What happens from here? That is the one question on every Razorbacks fans mind. Is the season over?
It’s not but it may be hanging on by the thinnest of threads. Arkansas had expectations for a national championship and now that is all but gone.
Sure the Hogs could still win the SEC and get into the BCS but how likely is that? Arkansas has a high powered offense. No one questions that but obvious flaws were over looked entering the season.
Tyler Wilson was hit a lot last season and the offensive line did not improve much in the offseason. The defense was average last season and appears to have taken a step in the wrong direction in the first two weeks of the season.
Bobby Petrino’s teams have always been known as an offensive juggernaut but his teams have never been on the same level defensively. But why? His teams at Louisville were always among the nation’s leaders in points scored but never won big games because of the lack of defensive stops. That is the exact same thing Arkansas fans have seen the last few years whether it was the Sugar Bowl against Ohio State or games against LSU and Alabama last year. And, like it or not, this is still Petrino’s team. It will take three or four years to change the culture of the team.
Arkansas can still accomplish a lot this season. They’ve got at least 10 games remaining. But if a defense doesn’t show up , it could be a long year.
The Hogs have allowed 50 first downs and 16 third down conversions combined to Jacksonville State and Louisiana-Monroe. They’ve allowed 436 yards per game and 27 points per outing. Those things combined are the sole reason why Arkansas is in the position they are in. This doesn’t fall on a former head coach or the loss of Tyler Wilson. The lack of defense is why Arkansas is now considered a fringe bowl team. Not on the edge of the BCS but on the edge of making a bowl period.
The beauty (and reality) of sports is drops like this happen every week. The highs and lows of athletics are as vast as the universe.
Unfortunately for Arkansas fans, they seem to be in the process of trying to avoid a black hole.
Quick Tidbits
- I would like to say I was shocked when I saw fans blasting players on message boards and directly to the players on Twitter. But hardly anything shocks me anymore. There is a reason fan is short for fanatic. Let’s try to remember these players are still 18-22 years old and are playing a game.
- Don’t be shocked if this drastically hurts the coaching search. Losing to ULM is a major blow to AD Jeff Long and his hope to make a huge splash. Losing to Sun Belt schools don’t look good for a school looking for a big time head coach.
- Try running the football. You throw a redshirt freshman into the fire and force him to throw it 20 times in a half? When you have the talent of Knile Davis and Dennis Johnson in the backfield, feed them. Get behind an offensive line that is supposed to be superior to the talent and ride those horses.
