# 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.
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
### Coaching staff

| 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: ||||

## Recruits

College recruiting information (2012) :
| 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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/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

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 6:00 pm | No. 22 (FCS) Jacksonville State* | No. 10 | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | ARSN PPV | W 49–24 | 71,062 |
| September 8 | 6:00 pm | Louisiana–Monroe* | No. 8 | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR | ESPNU | L 31–34 $^{OT}$ | 53,089 |
| September 15 | 2:30 pm | No. 1 Alabama | | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | CBS | L 0–52 | 74,617 |
| September 22 | 6:00 pm | Rutgers* | | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | ESPNU | L 26–35 | 72,543 |
| September 29 | 11:00 am | at Texas A&M | | Kyle FieldCollege Station, TX (rivalry) | SECN | L 10–58 | 86,442 |
| October 6 | 11:00 am | at Auburn | | Jordan–Hare StadiumAuburn, AL | ESPN2 | W 24–7 | 85,813 |
| October 13 | 6:00 pm | Kentucky | | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | SECRN | W 49–7 | 67,153 |
| October 27 | 11:21 am | Ole Miss | | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR (rivalry) | SECN | L 27–30 | 55,378 |
| November 3 | 11:21 am | Tulsa* | | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR | SECN | W 19–15 | 64,451 |
| November 10 | 11:00 am | at No. 12 South Carolina | | Williams-Brice StadiumColumbia, SC | CBS | L 20–38 | 78,772 |
| November 17 | 11:21 am | at Mississippi State | | Davis Wade StadiumStarkville, MS | SECN | L 14–45 | 54,838 |
| November 23 | 1:30 pm | No. 8 LSU | | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumFayetteville, AR (Battle for the Golden Boot) | CBS | L 13–20 | 71,117 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Central time ||||||||
* Source: ArkansasRazorbacks.com: 2012 Arkansas football schedule

## Game summaries
### No. 22 (FCS) Jacksonville State

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

### Louisiana–Monroe

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
| Warhawks | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 | 6 | 34 |
| No. 8 Razorbacks | 7 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 31 |

### No. 1 Alabama

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

### Rutgers

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

### At Texas A&M

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

### At Auburn

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

### Kentucky

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

### Ole Miss

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

### Tulsa

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

### At No. 12 South Carolina

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

### At Mississippi State

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

### No. 8 LSU

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

## Rankings

Ranking movements Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking — = Not ranked RV = Received votes :
| | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
| AP | 10 | 8 | RV | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Coaches | 10 | 10 | 21 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Harris | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
| BCS | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |