Alabama vs. Arkansas: Absence of QB Tyler Wilson Is No Excuse for Razorbacks

The status of Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson was the the subject of intense speculation all week after the senior signal-caller for Arkansas was knocked out last week in the Razorbacks' 34-31 overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe.

Wilson suited up and warmed up on Saturday afternoon before his team took on the Alabama Crimson Tide, but put the headset on shortly before the opening kickoff and watched from the sideline.

What he saw was his team get shellacked 52-0 by the Crimson Tide.

Would Wilson's presence at quarterback have made a difference?

No.

The Hogs gave up 438 total yards to the Crimson Tide. That's not exactly overwhelming, but Nick Saban's group went into a shell that would make Tommy Tuberville blush, midway through the second quarter.

Last time I checked, Wilson wouldn't have played defense.

Would Arkansas have been shut out with Wilson at the helm? Probably not. But the Hogs were dominated on both lines of scrimmage, and typically, that's what wins football games.

Alabama does that better than any team in the country.

The Tide has shut out its opponent in three of its last four games, with two against ranked SEC opponents. It was the first time Arkansas has been shut out in Fayetteville since 1966.

That's domination. 

Wilson is a great quarterback and would have definitely made this game a little bit more interesting, but his defense hasn't proven that it's capable of stopping anyone, and his offensive line is still very much a work in progress.

But don't use his absence as an excuse, because it's not.

This Arkansas team has been blown out in its last three most important SEC games, and two of those were with Bobby Petrino as head coach and Wilson taking the snaps.

The Hogs are simply not ready for big-boy football. The loss last weekend may have closed that door, but the beatdown at the hands of Alabama locked it and threw away the key.

Arkansas' biggest problems from last season—the offensive line and defense—are still major issues. The presence of Wilson, and Petrino for that matter, wouldn't have changed that.

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