FAYETTEVILLE -- Seeing Cedric Cobbs jog gingerly out to Tuesday's practice in a sweat suit and De'Arrius Howard practicing, but limping between plays doesn't look promising for Arkansas' running game again this week.
But it is still early in the week and both expect to be ready by the time Saturday's 6 p.m. kickoff at Kentucky rolls around.
The Hogs' top two tailbacks missed Saturday's 19-7 loss at Ole Miss after suffering injuries during a 33-28 loss to Florida a week earlier.
With both out, the Southeastern Conference's leading ground game (204.6 yards a game) churned out a season-low 82 yards on 32 carries against Ole Miss. It was the lowest output since an 80-yard effort in a 29-17 loss to Minnesota in last season's Music City Bowl.
Cobbs, who practiced Sunday night, left midway through Tuesday's practice and headed to the training room for treatment on his strained right hamstring. Still, the SEC's leading rusher (121.3 yards per game, 6.2 yards per carry) hasn't ruling out the chance he'd play Saturday at Kentucky.
"I'm probably about 60 percent (healthy)," Cobbs said while stretched out on a training table with ice packed around his hamstring. "Since my leg is 60 percent, I guess you could subtract that from 100 percent and say that there's a 40 percent chance that I won't go.
"But, that also means there's a 60 percent chance that I will go."
Arkansas running backs coach Danny Nutt banks on having his top tailback in the lineup.
"We plan to have Cedric," Nutt said. "My gut feeling is that we'll have him."
By practicing Sunday, Cobbs may have aggravated the injury a little and the soreness from that activity made even walking tough on Monday.
"I didn't reinjure it, but I think I wasn't suppose to run on it yet," Cobbs said. "I'm in a situation right now where I can go out to practice and easily just reinjure it and be out for another couple of weeks."
If Cobbs progresses as he should, he expects to be somewhere between 80-90 percent healed by Friday.
"I'm just trying to stay smart about the whole thing and try and get well for this coming Saturday," Cobbs said. "Hopefully, I'll be well enough to wrap it up and run full speed on it."
As far as Howard is concerned, his sprained left ankle is about "80-90 percent" healed as of Tuesday.
"It feels good just to be back out here moving around and stuff," said Howard, who rushed for 218 yards and five touchdowns through the first six games. "It really beats being in that training room, getting treatment and stuff, so I'm looking forward to this weekend."
While Cobbs stayed home this past weekend to receive extra treatment, Howard made the trip and dressed out in hopes of playing. When the Hogs were on offense, he trailed Arkansas coach Houston Nutt up and down the sidelines, but never got the call.
"It was real tough for me to go to sleep Saturday night ... I'm not sure I slept at all," Howard said. "It was so tough just standing there on the sidelines watching and not being able to go to war with my teammates.
"I wanted to put myself in, but I know coach Nutt knows best."
Howard fully expects to get the call on Saturday, but isn't sure exactly what his injured ankle will allow.
"It's still a little sore, but I'm making a lot of progress with the trainers doing a wonderful job of helping me rehab," Howard said. "So, I'm looking forward to getting out there and running some people over Saturday. No cutting. The cutting is when it hurts, but the game is not until Saturday, so I should have more time to rehab it a little more.
"If it's 100 percent, then maybe I won't have to try to run everybody over."
While most tailbacks might selfishly be looking to take advantage of an injured teammate, it actually sounds like Howard and Cobbs are wanting each other to get better.
"We push each other to get through this," Howard said. "I'm really pushing him because it's his last year and he deserves to go out on a high note and he's trying to really push me to set myself up for when it's my turn to be the senior.
"We joke about it, but it is our main goal for both of us to get out of the training room and stay out."
Howard shared snaps Tuesday with flanker-turned-tailback DeCori Birmingham, who had 12 carries for 38 yards against Ole Miss.
Birmingham could play a vital role Saturday, especially if Cobbs is not able to go.
"DeCori is doing so good, almost too good," Danny Nutt said. "He hits the hole so hard that he might need to actually slow down a little bit, so he can allow the blocks to develop.
"He is so fast, but he gives us the quality depth there that we need right now."
But it is still early in the week and both expect to be ready by the time Saturday's 6 p.m. kickoff at Kentucky rolls around.
The Hogs' top two tailbacks missed Saturday's 19-7 loss at Ole Miss after suffering injuries during a 33-28 loss to Florida a week earlier.
With both out, the Southeastern Conference's leading ground game (204.6 yards a game) churned out a season-low 82 yards on 32 carries against Ole Miss. It was the lowest output since an 80-yard effort in a 29-17 loss to Minnesota in last season's Music City Bowl.
Cobbs, who practiced Sunday night, left midway through Tuesday's practice and headed to the training room for treatment on his strained right hamstring. Still, the SEC's leading rusher (121.3 yards per game, 6.2 yards per carry) hasn't ruling out the chance he'd play Saturday at Kentucky.
"I'm probably about 60 percent (healthy)," Cobbs said while stretched out on a training table with ice packed around his hamstring. "Since my leg is 60 percent, I guess you could subtract that from 100 percent and say that there's a 40 percent chance that I won't go.
"But, that also means there's a 60 percent chance that I will go."
Arkansas running backs coach Danny Nutt banks on having his top tailback in the lineup.
"We plan to have Cedric," Nutt said. "My gut feeling is that we'll have him."
By practicing Sunday, Cobbs may have aggravated the injury a little and the soreness from that activity made even walking tough on Monday.
"I didn't reinjure it, but I think I wasn't suppose to run on it yet," Cobbs said. "I'm in a situation right now where I can go out to practice and easily just reinjure it and be out for another couple of weeks."
If Cobbs progresses as he should, he expects to be somewhere between 80-90 percent healed by Friday.
"I'm just trying to stay smart about the whole thing and try and get well for this coming Saturday," Cobbs said. "Hopefully, I'll be well enough to wrap it up and run full speed on it."
As far as Howard is concerned, his sprained left ankle is about "80-90 percent" healed as of Tuesday.
"It feels good just to be back out here moving around and stuff," said Howard, who rushed for 218 yards and five touchdowns through the first six games. "It really beats being in that training room, getting treatment and stuff, so I'm looking forward to this weekend."
While Cobbs stayed home this past weekend to receive extra treatment, Howard made the trip and dressed out in hopes of playing. When the Hogs were on offense, he trailed Arkansas coach Houston Nutt up and down the sidelines, but never got the call.
"It was real tough for me to go to sleep Saturday night ... I'm not sure I slept at all," Howard said. "It was so tough just standing there on the sidelines watching and not being able to go to war with my teammates.
"I wanted to put myself in, but I know coach Nutt knows best."
Howard fully expects to get the call on Saturday, but isn't sure exactly what his injured ankle will allow.
"It's still a little sore, but I'm making a lot of progress with the trainers doing a wonderful job of helping me rehab," Howard said. "So, I'm looking forward to getting out there and running some people over Saturday. No cutting. The cutting is when it hurts, but the game is not until Saturday, so I should have more time to rehab it a little more.
"If it's 100 percent, then maybe I won't have to try to run everybody over."
While most tailbacks might selfishly be looking to take advantage of an injured teammate, it actually sounds like Howard and Cobbs are wanting each other to get better.
"We push each other to get through this," Howard said. "I'm really pushing him because it's his last year and he deserves to go out on a high note and he's trying to really push me to set myself up for when it's my turn to be the senior.
"We joke about it, but it is our main goal for both of us to get out of the training room and stay out."
Howard shared snaps Tuesday with flanker-turned-tailback DeCori Birmingham, who had 12 carries for 38 yards against Ole Miss.
Birmingham could play a vital role Saturday, especially if Cobbs is not able to go.
"DeCori is doing so good, almost too good," Danny Nutt said. "He hits the hole so hard that he might need to actually slow down a little bit, so he can allow the blocks to develop.
"He is so fast, but he gives us the quality depth there that we need right now."
