Cornelius apologetic for output

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas Razorbacks receiver Jared Cornelius sent out a text to Coach Bret Bielema, receivers coach Michael Smith and offensive coordinator Dan Enos after a rusty performance in the team’s 28- 7 loss to TCU.

Cornelius, the Razorbacks’ most experienced wideout who missed almost all of training camp with a sore back, said he underestimated how much time and practice it would take to get back into a groove. He dropped a short pass on Arkansas’ first offensive snap, had a second drop and finished with one catch for 2 yards.

“Jared was very, very disappointed in his play,” Smith said Tuesday. “The great thing about Jared being a leader, being the type of kid he is … immediately after that game myself, Coach B and coach Enos got a text from him saying that would never happen again. So I’m looking forward to watching him play this weekend.”

Cornelius, a senior from Shreveport, said he caught 200 passes a day from a ball machine during last week’s open date.

“I wasn’t happy with the way I played,” Cornelius said. “I don’t say I rushed into playing a game, but I definitely didn’t take enough time on my own catching balls, running routes to get the dust off. I took the blame for it. The receivers didn’t live up to what we’re supposed to do. We let a lot of people down, let the team down, and that’s on me.”

Cornelius said he lost 10 pounds over the course of the week by eating smaller portions at meals. He now weighs 205 pounds.

“I just feel good,” he said. “I’m moving around better. The coaches think so. Just trying to burn as many calories as I can.”

Quarterback Austin Allen said Cornelius is on the upswing.

“He’s caught the ball well and run really good routes,” Allen said. “He’s just coming along. He was out fall camp, so he’s not going to be 100 percent right away. He’s coming along, and he’s a really big part of our game plan this week.”

Cornelius caught seven passes for 126 yards with a touchdown against Texas A& M last season.