Missouri State and head caoch Bobby Petrino play Arkansas this weekend. 'I’m sure there will be some feelings and some emotions when I step in the stadium.' ChoateMason has more on Petrino's return:
For the first time since he was relieved of his duties at Arkansas on April 10, 2012, Bobby Petrino will return to Fayetteville to coach a football game. This time, he will be on the opposite sideline coaching his Missouri State Bears.
Last season, Petrino and Missouri State fell just short of Oklahoma State — who ended the season as a top 10 team — in Stillwater, 23-16. Petrino talked about how that game and experience can benefit his team going into the matchup with Arkansas. "I’m proud of our team," Petrino said."I’m proud of our assistant coaches and the players that we have. When you look at the last two games, they’re really difficult games for us. We’re playing good teams that are well-coached and they have good players and we had to go battle to win the game. And we got better. We’ve improved in the two games…I think we have a team that really likes to compete. They like each other. They’re not afraid to fail.
"I mean, a lot," Petrino said."He’s big, he can throw the ball, he can throw it deep, he’s an accurate passer, he’s a great runner. So our ability to get people to the ball when he runs it and tackle him. And then his biggest uniqueness, I guess you would say, is that you can have free rushers and you can get guys right there to sack him and he breaks the tackle and he runs out of it. He either throws the ball after he breaks the tackle or he takes off and runs.