PRACTICE NOTES

Tuesday, January 3rd, 2012

ARLINGTON -- The third day of the New Year saw the No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks go through their third practice on the Cowboys Stadium turf for the 76th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.

Taking over his first game as the Razorbacks’ defensive coordinator after seven seasons at Ohio State, Paul Haynes said he has been pleased with how the players have responded to him after taking the position in early December as the team tries to bring home its fourth Field Scovell Trophy in 12 Classic appearances.

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

ARLINGTON- Under the closed roof of Cowboys Stadium, the No. 8 Kansas State Wildcats (10-2, 6-2 Big 12) conducted their second practice while readying for their AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic showdown against the No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks (10-2, 6-2 SEC). The Wildcats practiced for two hours in pads and are beginning to fine-tune their game plan for the Razorbacks.

“They (Arkansas) are a lot like Oklahoma State or Texas Tech; they try and catch you with a draw every once in a while,” DE Jordan Voelker said.

Monday, January 2nd, 2012

ARLINGTON -- The No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks continued their preparation for the No. 8 Kansas State Wildcats and 76th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic with a second workout at Cowboys Stadium.

“Today was a lot better than yesterday,” said offensive coordinator Paul Petrino. “I think yesterday we missed a couple of throws and weren’t quite as sharp as we wanted to be. I thought we had a good practice today. We were a lot sharper. Now we just need to build every day and get a little bit better each day so that on game day we are ready to get after it and have a real sharp game.

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

The No. 8 Kansas State Wildcats began their preparations for the 76th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic today with their first practice at Cowboys Stadium. The Cats broke out full pads for a lively practice looking towards their showdown with No. 6 Arkansas.

“I feel very good about this football team and the progress they’ve made,” Head Coach Bill Snyder said. “Our youngsters are pleased, proud and are enjoying the daylights out of themselves.”

Kansas State comes into the Classic after finishing with a surprising 10-2 record and a second place finish in the Big 12 Conference.

Sunday, January 1st, 2012

ARLINGTON -- The No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks kicked off the New Year with its first practice at Cowboys Stadium, site of the 76th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.

Head coach Bobby Petrino said he was pleased with the spirit in the Razorbacks’ first Classic week practice prior to taking on the eighth-ranked Kansas State Wildcats in prime time on Jan. 6.

“We’re really looking forward to the game. We’ll have a good week of preparation to get ready for the 6th,” said Petrino.

In his fourth season guiding Arkansas and eighth as a Division I head coach, Petrino is leading Arkansas to its third-straight and 39th overall postseason appearance.

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

DALLAS -- The sixth-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks rolled into Dallas Saturday afternoon via charter bus for the 76th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.

Arkansas arrived at its team headquarters full of excitement and with its sights set on its primetime matchup against the No. 8 Kansas State Wildcats in six days at Cowboys Stadium.

“I’m excited and the team is excited,” said junior LB Alonzo Highsmith. “It’s been a while since we’ve played and we’re ready to get back out there to practice.

Saturday, December 31st, 2011

GRAPEVINE - The No. 8 Kansas State Wildcats arrived in North Texas this afternoon ahead of their top-ten showdown in the 76th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic against the No. 6 Arkansas Razorbacks.

The team flew into DFW International Airport on Saturday morning, and immediately bussed to the Gaylord Texan Hotel. The Gaylord will serve as the Wildcats’ headquarters during their stay in North Texas.

“We are so very proud of the young men in our program and the courage they have shown this year, and we are very pleased to be here in Arlington representing the Big 12 Conference in the Cotton Bowl," said Head Coach Bill Snyder.

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

The 11th-ranked LSU Tigers closed out their preparations for the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic with a light walk-through at Cowboys Stadium.

With the inside of the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys transforming into a complete AT&T Cotton Bowl look and feel highlighted in LSU and Texas A&M colors, the Tigers (10-2, 6-2 SEC), went through its final rehearsal to face the 17th-ranked Aggies (9-3, 6-2 Big 12) in the 50th meeting between the two programs in the Classic’s 75th edition.

Thursday, January 6th, 2011

The No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies finished their preparations for the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic on Thursday, wrapping the on-site practice week with a Thursday afternoon walkthrough at Cowboys Stadium. The Aggies, dressed in jerseys and shorts, went through a brisk one-hour practice.

After the walkthrough, Texas A&M Head Coach Mike Sherman had an opportunity to reflect back on his team’s Cotton Bowl Classic experience.

“We went to a bunch of different festivities and they were all equally rewarding, but I think the most rewarding was going to the Children’s Medical Center in Dallas and visiting with those kids and the parents,” Sherman said.

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

The 11th-ranked LSU Tigers lightened their workload for their fourth AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic practice, devoting just a little under two hours in shorts and light pads under the lights at Cowboys Stadium.

LSU (10-2, 6-2 SEC) used its final full practice to fine-tune its game plan for the 17th-ranked Texas A&M Aggies (9-3, 6-2 Big 12), working on everything from special teams scenarios to play and substitution patterns in offensive and defensive sets. The Tigers did get to practice with added bonus of a team highlight video playing on the video screens throughout practice.

Wednesday, January 5th, 2011

The No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies continued preparations Wednesday morning for their meeting with the No. 11 LSU Tigers. Texas A&M held its penultimate practice leading up to the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic at Cowboys Stadium, holding a 90-minute workout in jerseys and shorts.

The Aggies (9-3, 6-2) emphasized special teams and red-zone drills and also pitted their first-team defenses and offenses against the service teams. Texas A&M Head Coach Mike Sherman said the service teams are responsible for giving the first-team units a look at what LSU (10-2, 6-2) has shown through the first 12 games this year.

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

The 11th-ranked LSU Tigers spent a little over two hours on the field in shorts and light pads in their third practice session at Cowboys Stadium, priming for their prime-time matchup against 17th-ranked Texas A&M in the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.

The Tigers (10-2, 6-2 SEC) spent another workout concentrating on situational work in all three aspects of the game, using the first part of practice to focus on special teams and moving on into situational scrimmage work on their offensive and defensive game plans.

Tuesday, January 4th, 2011

ARLINGTON, Texas – The No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies hosted a high-profile visitor during Tuesday morning’s practice at Cowboys Stadium. Dallas Cowboys QB and Texas A&M alum Stephen McGee dropped by to watch the Aggies prepare for their Friday night clash with the No. 11 LSU Tigers at the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.
 
“This is one of the big highlights of my year whenever I found out they were going to be playing in Dallas in the Cotton Bowl,” said McGee, who won his first-career start last week when the Cowboys edged the Eagles 14-13 in Week 17.

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Under the perfect conditions of an enclosed Cowboys Stadium, the 11th-ranked LSU Tigers engaged in a second spirited practice in shorts and light pads for the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic.

LSU continued its preparation for its Jan. 7 date with No. 17 Texas A&M (9-3, 6-3 Big 12) with a two-hour workout session in shorts and light pads. The Tigers spent time in on small group instruction and game-situations with its first-team units on offense and defense, piping in crowd noise at times to simulate live game atmosphere.

Monday, January 3rd, 2011

Following a physical couple weeks of practices, the No. 17 Texas A&M Aggies wore shirts and shorts without pads during through their two-hour practice Monday at Cowboys Stadium. The Aggies are adhering to their regular game-week routine in preparation for their game against the No. 11 LSU Tigers for the 75th AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic on Friday at Cowboys Stadium.
 
“We hit them pretty good in College Station and we had a good practice yesterday with pads on,” Texas A&M Head Coach Mike Sherman said.