Razorbacks Watch

FIRST DOWN: Miller Recovering From Knee Injury Arkansas wide receiver Lucas Miller has needed to rest his surgically repaired left knee at times during practice.

Still, the senior has shown over the first two days of workouts he’s almost fully recovered from the torn anterior cruciate ligament that limited him in the spring.

“I’m getting there. It’s all a process. I’m trying to keep it healthy,” Miller said. “I’m not trying to get out just yet and kill it. But when I need to turn on that extra gear that I don’t really have — but I think I have sometimes — it’s there.”

Despite tearing his ACL toward the end of last season, Miller shattered his career highs in 2008, finishing with 30 catches for 490 yards and two touchdowns. Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said he has been impressed so far with Miller’s recovery.

“We have to give him a little bit of time off here and there in practice, but I think he looks good,” Petrino said. “I think he’s running good routes, catching the ball real well, and we just have to be smart about that knee.”



TWO-MINUTE DRILL

• Despite several dropped passes — including a few from freshman wide receiver Cobi Hamilton — Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said Friday’s practice looked much better than Thursday’s “sloppy” first day. Petrino said there was better effort and the players appeared to work harder.

• Quarterback Nick Petrino, the son of Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino and a new addition to the roster, missed practice. It’s uncertain why the sophomore — who transferred in the spring — wasn’t on the field. Paul Petrino said he couldn’t comment on the status of his nephew.

• Arkansas received six votes in USA Today’s coaches’ top 25 preseason poll, which was released Friday. The Razorbacks aren’t ranked, but they’ll travel to face four Southeastern Conference teams that will begin the season in the top 10. (No. 1 Florida, No. 5 Alabama, No. 9 LSU and No. 10 Ole Miss).



INSIDE SCOOP

Over the past few years, Arkansas has renamed its football field, put a Razorbacks logo at midfield and replaced the grass inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium with synthetic turf.

Well, the stadium will soon be getting another makeover.

Arkansas athletic director Jeff Long announced Friday that new LED ribbon boards will be installed inside the stadium at a cost of $1.2 million. The project is expected to be completed before the Razorbacks play their first game in Fayetteville on Sept. 19 against Georgia.

A large ribbon board approximately 330 feet long will be installed on the east side of the stadium, making it easier for fans to get information about the game as it goes on. A pair of 100-foot boards will be installed on the west side of the stadium.

“The new boards will allow us to significantly upgrade our technology in the stadium, providing us the ability to create a more dynamic game experience,” Long said in a statement released through the university.