2011 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

2011 Arkansas Razorbacks football
2011 Arkansas Razorbacks football
Cotton Bowl Classic champion
Cotton Bowl Classic, W 29–16 vs. Kansas State
Conference	Southeastern Conference
	Western Division
Ranking
Coaches	No. 5
AP	No. 5
Record	11–2 (6–2 SEC)
Head coach	Bobby Petrino (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Garrick McGee (2nd season)
Offensive scheme	Multiple
Defensive coordinator	Willy Robinson (4th season)
Base defense	4–3
Captain	Jake Bequette; Knile Davis; Jerry Franklin; Jerico Nelson; Tyler Wilson; Jarius Wright
Home stadium	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium; ; War Memorial Stadium
	Seasons ← 2010 2012 →

2011 Southeastern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
Eastern Division
No. 19 Georgia x	7	–	1	10	–	4
No. 9 South Carolina	6	–	2	11	–	2
Florida	3	–	5	7	–	6
Vanderbilt	2	–	6	6	–	7
Kentucky	2	–	6	5	–	7
Tennessee	1	–	7	5	–	7
Western Division
No. 2 LSU x$	8	–	0	13	–	1
No. 1 Alabama %#	7	–	1	12	–	1
No. 5 Arkansas	6	–	2	11	–	2
Auburn	4	–	4	8	–	5
Mississippi State	2	–	6	7	–	6
Ole Miss*	0	–	8	2	–	10
Championship: LSU 42, Georgia 10
# – BCS National Champion $ – BCS representative as conference champion % – BCS at-large representative x – Division champion/co-champions * Ole Miss vacated all wins due to NCAA violations. Rankings from AP Poll

The 2011 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Razorbacks were led by fourth year head coach Bobby Petrino and played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and two at War Memorial Stadium. They were a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference. They finished the season with an 11–2 overall record, 6–2 in SEC West Division play, finishing in 3rd place with losses to LSU and Alabama, the two teams that played in the BCS National Championship Game. They were invited to the 2012 Cotton Bowl Classic and defeated Kansas State 29–16. The win capped off only the third 11-win season in Arkansas' 119-year football history. They also finished fifth in the final AP Poll—their highest national ranking since finishing third in 1977. Tyler Wilson became the first Arkansas QB to be voted 1st Team All-SEC. WR Jarius Wright and DE Jake Bequette were also named 1st Team All-SEC. WR Joe Adams was also placed on the 1st Team All-SEC squad, as well as being named a consensus 1st team All-American as a punt returner, and won the inaugural Jet Award given to the nation's best return specialist.

Although this season was very successful, this would ultimately be Petrino's final season as head coach at Arkansas, as he was fired in the offseason. A motorcycle accident on April 1, 2012 led to the discovery that he had covered up an extramarital affair with a member of his staff, and that Petrino had hired the young lady in question over several other applicants for the position. It was also revealed that he paid her money as a "gift", and then lied about the entire incident to then Athletic Director Jeff Long, prompting Long to release Petrino with cause.

Schedule

^[1]

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 3	6:00 pm	Missouri State*	No. 15	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	PPV	W 51–7	70,607
September 10	6:00 pm	New Mexico*	No. 14	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR	ESPNU	W 52–3	52,606
September 17	6:30 pm	Troy*	No. 14	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	CSS	W 38–28	69,861
September 24	2:30 pm	at No. 3 Alabama	No. 14	Bryant–Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, AL	CBS	L 14–38	101,821
October 1	11:00 am	vs. No. 14 Texas A&M*	No. 18	Cowboys Stadium Arlington, TX (Southwest Classic)	ESPN	W 42–38	69,838
October 8	6:00 pm	No. 15 Auburn	No. 10	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	ESPN	W 38–14	74,191
October 22	11:21 am	at Ole Miss	No. 10	Vaught–Hemingway Stadium Oxford, MS (rivalry)	SECN	W 29–24	57,951
October 29	11:21 am	at Vanderbilt	No. 8	Vanderbilt Stadium Nashville, TN	SECN	W 31–28	33,247
November 5	6:15 pm	No. 10 South Carolina	No. 8	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	ESPN	W 44–28	73,804
November 12	5:00 pm	Tennessee	No. 8	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR	ESPN2	W 49–7	72,103
November 19	2:30 pm	Mississippi State	No. 6	War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR	CBS	W 44–17	55,761
November 25	1:30 pm	at No. 1 LSU	No. 3	Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, LA (Battle for the Golden Boot)	CBS	L 17–41	93,108
January 6	7:00 pm	vs. No. 11 Kansas State*	No. 7	Cowboys Stadium Arlington, TX (Cotton Bowl Classic)	FOX	W 29–16	80,956
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Central time

Personnel

Coaching staff

2011 Arkansas Razorbacks coaching staff

Head coaches

Head coach – Bobby Petrino

Offensive coaches

Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks – Garrick McGee
Running backs/recruiting coordinator – Tim Horton
Tight ends – Richard Owens
Wide receivers – Kris Cinkovich
Offensive line – Chris Klenakis
Graduate assistant – Richard Owens

Defensive coaches

Defensive coordinator/secondary – Willy Robinson
Linebackers – Reggie Johnson
Defensive tackles – Bobby Allen
Defensive ends – Steve Caldwell
Graduate assistant – Brandon Sharp

Special teams

Special teams coordinator/outside linebackers – John L. Smith

Administrative staff

Athletic director (AD) – Jeff Long
Director of high school relations – Kevin Peoples
Director of on-campus recruiting/eligibility coordinator – Dann Kabala
Director of football operations – Mark Robinson
Strength and conditioning – Jason Veltkamp

Roster

2011 Arkansas Razorbacks roster

2011 Roster from the University of Arkansas Razorbacks Athletics

Quarterbacks

8 Tyler Wilson – junior
9 Jacoby Walker – sophomore
13 Brandon Allen – freshman
16 Brian Buehner – sophomore
17 Brandon Mitchell – junior
-- Davis McElroy – sophomore

Tailbacks

7 Knile Davis –
27 Chris Milam – sophomore
20 Ronnie Wingo, Jr. – junior
30 Ronald Watkins – junior
33 Dennis Johnson – junior
40 Kody Walker – sophomore
-- Dylan Cruz – sophomore

Fullbacks

21 Brad Shearin – sophomore
35 Morgan Linton – freshman
36 Kiero Small – senior
37 Brandon Pyle – sophomore
-- Allen Whitlow – sophomore

Wide receivers

1 Marquel Wade – freshman
2 Julian Horton – sophomore
3 Joe Adams – senior
4 Jarius Wright – senior
10 Jarvis Hunter – sophomore
11 Trevor Williams – junior
15 Keante Minor – freshman
19 Javontee Herndon – sophomore
23 De'Anthony Curtis – senior
81 Kane Whitehurst – freshman
83 Maudrecus Humphrey – sophomore
84 Price Holmes – junior
85 Greg Childs – senior
89 Brandon Wolford – sophomore
-- Sean Burnette – freshman
-- Alex Cacciarelli – freshman
-- Alex Pastor – sophomore
-- Matthew Showalter – freshman

Tight ends

6 Colton Miles-Nash Junior
80 Chris Gragg – junior
82 Brad Taylor – junior
87 Austin Tate – sophomore
88 Garrett Uekman – freshman^[A]
89 Andrew Peterson – freshman
-- Alex Voelzke – freshman
-- Austin Weese – freshman

Offensive line

59 Marcus Danenhauer – freshman
66 Adam Deacon – freshman
70 Chris Stringer – sophomore
71 Jason Peacock – junior
75 Luke Charpentier – freshman
76 Tyler Deacon – junior

Offensive tackles

65 Mitch Smothers – freshman
68 Austin Beck – freshman
69 David Hurd – sophomore
74 Brey Cook – freshman
79 Grant Freeman – senior

Offensive guards

56 Blake Gunderson – junior
67 Alvin Bailey – sophomore
72 Grant Cook – senior

Centers

58 Ray Gervasi – freshman
64 Travis Swanson – sophomore

Defensive ends

83 Darrick Sullivan – freshman
43 Tenarius Wright – junior
50 Grady Ollison – freshman
86 Trey Flowers – freshman
91 Jake Bequette – senior
94 Will Coleman – sophomore
95 Horace Arkadie – freshman
-- Ben Poeschel – freshman

Defensive tackles

51 Alfred Davis – junior
54 Byran Jones – sophomore
57 Jared Green – senior
61 Zach Stadther – senior
63 Devin Bowers – freshman
92 DeQuinta Jones – junior
93 DeMarcus Hodge – freshman
96 Jeremiah Jackson – freshman
98 Robert Thomas – sophomore
99 Lavunce Askew – senior

Linebackers

10 Braylon Mitchell – freshman
25 Terrell Williams – junior
31 Jerico Nelson – sophomore
32 Bret Harris – senior
34 Jerry Franklin – junior
35 Ross Rasner – junior
39 Jarrett Lake – sophomore
44 Robert Atiga – sophomore
45 Alonzo Highsmith – junior
46 Tyler Gilbert – freshman
47 Matt Marshall – junior
48 Austin Jones – sophomore
52 Mitchell Loewen – senior
55 Brock Haman – freshman
97 Darrell Kelly-Thomas – freshman
-- Joe Bequette – freshman

Cornerbacks

6 Isaac Madison – senior
8 Tevin Mitchel – freshman
21 Darius Winston – junior
22 Kelvin Fisher Jr. – freshman
28 Greg Gatson – senior
18 Jay Nelson -Junior
38 Jerry Mitchell – sophomore
-- Dakota Baggett – freshman
-- Kaelon Kellybrew – senior

Safeties

36 Tramain Thomas – senior
19 Elton Ford – senior
13 Seth Armbrust – senior
14 Eric Bennett – sophomore
16 Ryan Farr – junior
22 Darrell Smith – sophomore
24 Daunte Carr – freshman
26 Rohan Gaines – freshman
20 Alan Turner – freshman
30 Houston Pruitt – sophomore
31 Jerico Nelson – senior
49 Brett Weir – freshman

Punters/Kickers

14 Dylan Breeding – junior
18 Zach Hocker – sophomore
43 John Henson – freshman
47 Cameron Bryan – junior
-- Crawford Sullins – freshman
-- Forbes Harris – freshman

Long snappers

53 Allan D'Appollonio – freshman
62 Nick Brewer – junior
-- Drew Gorton – freshman

Terms:

Freshman – A player in his first year.
Sophomore – A player in his second year.
Junior – A player in his third year.
Senior – A player in his fourth year.
Redshirt – A player who sat out a
previous season.

Rankings

Ranking movements
**Legend:** ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
	Week
Poll	Pre	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	Final
AP	15	14	14	14	18	10	10	10	8	8	8	6	3	6	7	5
Coaches	14	13	13	12	18	12	11	10	8	8	8	6	3	10	7	5
Harris	Not released						11	10	9	8	8	6	3	9	7	Not released
BCS	Not released							9	10	7	8	6	3	8	6	Not released

Game summaries

Missouri State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Missouri State	0	0	7	0	7
• Arkansas	20	10	14	7	51

Date: September 3
Location: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 90, Partly Cloudy
Television network: GamePlan

^[3]

New Mexico

	1	2	3	4	Total
New Mexico	3	0	0	0	3
• Arkansas	14	17	7	14	52

Date: September 10
Location: War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, Arkansas
Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 81, Partly Cloudy

^[4]

Troy

	1	2	3	4	Total
Troy	0	7	14	7	28
• Arkansas	14	10	7	7	38

Date: September 17
Location: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Game start: 7:30 p.m. EST
Game weather: 63, Partly Cloudy
Television network: GamePlan

^[5]

Alabama

	1	2	3	4	Total
Arkansas	7	0	7	0	14
• Alabama	7	10	21	0	38

Date: September 24
Location: Bryant–Denny Stadium, Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Game weather: 80, Sunny Skies

Texas A&M

	1	2	3	4	Total
Texas A&M	14	21	0	3	38
• Arkansas	7	10	10	15	42

Date: October 1
Location: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: Indoors
Television network: ESPN

^[6]

On September 25, 2011 (six days prior to the game) Texas A&M announced that it would once again become conference mates with Arkansas, by joining the Southeastern Conference as a full member beginning in 2012.

Near the end of the game, Arkansas fans acknowledged A&M's announcement by appearing on the Cowboys Stadium jumbotron with a large sign saying "Welcome to the SEC".

Auburn

	1	2	3	4	Total
Auburn	14	0	0	0	14
• Arkansas	7	14	7	10	38

Date: October 8
Location: Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Game start: 7:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 78, Sunny
Television network: ESPN

^[7]

Ole Miss

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Arkansas	0	7	19	3	29
Ole Miss	3	14	0	7	24

Date: October 22
Location: Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, Oxford, Mississippi
Game start: 12:21 p.m. EST
Game weather: 55, Fair
Television network: SEC Network

^[8]

Vanderbilt

	1	2	3	4	Total
• Arkansas	7	7	6	11	31
Vanderbilt	7	14	7	0	28

Date: October 29
Location: Vanderbilt Stadium, Nashville, Tennessee
Game start: 12:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 40, Clear
Television network: SEC Network

^[9]

Five and a half minutes into the third quarter, after a three-and-out, while trailing 21-17, Arkansas wide receiver Marquel Wade was ejected for a flagrant personal foul when he hit defenseless punt returner Jonathan Krause.

South Carolina

	1	2	3	4	Total
South Carolina	7	7	7	7	28
• Arkansas	10	14	6	14	44

Date: November 5
Location: Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Game start: 7:15 p.m. EST
Game weather: 54, Scattered
Television network: ESPN

^[10]

Tennessee

	1	2	3	4	Total
Tennessee	0	7	0	0	7
• Arkansas	14	7	14	14	49

Date: November 12
Location: Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Arkansas
Game weather: 61, Partly Cloudy

Mississippi State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Mississippi State	3	7	0	7	17
• Arkansas	14	10	10	10	44

Date: November 19
Location: War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock, Arkansas
Game weather: 66, Cloudy

A day after the game, tight end Garrett Uekman was found dead in his dorm room of heart problems.

LSU

	1	2	3	4	Total
Arkansas	0	14	3	0	17
• LSU	0	21	3	17	41

Date: November 25
Location: Tiger Stadium, Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Game weather: 75

Kansas State

	1	2	3	4	Total
Kansas State	0	9	7	0	16
• Arkansas	3	16	7	3	29

Date: January 6
Location: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
Game weather: 72

Arkansas and Kansas State met for the first time in postseason and for the fifth time overall. The Razorbacks netted their first Cotton Bowl Classic win since 2000. The 2012 Cotton Bowl was the only non-BCS bowl that featured two Top 10 opponents.

Notes

^ Uekman died during the season on November 11. Because he was on the roster for the team's first nine games, he is still listed on the roster.^[2]

References

^ "Football - Schedule - University of Arkansas Athletics". Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2011.
^ "Arkansas TE Garrett Uekman dies". ESPN.com. November 20, 2011.
^ "No. 15 Arkansas Wins 51–7 over Missouri State." ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Retrieved October 23, 2011.
^ "New Mexico vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - September 10, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on January 24, 2013.
^ "Troy vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - September 17, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on September 30, 2011.
^ "Texas A&M vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - October 1, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on October 3, 2011.
^ "Auburn vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - October 8, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on October 10, 2011.
^ "Arkansas vs. Ole Miss - Game Recap - October 22, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on October 23, 2011.
^ "Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt - Game Recap - October 29, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on October 31, 2011.
^ "South Carolina vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - November 5, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on November 8, 2011.

[Uekman-3] Uekman died during the season on November 11. Because he was on the roster for the team's first nine games, he is still listed on the roster.^[2]

[1] "Football - Schedule - University of Arkansas Athletics". Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved April 20, 2011.

[2] "Arkansas TE Garrett Uekman dies". ESPN.com. November 20, 2011.

[4] "No. 15 Arkansas Wins 51–7 over Missouri State." ArkansasRazorbacks.com. Retrieved October 23, 2011.

[5] "New Mexico vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - September 10, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on January 24, 2013.

[6] "Troy vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - September 17, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on September 30, 2011.

[7] "Texas A&M vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - October 1, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on October 3, 2011.

[8] "Auburn vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - October 8, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on October 10, 2011.

[9] "Arkansas vs. Ole Miss - Game Recap - October 22, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on October 23, 2011.

[10] "Arkansas vs. Vanderbilt - Game Recap - October 29, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on October 31, 2011.

[11] "South Carolina vs. Arkansas - Game Recap - November 5, 2011 - ESPN". Archived from the original on November 8, 2011.

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v t e Arkansas Razorbacks football
Venues	The Hill (1894–1937) Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium (1938–present) Quigley Stadium (alternate, 1932–1947) War Memorial Stadium (alternate, 1948–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Bowl games LSU Missouri: Battle Line Rivalry Ole Miss Texas Texas A&M Texas Tech
Culture & lore	Calling the Hogs Tusk Big Red "Arkansas Fight" Marching band 1969 "Game of the Century" 2001 Ole Miss game 2003 Kentucky game
People	Head coaches NFL draftees Statistical leaders
Seasons	1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025
National championship seasons in bold