FAYETTEVILLE — For a couple of moments on Saturday, Billy Ray Smith Jr., was again the center of attention.

Smith, a two-time defensive All-American for the Razorbacks, was Arkansas’ honorary captain. He was honored before the game with a tribute video on the video display board and a rousing standing ovation from fans.

Smith, Arkansas’ record holder for career tackles for loss, earned 299 career tackles and 62 career tackles for loss in his collegiate career.

Smith has also named to the Arkansas all-decade team, the Arkansas all-century team, and is a member of the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame, the Razorback Hall of Honor and the College Football Hall of Fame.

Smith was drafted by the San Diego Chargers in 1983 as the fifth pick of the first round. He was the Chargers team MVP in 1987 and the defensive player of the year in ’85 and ’86.

For the rest of the season, the university plans to name an honorary captain for each game. The captain will appear at the Legends Tent before games and accompany Razorback captains to midfield for the coin toss after being introduced to fans.

Flyover No. 2

Apparently, the new trend at Arkansas is to have a flyover at every home football game.

Fans attending Saturday’s Arkansas-Alabama contest were treated to the second flyover this year. This time, two F/A 18 Super Hornets from Naval Air Station Oceana (Va.) did the pregame honors.

It was the Super Hornets’ third time to do a flyover at Arkansas.

The Super Hornets, part of the Strike Fighter VFA 32 “Fighting Swordsmen,” returned in June from a seven-month deployment of Operation Iraqi Freedom. During their deployment, the Fighting Swordsmen logged more than 4,000 combat hours and dropped 21 bombs.

Raycom Blues

In the last six years, Arkansas is 2-7 in games that have been broadcast on Raycom Sports, formerly known as Jefferson Pilot Sports.

In 2005, the Razorbacks went 0-3 in those early games to Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina, respectively.

Last season, Arkansas’ lone early game was played at Tennessee, where the Razorbacks lost 34-13.

Recruits At The Game

Arkansas only hosted a few prep athletes on Saturday during the Razorbacks’ game against Alabama.

Jeremy Jacobs (Chipola, Fla., Junior College) and Jerad Farmer (Cloud, Kan., Community College) were both on official basketball visits while running back Knile Davis from Marshall High in Missouri City, Texas, was the only football player on an official visit.

Other football players on unofficial visits included seniors receiver Neal Barlow (Pulaski Academy), offensive lineman Colby Berna (Fayetteville), tight end Austin Tate (Harrison), and cornerback David Gordon (Tulsa East Central).

Extra Points

• The Razorback Marching Band drew a large cheer from the crowd at halftime by performing the popular Michael Jackson song “Thriller.” Perhaps the most impressive part was when all band members did the zombie-like dance routine in unison.

• Former Arkansas track coach John McDonnell was honored at halftime for his recent retirement. McDonnell coached the Razorbacks for 36 years and won 42 national championships before retiring on April 21.