FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas defensive end Jake Bequette has some interesting ties to Kansas State.
The Wildcats were the first Football Bowl Subdivision team to offer Bequette a scholarship when he was in high school at Little Rock Catholic. It’s only fitting, then, that the senior’s career will end with the Razorbacks playing Kansas State in the Cotton Bowl on Jan. 6.
“It’s kind of funny how it kind of comes back to that,” said Bequette, who said he had offers from Kansas State, Mississippi State and then Arkansas.
Bequette was recruited by former Kansas State coach Ron Prince, who coached at the school for three seasons before being fired in 2008. Arkansas running backs coach Tim Horton was on Prince’s staff at Kansas State the first season and joked that the offer from the Wildcats is what helped Bequette land at Arkansas in 2006.
“I think I got Jake the scholarship to Arkansas because once K-State offered, then Arkansas offered,” Horton said. “So I give Jake a hard time about that.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
Bequette said he had “a pretty easy choice,” when Arkansas did offer a scholarship under previous coach Houston Nutt. He has started 41 of 47 games his career and ranks third on the school’s sacks list (21.5).
But what if Bequette hadn’t received an offer from the Razorbacks? Would he be playing his final game as a Wildcat against his home state school?
“Let’s not even go there,” Bequette said.
Paul Still Chasing?
Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino had a reputation for chasing receivers during his first stint with the Razorbacks, running on their heels if they failed to sprint downfield after catching a pass.
Petrino is coaching quarterbacks, not receivers, in his return to the Razorbacks this month. So Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson was asked if Petrino was chasing them on the field during bowl practices.
“We throw it and we stand there, so he doesn’t have very far to run,” Wilson said. “But he had us run after practice if that’s any consolation.
“He chased me when we were running after practice.”
Perfect End
Cornerback Isaac Madison is one of several seniors who will play their final game on Jan. 6. But Madison isn’t just wrapping up his Arkansas career in the Cotton Bowl — he gets to end his college career at home.
“It’s going to feel real good,” said Madison, who played at Dallas’ Carter High. “It’s a blessing to still be playing here for the University of Arkansas. I don’t think there would be a greater way for me to end my career here being in any other town being from Dallas.”
Madison has started 25 games in his career, logging 92 tackles and an interception. He has 26 tackles this season, limited to nine games because of injuries.
Madison, who redshirted the 2009 season after suffering a preseason knee injury, is the only current Razorback who stepped on the field in Arkansas’ last Cotton Bowl appearance on Jan. 1, 2008. Then a freshman, Madison logged no statistics during the 38-7 loss to Missouri.
No Cold Bowls
One of Arkansas’ goals for the postseason has been pretty clear the past couple of years – don’t be subjected to conditions as frigid as the 2009 Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
Players were rewarded with a game in a controlled environment in the Louisiana Superdome last January. This year, the Razorbacks will be indoors again now that the Cotton Bowl has moved into Cowboys Stadium.
“Let’s not go back anywhere up north,” Wilson said. “Let’s stay in the south where all the big bowls are.
“I don’t know if the weather was the indicator there. I think more so we want to be successful. We’ve obviously had a chance to do that the last couple years.”
Rising Value
Arkansas’ spot among the top 10 of the BCS isn’t the only sign the Razorbacks are on the rise under Petrino.
The Razorbacks also have the eighth-most valuable football program in the country, according to a study by Forbes.com. The publication estimated Arkansas’ current value at $89 million and has experienced an impressive 59 percent growth in value since the 2009 season.
The growth can be attributed to several factors, according to Forbes.com. It includes the program’s first trip to a BCS game, increased television and multi-media rights fees and increased football ticket revenue.
Forbes rankings for programs were based on four areas during the study: value to its university, value to its athletic department, value to the conference, and value to the surrounding community.
Practice Plans
Arkansas will return from Christmas break Monday, then step back out on the practice field Tuesday. It will be the first of four workouts on campus before the Razorbacks board a bus and head to Arlington.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said the first two weeks of bowl practices were aimed at individual drills.
“We really went back and did a lot of the individual drills, a lot of the group drills that we do in spring ball, in two-a-days and really just to get back into the swing of being a football player,” Petrino said. “We kind of put the preparation for the game a little bit, you know, until we come back from Christmas.”
The Razorbacks will now start targeting its gameplan for Kansas State, treating this as game week. Arkansas will then have a chance to fine-tune it in Arlington.