30 p.m. kickoff.

Hawgs Covers

Covers from the past two issue of Hawgs Illustrated magazine, Vol. 16, Issue 10 and Vol. 16, Issue 11. As usual HI designer Kai Caddy did a great job laying out the covers and the magazine as a whole. Our product rocks. If you haven't picked up an issue of HI, check it out, then buy yourself a subscription.

P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship

I spent six days last week covering the LPGA at the P&G Beauty NW Arkansas Championship at Pinnacle Country Club in Rogers. Here is a wrap up of images from the week. Above, He Yong Park hits out of a fairway bunker on Pinnacle Country Club's No. 9.


This was LPGA rookie Michelle Wie's first appearance at the tournament. She was a big draw for the event.


Overall there was a pretty decent turnout for the tournament despite the fact that it rained two out of the three days.


Of course Natalie Gulbis was another crowd favorite.


I had no idea golfers had so many fans. This group waits for autographs from Paula Creamer.


Former Razorback Stacy Lewis, left, was one of three Arkansas-tied players in the tournament. You don't see many hog hats on the golf course.


Christina Kim was another crowd favorite. I managed to draw her attention once during the course of the tournament. It was a pleasure getting out of her putting line. :)


Paula Creamer, another crowd favorite.


Tote boards and leader boards made for decent feature opportunities.


Sandra Gal of Germany, left, was the leader on Friday and Song Hee Kim of South Korea was Saturday's leader.


Sunday saw a three way tie after 18 holes between Sun Young Yoo of South Korea..


Angela Stanford of Saginaw, Texas, who hit an eagle putt on 18 to tie for the lead. Needless to say she got a little excited...


LPGA rookie Jiyai Shin of South Korea sank a birdie putt on the second playoff hole on Pinnacle Country Club's No. 15 to seal the win in the tournament. I met Shin on my first day covering the tournament. She was super nice and I was happy to see her come away with the win. Shin won $270,000 for first place. Not bad for three days worth of work.

Up next, football, football, football...

Arkansas 48, Missouri State 10

I'm really late getting this update from Arkansas' season-opener back on Sept. 5 against Missouri State posted to In The Loupe. Since that game I worked an LPGA golf tournament for six days straight and I'm pretty much behind on everything in my life right now. The lead photo is of Dennis Johnson's game-opening 91-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. What a way for the Hogs to start the season.


Joe Adams & Jarius Wright


Michael Smith


Lavunce Askew


Ryan Mallett


Tyler Wilson


Greg Childs


Alex Tejada


Bobby Petrino


The Razorbacks face Georgia on Saturday in Fayetteville. This will be Arkansas' first true test of the season. If they can beat the Bulldogs, they will be on an easy track to a bowl bid. If they lose, it's going to be a hard road ahead.

More posts to come.