2012 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

The 2012 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas during the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Razorbacks played their home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville and War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. They were a member of the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference.

2012 Arkansas Razorbacks football
Arkansas Razorbacks logo
ConferenceSoutheastern Conference
DivisionWestern Division
Record4–8 (2–6 SEC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorPaul Petrino (3rd season)
Offensive schemeMultiple
Defensive coordinatorPaul Haynes (1st season)
Base defense4–3
Home stadiumDonald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
War Memorial Stadium
Seasons
← 2011
2013 →
2012 Southeastern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Eastern Division
No. T–5 Georgia xy   7 1     12 2  
No. 9 Florida x%   7 1     11 2  
No. 8 South Carolina   6 2     11 2  
No. 23 Vanderbilt   5 3     9 4  
Missouri   2 6     5 7  
Tennessee   1 7     5 7  
Kentucky   0 8     2 10  
Western Division
No. 1 Alabama x$#   7 1     13 1  
No. 14 LSU *   6 2     10 3  
No. T–5 Texas A&M   6 2     11 2  
Mississippi State   4 4     8 5  
Ole Miss *   3 5     7 6  
Arkansas   2 6     4 8  
Auburn   0 8     3 9  
Championship: Alabama 32, Georgia 28
  • # – BCS National Champion
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • % – BCS at-large representative
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
  • * Ole Miss and LSU vacated all wins due to NCAA violations.
Rankings from AP Poll

The Razorbacks entered the season coming off of a win in the 2012 Cotton Bowl Classic, finishing the season with an 11–2 record and a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll. However, head coach Bobby Petrino was fired in the offseason after it was discovered that he covered up an extramarital affair with a member of his staff. Athletic director Jeff Long decided to hire former special teams coordinator John L. Smith, who had recently left to become the head coach at Weber State, as their head coach on a 10-month contract. Despite these circumstances, the Razorbacks were ranked No. 10 in the AP preseason poll.

The Razorbacks started their season with a win over Jacksonville State, defeating former head coach Jack Crowe, and rose to No. 8 in the AP poll. However, after an upset loss to unranked Louisiana–Monroe in overtime, they dropped out of the poll. The Razorbacks would never re-enter the poll, as this loss began a 4-game losing streak, and an eventual 4–8 finish. After the season, it was decided that Smith's contract would not be renewed. Instead, the Razorbacks chose to hire Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema.

Personnel

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Coaching staff

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Name Position Seasons at
Arkansas
Alma mater
John L. Smith Head coach 1 Weber State Wildcats (1970)
Paul Haynes Defensive coordinator, Secondary 1 Kent State (1992)
Paul Petrino Offensive coordinator, Quarterbacks 1 Carroll College (1988)
Tim Horton Running Backs, Recruiting Coordinator 5 Arkansas (1990)
Kris Cinkovich Wide receivers 3 Carroll College (1984)
Kevin Peoples Defensive line 1 Carroll College (1989)
Steve Caldwell Special Teams, Defensive ends 3 Arkansas State (1977)
Taver Johnson Linebackers 1 Wittenberg (1994)
Reference:[1]

Recruits

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US college sports recruiting information for 2012 recruits
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight 40 Commit date
Vin Ascolese
LB
North Bergen, NJ North Bergen HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 215 lb (98 kg) 4.6 Jan 27, 2012 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 74
Cordale Boyd
OL
Memphis, TN Ridgeway HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 290 lb (130 kg) N/A Apr 20, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Ray Buchanan Jr.
DB
Suwanee, GA Peachtree Ridge HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 178 lb (81 kg) 4.5 Aug 20, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 77
Jared Collins
DB
Tulsa, OK Booker T. Washington HS 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 170 lb (77 kg) 4.4 Aug 1, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 73
D'Arthur Cowan
WR
Olive Branch, MS Olive Branch HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 4.6 Jul 27, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 80
Austin Flynn
DE
Wilmington, CA Los Angeles Harbor C.C. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 260 lb (120 kg) 4.5 Dec 21, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: JC
Keon Hatcher
WR
Owasso, OK Owasso HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 4.5 Aug 1, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 80
Eric Hawkins
WR
Longview, TX Longview HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 172 lb (78 kg) 4.5 Jul 16, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Will Hines
DB
Waco, TX Waco HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 4.5 Jan 19, 2012 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 75
Nathan Holmes
ATH
Port Arthur, TX Port Arthur Memorial HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 4.49 Apr 6, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 78
Taiwan Johnson
DE
Manvel, TX Manvel HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 240 lb (110 kg) 4.8 Dec 21, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Brandon Lewis
DE
Memphis, TN Ridgeway HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 225 lb (102 kg) 4.7 Jul 16, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Defonta Lowe
DB
Bearden, AR Bearden HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 lb (84 kg) 4.5 Sep 7, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 77
Mekale McKay
WR
Louisville, KY Moore HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 192 lb (87 kg) 4.45 Mar 8, 2012 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Otha Peters
LB
Covington, LA Covington HS 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 221 lb (100 kg) 4.6 Jan 31, 2012 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Darius Philon
DE
Prichard, AL Vigor 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 282 lb (128 kg) 4.78 Feb 1, 2012 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Trevor Williams
WR
Norman, OK Norman HS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 188 lb (85 kg) 0.1 Apr 27, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: ScoutN/A   RivalsN/A   247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Jeremy Sprinkle
DE
White Hall, AR White Hall HS 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) 4.6 Jun 16, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 77
A. J. Turner
LB
Lepanto, AR East Poinsett County HS 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 4.5 Apr 16, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: NR
Jeremy Ward
OL
Pottsville, AR Pottsville HS 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 290 lb (130 kg) 5.3 Feb 4, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Jonathan Williams
RB
Allen, TX Allen HS 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 205 lb (93 kg) 4.51 Nov 11, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 79
Demetrius Wilson
WR
Glendale, AZ Glendale CC 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 175 lb (79 kg) 4.4 Jan 29, 2012 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: JC
JaMichael Winston
DE
Prichard, AL Vigor HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 226 lb (103 kg) N/A Oct 11, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 78
Deatrich Wise
DE
Carrollton, TX Hebron HS 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 235 lb (107 kg) 4.7 Aug 6, 2011 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 75
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 19   Rivals: 34
  • ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Arkansas 2012 Football Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  • "2012 Player Commitments - Arkansas". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  • "2012 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved November 19, 2012.

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentRankSiteTVResultAttendance
September 16:00 pmNo. 22 (FCS) Jacksonville State*No. 10ARSN PPVW 49–2471,062
September 86:00 pmLouisiana–Monroe*No. 8ESPNUL 31–34 OT53,089
September 152:30 pmNo. 1 Alabama
  • Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
  • Fayetteville, AR
CBSL 0–5274,617
September 226:00 pmRutgers*
  • Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
  • Fayetteville, AR
ESPNUL 26–3572,543
September 2911:00 amat Texas A&MSECNL 10–5886,442
October 611:00 amat AuburnESPN2W 24–785,813
October 136:00 pmKentucky
  • Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
  • Fayetteville, AR
SECRNW 49–767,153
October 2711:21 amOle Miss
  • War Memorial Stadium
  • Little Rock, AR (rivalry)
SECNL 27–3055,378
November 311:21 amTulsa* 
  • Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
  • Fayetteville, AR
SECNW 19–1564,451
November 1011:00 amat No. 12 South CarolinaCBSL 20–3878,772
November 1711:21 amat Mississippi StateSECNL 14–4554,838
November 231:30 pmNo. 8 LSU
CBSL 13–2071,117
  • *Non-conference game
  •  Homecoming
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Central time
  • Source: ArkansasRazorbacks.com: 2012 Arkansas football schedule[2]

Game summaries

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No. 22 (FCS) Jacksonville State

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 22 (FCS) Gamecocks 7 14 3 0 24
No. 10 Razorbacks 7 28 14 0 49

Louisiana–Monroe

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1 2 3 4OT Total
Warhawks 7 0 7 146 34
No. 8 Razorbacks 7 14 7 03 31

No. 1 Alabama

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 1 Crimson Tide 7 17 14 14 52
Razorbacks 0 0 0 0 0

Rutgers

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1 2 3 4 Total
Scarlet Knights 0 14 14 7 35
Razorbacks 10 0 3 13 26

At Texas A&M

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1 2 3 4 Total
Razorbacks 10 0 0 0 10
Aggies 7 20 17 14 58

At Auburn

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1 2 3 4 Total
Razorbacks 7 3 0 14 24
Tigers 0 0 7 0 7

Kentucky

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1 2 3 4 Total
Wildcats 0 0 7 0 7
Razorbacks 28 14 7 0 49

Ole Miss

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1 2 3 4 Total
Rebels 0 21 3 6 30
Razorbacks 10 7 0 10 27

Tulsa

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1 2 3 4 Total
Golden Hurricane 0 12 3 0 15
Razorbacks 10 3 0 6 19

At No. 12 South Carolina

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1 2 3 4 Total
Razorbacks 0 10 3 7 20
No. 12 Gamecocks 7 14 17 0 38

At Mississippi State

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1 2 3 4 Total
Razorbacks 7 7 0 0 14
Bulldogs 7 10 14 14 45

No. 8 LSU

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1 2 3 4 Total
No. 8 Tigers 3 7 7 3 20
Razorbacks 0 0 10 3 13

Rankings

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The 2012 Razorbacks football team snaps the ball in War Memorial Stadium
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314Final
AP108RV
Coaches101021
HarrisNot releasedNot released
BCSNot releasedNot released

Notes

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  • December 4, 2012 – Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema has accepted the vacant coaching position at Arkansas for next season.[3]

References

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  1. ^ "Football – 2012 Coaches". arkansasrazorbacks.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2012.
  2. ^ "2012 Arkansas football schedule". ArkansasRazorbacks.com. University of Arkansas Department of Intercollegiate Athletics. Archived from the original on September 19, 2011. Retrieved March 3, 2012.
  3. ^ Associated Press, Wisconsin Coach Headed to Arkansas, New York Times, December 4, 2012