Nutt says quarterbacks will be tested physically in preseason

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) Arkansas coach Houston Nutt wants the quarterback leading his football team to be able to handle the stress, so preseason practice will be tough for the three candidates for the job.<br> <br> ``You&#39;ll see a more physical pass rush, putting the quarterback under fire, under some pressure,&#39;&#39; Nutt said. ``It&#39;s about executing under pressure. That&#39;s what it&#39;s about so we&#39;ve got to find out which one of these guys is going to do that consistently.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Nutt introduced his team Tuesday at Media Day, a day after the Razorbacks took the field for their first workout of the season. He said several units looked sharp, especially the offensive line, but Nutt knows he faces a tough task deciding which of three unproven quarterbacks will replace NFL first-round draft pick Matt Jones.<br> <br> ``I thought the quarterbacks tried awfully hard yesterday,&#39;&#39; Nutt said. ``They didn&#39;t start out too sharp. Robert Johnson probably was the most accurate yesterday.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Johnson, a sophomore, attempted just 19 passes last season. Freshman Cole Barthel enrolled at Arkansas in January after spending four years pursuing a baseball career in the Atlanta Braves&#39; farm system. Redshirt freshman Alex Mortensen is a third possibility to replace Jones, drafted as a receiver by the Jacksonville Jaguars.<br> <br> Since the quarterbacks&#39; game experience has been limited, the Arkansas coaching staff hopes to make up for that in practice.<br> <br> ``We obviously have to be smart about that. We certainly don&#39;t want to put them at risk. But they&#39;re young, they&#39;re inexperienced,&#39;&#39; quarterbacks coach Roy Wittke said. ``We need to see how they&#39;ll react in live situations.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Each quarterback said he had no problem with defenders being physical in practice.<br> <br> ``I&#39;d rather be getting hit,&#39;&#39; Barthel said. ``It just lets you know how long you can stay in the pocket.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> Whoever wins the starting job should have plenty of talent around him on offense. Wide receiver Marcus Monk set an Arkansas freshman record in 2004 with 37 receptions, and the offensive line will be bolstered by the return of Zac Tubbs. Tubbs, a preseason second-team All-Southeastern Conference selection, broke his left fibula last year and has had related ankle ligament tears.<br> <br> Nutt said Peyton Hillis is already preparing to fill several roles. He has practiced at tailback, fullback, H-back and tight end.<br> <br> ``He&#39;s going to be used in a variety of ways and won&#39;t come off the field very much,&#39;&#39; Nutt said.<br> <br> Defensively, the Razorbacks hope to be quicker than last year. Reggie Herring has taken over as defensive coordinator after a season at North Carolina State in which he helped the Wolfpack improve from No. 89 in total defense in 2003 to No. 1 in the nation last year.<br> <br> Herring said the coaching staff asked some of the linemen to lose weight so they could play faster. He said Ernest Mitchell and Keith Jackson made particularly good progress in the offseason.<br> <br> The Razorbacks&#39; 5-6 record in 2004 marked Nutt&#39;s first losing year in seven seasons at Arkansas. Nutt said the desire to return to a bowl stayed with his team throughout the offseason all the way up until the first practice.<br> <br> ``That empty bowl feeling was a tough winter,&#39;&#39; he said. ``And a tough spring, and a tough summer.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> (Copyright 2005 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)