Razorback Practice Report – Preparing for UL-Lafayette

FAYETTEVILLE – The Razorback football team worked out Wednesday afternoon, preparing for UL-Lafayette, the season and home opener for the Hogs Aug. 31. Tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr spoke with the media after practice and spoke about the afternoon practice.

“Today was our first big day of Lafayette preparation,” Lunney said. “I thought it went well. I think we’ve got a general idea of what we’re looking for and prepping for. Just like any other first game, you don’t really ever know what to expect so you’ve got to get good at what you do, identify what you do well and get good at doing it.”

Lunney also addressed the challenges the tight ends squad has faced.

“It has added some stress, as far as depth,” Lunney said. “I thought the guys have handled it well. We’ve had to bump some positions and some guys are having to take on new roles that they weren’t taking on earlier. I think we’ve responded pretty well. We’ve got a lot on our plate but we’re handling it, overall, very well right now. We ask all of our guys at the tight end position to know all of those positions so, really, the change has not affected us tremendously from an assignment standpoint.”

The University of Arkansas announced Wednesday senior center Travis Swanson has been named to the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List.

Swanson’s inclusion on the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award Watch List marks the fourth different watch list Swanson has been included on this preseason. Swanson was also on the watch list for the Rimington Trophy, the Rotary Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy.

Swanson has been included on numerous preseason All-American and All-SEC teams in addition to watch lists for the Rimington Trophy, Outland Trophy and Rotary Lombardi Award. The Kingwood, Texas, native was a team captain and earned second-team All-SEC honors in 2012 after leading an offensive line that allowed just 1.58 sacks per game to rank third in the conference and blocked as 24 school or SEC records were broken. Swanson has started all 38 games of his collegiate career, which is tied for the fourth-longest active consecutive games started streak in the country. He has blocked for a 3,000-yard passer in each season, including the first season in school history with a 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard rusher and the first time in school history the Razorbacks produced a 1,000-yard receiver in consecutive seasons.

The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award, announced in 2012 by the Tyler Chamber and SPORTyler, recognizes the top offensive player in Division 1 football who also exhibits the enduring characteristics that define Earl Campbell: integrity, performance, teamwork, sportsmanship, drive, community and tenacity; specifically tenacity to persist and determination to overcome adversity and injury in pursuit of reaching goals. In addition, the nominee must meet one or more of the following criteria: born in Texas and/or graduated from a Texas High School and/or played at a Texas-based junior college or four year college.

The Watch List announced today will be narrowed to up to 16 semifinalists in November and then up to 4 finalists in December. They will be selected by broadcasters, commentators, journalists, fans and (in the future) former winners. The finalists will be brought to Tyler for The Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Awards Banquet scheduled for January 10, 2014.

In case you haven’t seen it, here is an interview with DE Trey Flowers.

Courtesy University of Arkansas Department of Athletics