With the path of Hurricane Ike unknown and the threat of Ike making an appearence at Royal-Memorial Stadium on Saturday, the Razorbacks will wish they had stayed home.
With two lackluster performances against weak opponents, you would think that the Razorbacks would like to step up and make a statement. But seeing as how they have had to fight and scratch for every offensive yard and point, I don't see this game being any better. Bobby Petrino is probably wishing he had stayed at the cushy confines of Louisville.
Texas, on the other hand, is a team on a mission. That mission is to silence all of the critics and prove they will be a contender in the Big XII this season. The last two games for Texas have been what you would expect: big-time blowouts of overmatched opponents.
While there are still some questions about the defense and secondary on this team, I have the feeling Will Muschamp will have them ready to go and have his system in full effect for this game. This will be the statement game for the Texas defense.
On the offensive side of the ball, the emergence of Fozzy Whitaker is a Longhorn fan's dream. He is probably the best looking running back Texas has had since the days of Cedric Benson.
The only real question on the offense is who will become the deep threat, well it is to early to really tell. But as long as Jordan Shipley can find a way to get open, Colt McCoy will have a good target. Pair that with a good running game, and the Razorback defense will look helpless.
Overall, this game will probably be played in bad weather, and it will probably help Arkansas from getting run over too bad. But the weather won't keep the rest of the nation from learning what Texas fans already know. This team is going to make a run for the Big XII this season.
6 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Robert Nunnally 9 months ago
I am an Arkansas fan. Yet I do not think that the prediction that Texas will win handily to be "out on a limb" at all. Not every team has a Darren McFadden and a Felix Jones in a single year--and certainly few teams can easily sustain the loss of players like this the next year. Even watching Peyton Hillis on TV the other day catching passes as a pro reminds me how much talent the Razorbacks lost. Add to that a new coach, and a new offensive scheme, and the diagnosis is clear--rebuilding year.
I liked Houston Nutt, and I think that he will be missed more than the rabid Razorbacks who had tired of him realized. Yet Petrino is a fine coach, and in the long run, he'll recruit more easily to an SEC school than he could to Louisville. While we wait for this to happen, though, I am afraid we may see some low-win seasons and some unfortunate blow-outs.
This is always the puzzle, though--if Nutt had stayed, the team's defense would have kept a Texas game close. But Arkansas wanted more wins than Coach Nutt delivered. The result? Coach Nutt will now lift Ole Miss to 7 or 8 wins a year--and Arkansas will see if Coach Petrino can deliver 10.
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Kody Brannon 9 months ago
I agree with you on the fact that I think the die hard fans will truly miss the consistency that Nutt brought to the program. And Petrino will truly feel criticisim now in the SEC. If he can recruit well and turn that program back around to better that where Nutt left it. Arkansas will be a force in the SEC. But only time will tell on that one. I'm just hoping Ike doesn't cause this game to be re-scheduled.
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Beach GaBulldog 9 months ago
I hope Texas destroys Arkansas because I hate Petrino. He is a COWARD! He abandoned my favorite pro team the Falcons, and from here on out I am hoping that Petrino loses EVERY DAMN GAME!
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Bert Edens 9 months ago
I wouldn't say the Hogs have had to "fight and scratch for every offensive yard" in the first couple of games... They have over 500 yards of offense against ULM. Their problem so far is youth and shooting themselves in the foot...
That said, I think my beloved Hogs will be hard pressed to be the Horns this year...
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tennhogfan 9 months ago
Yes its true, it doesn't take a genius to predict the winner of this one. Your beloved mighty horns will win
probably well within the first half. Try not to break your arm patting yourself on the back. I'm sure alot of
longhorn fans will get their trashtalkin engine revved up to full speed. That's okay, its just what I would
expect- kick a team while their down (rebuilding) So all you Longhorns, Bama, Ole Miss, Florida, and
whoever else kicks our tail this year get your licks in good and enjoy it. We will be back and there's no
where to go but up. There's a storm comin....and I don't mean Ike.
P.S. Neal, I know you hate Petrino for what he did to your beloved Falcons but seriously dude you need to move on...All that hate built up is not healthy. Coaches get abandoned all the time from GM's that's just part of it.
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Kody Brannon 9 months ago
I don't doubt that Arkansas will be a good team in the future. Petrino(not counting atlanta) has proven he can build a winning team. It wouldn't suprise me to see Arkansas back at the top of the SEC in a couple years .
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