Razorback Watch

FIRST DOWN: Crawford Cleared To Play Welcome back, London.

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said Thursday that wide receiver London Crawford has been cleared to play Saturday, giving the Razorbacks another offensive weapon to use against No. 17 Auburn.

Crawford has missed the past three games because of a broken collarbone suffered in a 48-10 win over Missouri State in the Sept. 5 season opener. He had two catches for 44 yards before the injury.

“London is ready to play. He had a good week,” Petrino said. “He practiced a lot (Wednesday) and (Thursday), caught the ball well (and) understands what he’s going to do. So he should be available to play. How much he plays is yet to be seen.”

Crawford has spent the past few days going through practice without wearing the yellow jersey reserved for injured players. His return should help starting “X” receiver Greg Childs get a much-needed break during games.

“It will be great to have (Crawford) back because now he can keep Greg fresh and keep his legs fresh,” Petrino said. “You know, London’s been very productive for us.”

Petrino said there was no talk this week about whether to redshirt Crawford, who has played every season since arriving at Arkansas as a highly touted freshman in 2006.

“We feel like he’s ready to go, and he wants to play,” Petrino said. “And he’s not interested in a redshirt.”



TWO-MINUTE DRILL

• Arkansas backup cornerback Darius Winston continued to be bothered in practice by an ankle injury suffered late last week. The freshman’s status for Saturday’s game against No. 17 Auburn remains uncertain.

“He’s still limping a little bit at times on his changing directions,” Petrino said. “We’ll really have to see how he does (Friday).”

• Petrino had no interest in getting into a war of words with former Auburn coach Tommy Tuberville, who told a radio station in Birmingham, Ala., that the Tigers would win by three touchdowns on Saturday.

“I don’t have any thoughts on that,” Petrino said, laughing.

Petrino served as Tuberville’s offensive coordinator at Auburn for one season in 2002. The following year, Petrino secretly met with Auburn officials to discuss the possibility of replacing Tuberville.

• The Razorbacks practiced inside their indoor facility on Thursday afternoon because of rain that pelted Northwest Arkansas. But the change of venue didn’t affect the players.

“We had a good practice (Thursday). It was a good week,” Petrino said. “Our guys are fired up about the game. We’ve had good preparation.”



INSIDE SCOOP: Petrino Alters Schedule

With kickoff for Saturday’s game against Auburn set for 11 a.m., Petrino decided to alter his Thursday routine.

He moved up practice by nearly an hour, so his players could finish earlier and have more time to rest their legs before the early kickoff.

“We’re on the field at 3:05 (p.m.) and getting off early,” Petrino said. “Just something to try to freshen them up and be ready to go (by game time).”

To accommodate the change, Petrino moved Arkansas’ special teams meeting — which typically starts at 2:15 p.m. — until after practice wrapped up around 4:45 p.m. Thursday.

Despite altering his usual Thursday schedule, including practicing indoors because of rain, Petrino didn’t seem to notice a drop-off with his players.

“I think our confidence is where it needs to be. Our attitude is good,” Petrino said. “We’re pretty healthy, and we’re ready to play.”