Courtney Fortson tallied 21 points for the Arkansas men's basketball team at Rupp Arena on Saturday afternoon, but opening runs in each half by the No. 2 Kentucky Wildcats proved to be the ultimate difference maker as the Razorbacks fell, 101-70.

Arkansas (8-11, 1-3 SEC) was playing in its second consecutive Thursday-Saturday contest in as many weeks and appeared to be a step slow after a tough game with the Florida Gators on Thursday. Kentucky (19-0, 4-0 SEC) remains the only undefeated team in the nation and should be the unanimous No. 1 team in the country when the new polls are released on Monday.

"We talked about not getting overwhelmed, but that didn't happen," Arkansas head coach John Pelphrey said. "We fell behind 10-0 and didn't do what we needed to do. I thought we competed well in the second half though."

It was a rough start for the Razorbacks as they fell behind 10-0 before Mike Washington converted a three-point play at 17:12. The Wildcats were hot from the floor and Arkansas failed to make many plays, turning the ball over several times in the opening moments. The Wildcats stunning shooting and Arkansas' inability to control the ball was the story throughout the opening 20 minutes of action as Kentucky built a huge lead. The first half would end with Arkansas trailing 57-27. [read more]

Four Razorbacks scored in double figures Thursday evening at Bud Walton Arena, but it wasn't enough as the University of Arkansas men's basketball team lost to Florida, 71-66. Rotnei Clarke led the offensive output with 17 points, including a 5-for-9 performance from behind the three-point line, and Courtney Fortson equaled his career high with 11 assists. Arkansas falls to 8-10 on the season with a 1-3 mark in Southeastern Conference play, while Florida improves to 13-5 and evens its mark in conference play at 2-2.

Courtney Fortson posted his second consecutive double-double effort, scoring 14 points to go along with his assist total. Marshawn Powell and Mike Washington rounded out the Razorback double-digit scorers with 14 and 11 points, respectively. The Gators were led by Erving Walker who poured in a season-high 27 points.

"Obviously, it was a heavily contested game and both teams failed to score in the first half," head coach John Pelphrey said. "(Florida) was tough on the break, but we were able to get the ball inside in the second half. We could not rebound and second-chance points hurt us. That was really the story of the game."

The halftime score, 28-26, was indicative of the high-pressure defense over the opening 20 minutes as well as the back-and-forth nature of the game. Eight ties and four lead changes never gave either team a clear advantage but kept the home crowd on their feet. Arkansas' scoring came from Powell early as he put down Arkansas' first four points in the game. Powell would end the half with eight and the Razorbacks got six from Clarke and Glenn Bryant who each buried a pair of three-point baskets. Clarke has now made a three pointer in 27 consecutive games. [read more]

No. 3 Alabama posted season high scores on all four events and recorded a 197.450-195.500 victory over Arkansas’ No. 7-ranked gymnastics team in Southeastern Conference action in Coleman Coliseum on Friday.

Alabama recorded season highs on vault (49.425), bars (49.475), beam (49.100) and floor (49.450).

“We had a few mistakes on just about every event except beam,” co-head coach René Cook said. “That was a little disappointing. I think the girls were trying a little too hard and tightened up a bit. At the same time, we competed on beam at the end of the meet and I thought we had one of the best rotations we’ve had since we qualified for the national championship last year.”

Highlights for the Razorbacks were season-high team scores of 49.000 on vault and 48.950 on beam.
Individually, senior Casey Jo Magee and freshman Kelci Lewis matched their season highs on bars, sophomore Mariah Howdeshell recorded a season-high score on vault while Lewis matched her best, Howdeshell and Sarah Nagashima matched their season bests on beam, and Magee had a season-high 9.925 on beam.

Magee won the individual beam title with a 9.925

In the first rotation, Alabama got three scores of 9.9 or better on vault for a total of 49.425. Morgan Dennis had a 9.975, Kayla Hoffman a 9.925 and Ricki Lebegern a 9.90.

Meanwhile, Arkansas posted four scores of 9.7 or better on bars for a 48.750 total. Magee had a 9.850, Amy DeFilippo and Jaime Pisani a 9.775 each, and Nagashima a 9.750 while Lewis added a 9.650. Magee and Lewis each matched their season high on the event. [read more]

Former Nevada Wolf Pack assistant football coach Chris Klenakis has been named to the Arkansas Razorback staff as an assistant coach for the offensive line, Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino announced Friday.

The 35-year-old Klenakis, a former Fallon High head coach, has 19 years of Division I coaching experience. Klenakis was the Wolf Pack's offensive coordinator and offensive line coach the past six seasons.

"I've been able to follow his impressive career since the beginning and Chris has an innovative offensive mind," said Petrino, a former Wolf Pack assistant coach. "There are elements of the Pistol offense he ran at Nevada that are intriguing and blend well with our philosophy of being aggressive and attacking defenses in a number of ways.

"He was raised in the profession by Chris Ault, who is one of just a few active head coaches in the College Football Hall of Fame. Chris Klenakis brings great energy and I know our offensive line will enjoy playing for him."

The Wolf Pack had the number one ranked rushing offense in the nation, averaging 344.9 yards per game this past season. The Wolf Pack ranked second nationally in total offense (505.6 yards a game) and sixth in scoring (38.2).

As offensive coordinator and offensive line coach, Klenakis has tutored 12 All-WAC selections. The group includes wide receiver Brandon Wimberly who was the 2009 WAC Freshman of the Year and a second-team honoree. Offensive lineman Alonzo Durham and running back Vai Taua were selected to the first team in 2009, while offensive lineman Kenneth Ackerman, tight end Virgil Green and quarterback Colin Kaepernck were also second-team choices.

Klenakis has also coached for three years at Southern Mississippi (2000-02) and one at Central Missouri (2003).

From 1990-99, Klenakis was an assistant coach at Nevada, serving as offensive coordinator from 1997-99. Under his guidance, Nevada set 24 NCAA records and annually ranked among the national leaders in total offense, passing offense and scoring offense. [read more]

Renewing a Southwest Conference rivalry, No. 5 Arkansas will host the Texas men's track and field team in a scored indoor dual meet Sat., Jan. 16 at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

Field events will begin at 3:30 p.m. and running follows at 4 p.m. Doors open at 2:30 p.m. General admission seats are $3 and reserved seats are $5. University of Arkansas students get in free with their student ID.

The meet will be scored and individual and team trophies will be awarded. The Texas Longhorns will host the outdoor portion of this event April 17 at Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin.

The Razorbacks are the defending Southeastern Conference Indoor and Outdoor Champions and picked up top-10 finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2009. The Longhorns won the 2009 Big 12 Indoor Champions, finished third at the Big 12 Outdoor Championships and picked up top-20 finishes at the NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships in 2009.

Key match-ups include Arkansas' Alain Bailey and Texas' Marquise Goodwin in the long jump, Arkansas' Dorian Ulrey and Texas' Tevas Everett in the 800 meters and the 4x400-meter and distance medley relays. Bailey will be competing in both the high jump and the long jump while Ulrey will double in the 800 meters and the mile. In total, nine student-athletes will be competing in multiple events on Saturday. [read more]

The Arkansas men's basketball team must rebound from a tough loss on Thursday evening in just 40 hours to take on the Alabama Crimson Tide on Saturday afternoon at Bud Walton Arena beginning at 12:47 p.m. The Razorbacks' and Crimson Tide's game will be broadcast regionally on the SEC Network and the game is the first for the Razorbacks on the conference's broadcasting system.

Arkansas (7-9, 0-1 SEC) fought back from a 19-point deficit at Mississippi State on Thursday night to get within a basket, only to fall to the Bulldogs in its conference opener, 82-80. The Razorbacks could have packed it in early against the Bulldogs as they quickly fell behind, but clawed their way back into the game in the second half and gave the SEC West leading Mississippi State team everything it could handle.

Marshwan Powell opened his Southeastern Conference career with 25 points and eight rebounds including 21 in the final 20 minutes of play while Courtney Fortson tallied 20 points in the loss. In two games this season Fortson has moved into the scoring lead on the Razorback roster with 19.5 points per game. He has also dished 12 assists and grabbed nine rebounds since taking the court for the first time this season on Jan. 5.

Alabama (11-5, 1-1 SEC) has had an extra 24 hours to recuperate after dropping to 1-1 in conference play on a 65-64 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores. The Crimson Tide had an opportunity in the final moments to pick up a second SEC win but it was not in the cards. Alabama is led by Mikhail Torrance who is averaging 16.0 points and 3.6 rebounds while also leading the squad in assists. With the guard is 6-9 JaMychal Green who sits at 15.1 points and 7.0 rebounds per game including 35 blocked shots.

The Arkansas-Alabama game will be broadcast regionally on the SEC Network with Dave LaMont and Joe Dean calling the action. The contest can also be heard on radio across the state of Arkansas on the Razorback Sports Network with Mike Nail and Rick Schaeffer giving the calls. Nail is in his 29th and final season as the play-by-play voice of the Razorbacks.

Looking past the Alabama contest, Arkansas will host the Florida Gators at Bud Walton Arena on Jan. 21 in the first of another Thursday-Saturday schedule for the Hogs. The Razorbacks and Gators will air on ESPN.

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. - University of Arkansas junior tight end D.J. Williams elected Wednesday to return to the university for his senior season.

In 2009, Williams was named second-team All-SEC by the league coaches. He played in all 13 games last year and had nine starts. Williams had 32 catches for 411 yards and three touchdowns in 2009. Williams was named to the Lombardi and Mackey Award watch lists prior to the season. He was a nominee for the 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl/FWAA Courage Award and was named to the SEC Community Service team.

Williams, who was the first Mackey Award semifinalist in school history in 2008, has played in 38 career games for the Razorbacks with 19 career starts. He has had 98 career receptions for 1,228 yards and six touchdowns.

[read more]

Updated: 1/13/2010 6:02:34 AM - Vols Coach Lane Kiffin became former coach Wednesday night, announcing he was leaving after just 14 months to take the head coaching spot at USC.

Students protest

The scene on the UT campus calmed down shortly before midnight after an angry student protest bordered on a riot.

After initially gathering at the rock and painting it with several choice words aimed at Kiffin, some students attempted to enter the press conference where the resignation announcement was set to be made. The students were asked to leave and complied.

"We just really wanted to see Lane Kiffin and let him know how we feel," said UT student Zach Griesler. "We wanted to let him know this decision affects people and how betrayed we feel."

Hundreds of students gathered on Johnny Majors Boulevard and were blocking the road after departing Coach Lane Kiffin's statement announcing his departure. Some students apparently blocked the road with the goal of preventing Kiffin from leaving the lot.

[read more]

Arkansas Razorback senior Katie Stripling and junior Shelise Williams picked up the 2010 indoor season right where they left off during the 2009 outdoor season at Friday's Arkansas Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center.

"We had a really strong start to our season today," head coach Lance Harter said. "We had a lot of our younger student-athletes competing and they did a stand-up job. We had great performances out of Shelise Williams in the 400 meters, Stephanie Brown in the 800 meters and Katie Stripling in the pole vault. This is a great starting out point for us."

The No. 17 Razorback women's track and field team picked up four NCAA leaders, two NCAA automatic qualifiers, two NCAA provisional qualifiers and six event wins. [read more]

The No. 5 Arkansas Razorback men's track and field team picked up six event wins at the Arkansas Invitational at the Randal Tyson Track Center on Friday.

"This is definitely a good start," head coach Chris Bucknam said. "We still have a lot of work to do but I like the effort I saw today out of our guys. They were competing hard and winning their events. It's great to see Scott MacPherson back on the track for us. He battled in the mile and he's a great leader for us. Terry Prentice also had a good day. He had three PRs and they add up to a lot of points in the multi events."

Senior Scott MacPherson outkicked SEC Cross Country Champion Barnabus Kirui of Ole Miss to win the mile. MacPherson crossed the line in a personal-best time of 4:08.22 (No. 3 in the NCAA) and paced his teammates to a 1-2-4-5-6-7 finish for Arkansas in the event. Freshman Eric Fernandez was second (4:09.37), freshman Scott Gillespie was fourth (4:11.40), sophomore Lane Boyer was fifth (4:11.91), junior Patrick Russell was sixth (4:12.37) and freshman Dylan Roberts was seventh (4:37.77).

"It feels great to be back on the track and racing again," MacPherson said. "I have a lot of goals for this season and getting a good mile race in is definitely a step in the right direction. I'm excited for this season and the potential of this team. It's my last season so I'm definitely going to make it count." [read more]