Arkansas’ expectations high after loss of Mallett

Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino opened with 25 seconds of reflection on Friday. After the quick look back at the 2010 football season, Petrino went straight into what's next for the Razorbacks. Petrino, in his first comments since Arkansas lost to Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl, hasn't spent much time looking back at last season quite yet. Rather than resting on the virtues of a 10-3 season, Petrino has been busy on the recruiting trail and is already looking ahead to spring practice and life after Ryan Mallett. "There hasn't been a lot of time for reflection," Petrino said. "There hasn’t been a whole lot of time to just sit down and think about the season." Arkansas set or matched 48 individual or team records last season on its way to a season-ending No. 12 ranking, its highest since 1988. Mallett, who declared for the NFL draft after his junior season, set school records for career passing yards (7,493) and touchdown passes (62) in just two seasons. Now it’s up to Mallett's likely successors, Tyler Wilson, Brandon Mitchell or Jacoby Walker, to step in and have immediate success if the Razorbacks are to attain Petrino’s clearly stated goal of a national championship. It's a goal Petrino believes is attainable next season at Arkansas despite Mallett's loss. Petrino finished 5-7 his first season with the Razorbacks in 2008 before improving to 8-5 and a Liberty Bowl win in 2009. The Sugar Bowl appearance was the Razorbacks' first BCS bowl game and marked the third straight year of improvement. "It's obviously our goal," Petrino said. "I'm not sure when I learned it, but I learned a long time ago, I was taught if you have a goal and can't verbalize it, then you’ll never achieve it. "So, we talk about it. We want to win a national championship. That's what our goal is, that's what drives us."