Bleacher Report - Articles by Roger Gowens

Arkansas Razorbacks Look To Pluck South Carolina Gamecocks

Roger Gowens — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 23:00:28 -0500

For the second consecutive week, the Arkansas Razorbacks play against a team named for a bird. Last week's Eastern Michigan Eagles were grounded for 39 total yards and no first downs in the first half.

As I wrote in an earlier article, Eastern Michigan, now 0-8 for the 2009 season, might be more appropriately named the Emus for the Australian flightless bird.

EMU head coach Ron English seems like the emu's ostrich cousins, known for having their heads stuck in the sand.

The EMU's first-year head man reminds me of the Kelly McGillis quote to Harrison Ford in the 80s film, Witness. "Be careful among the English," the Amish maiden told the hardened Philadelphia detective.

Ron English in his postgame interviews was quoted in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as saying the Arkansas squad was "all right" after the Hogs rolled to a 42-0 lead at half.

The EMU head coach must have been who the French soldier in Monty Python and the Holy Grail was referring to when he called his foe a "silly English donkey-bottom."

English, in spite of all the Boston Mountains of evidence to the contrary, contended that EMU's issue was blown assignments, not the Hogs.

"What they're going to see on the tape is how many times did you get outathleted?" English said, apparently with a straight face. Broderick Green, Arkansas' 248-pound running back left EMU defenders in the dust on his UA record 99-yard run, outrunning all but one Eagle defensive back.

Green took the one EMU defender's best shot at the 40-yard line, shrugging him off like a subway commuter fighting off Borat.

If Ron English didn't see his team getting "outathleted" time and time again, he must have been on the sidelines having "tea and strumpets" with Lloyd Christmas (Jim Carrey) of Dumb and Dumber fame.

As for this week's birds, the South Carolina Gamecocks led by the Ol' Ball Coach, the Gamehens are coming off a 31-13 loss to Tennessee. That's a funny way to get revenge after Darth Visor publicly fumed over comments by Lane Kiffin in the offseason.

Kiffin was reported to have told a recruit that if the young prospect went to South Carolina, he would end up "pumping gas" once his eligibility was used up. I guess young Kiffin hasn't bought gas in awhile.

Anyway, after late season swoons have become a trademark for Spurious' Thunder Chicken teams, South Carolina will be trying to reverse the "Chicken Curse."

It is a very important game for the Hogs to try to establish more of a homefield advantage at Fayetteville and to get closer to bowl eligiblity.

There's no word on whether South Carolina Rep. Joe Wilson or Gov. Mark Sanford will be in attendance, what with all their Appalachian hiking trips and Presidential heckling to do.

Gamecock defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson and Lorenzo Ward abruptly left UA the last two years to land in Columbia right before national signing day, providing Bobby Petrino with a little extra incentive.

I suppose Johnson and Ward didn't have offers from the new Arkansas Lottery Commission like seemingly everyone else in South Carolina.

One thing is for certain: if the Hogs want a decent bowl destination, this is a must win game. A loss would leave the Hogs at 4-5 with SEC games against much improved Mississippi State and at LSU, along with a decent Troy State team left on the slate.

Hopefully, chicken is on the menu for Saturday, not pork.

Arkansas-E. Michigan: Razorbacks Catch Break In Schedule

Roger Gowens — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 22:04:39 -0400

Like our diets, football schedules loaded with too many cupcakes and twinkies are downright unhealthy. Also like the human diet, all meat is not a healthy alternative.

The Arkansas Razorbacks, after a six week gauntlet consisting of five teams that have been ranked at one time or another this season (including seeing both of the current Top Two teams on the road), are ready for some dessert.

The 0-7 Eastern Michigan Eagles, I believe they are called, are a welcome relief after that brutal stretch without a bye.

Rather than Eagles, I believe this team should be known as the Emus, a wingless Australian bird related to the ostrich, 'cause this team isn't exactly flying high. After all, the school is known as EMU, right?

All week, Hog QB Ryan Mallett has warned his teammates about the Appalachian State win over his Michigan Wolverines two years back. The problem with that analogy is that App State was a good team that won the FCS national championship that year.

EMU has major defensive problems, compounded by the probable return of the Hogs' Joe Adams who was the leading receiver before suffering a mild stroke the week of the Auburn game.

"Fuhgeddaboutit" as they say in New York, this game won't be close. So what can the Hogs gain from a win over EMU, other than just getting one step closer to a bowl game?

Confidence, that's what. Before beating Arkansas last week, Ole Miss had a confidence-building rent-a-win over UAB the week before to get their struggling offense on track. Then we saw what happened against the Hogs.

Arkansas can use this game to get a big lead, rest starters, get some work for second stringers, and hopefully get the running game and D.J. Williams going before the stretch run. And, of course, regain some confidence.

Beginning this week, four of the Hogs last five games are at home with only a finale at Baton Rouge outside the borders of Arkansas.

South Carolina on Nov. 7 is a critical game.

While the Hogs should be cruising against hapless EMU, the Gamecocks have a date with the improving Tennessee Vols. The Hogs should be rested and ready to go, while hopefully South Carolina will be extended in Knoxville.

Bobby Petrino would never admit as much, but the Hogs have probably snuck a peek or two at the Ol' Ball Coach's team this week on the sly.

Arkansas desperately needs that game to get within one game of bowl eligibility and to try to establish a homefield advantage for the future.

Sticking it to Ellis Johnson and Lorenzo Ward—SC assistants who left UA right before national signing day—the last two years wouldn't be a bad thing, either.

Of course, sticking it to an old coach last week didn't work out so well, so that's not the primary objective. The Hogs just need to take care of business against a weak opponent this week, then put chicken on the menu.

Some people do eat dessert first, you know, and the Hogs haven't had any dessert in a long time.

For Halloween, surely the Hogs will get a whole bag of sweet treats against Eastern Michigan as long as EMU doesn't come dressed as Western Illinois, a team that gave the Hogs fits in 2008.

Ideas for SEC Football Coaches' Halloween Costumes

Roger Gowens — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 00:07:29 -0400

With Halloween coming on a football Saturday this year, I just couldn't shake one thought. That is, what kind of costumes the current SEC football coaches might wear if there were to be an SEC Halloween costume party. Here are some ideas:

Urban Meyer/The Pope

Reportedly named for Pope Urban, as winner of two national championships in four years at Florida, Urban Meyer is considered infallible by many of the Gator faithful. The other 11 SEC football coaches are expected to line up and kiss Urban's ring. Not to mention SEC officials...

Nick Saban/Satan

Ever since Saban has been in the SEC, his nickname among opposing fans has been Nick Satan. That bouffant coiffure helps hide the horns. What could be more appropriate than a battle at the end of the season between Satan and the Pope?

Mark Richt/Tommy Bowden

Too tall and blond to play Terry Bowden, too young to play Bobby Bowden, that leaves Tommy Bowden for Mark Richt. Still hasn't received absolution from the Pope for that 85-man touchdown celebration two years ago. Good luck with that, Mark.

Houston Nutt/Craig the Spartan Cheerleader from Saturday Night Live (Will Ferrell)

Craig, along with his cohort Arianna (Cheri Oteri), are awkward, cheerleader wannabes who show up at school functions to do their thing...uninvited. Kind of like how Houston Nutt and his Ole Miss Rebels tried to show up at the SEC Upper Echelon Ball.

Nutt would be right at home as a high school cheerleader with his Harry High School antics, leading the fight song and mugging for the cameras after games. While at Arkansas, Nutty elbowed the band director out of the way to lead the band after a two-point win over Vanderbilt that happened only because the Commodores missed a field goal by inches at the gun.

Lane Kiffin/Garfield

If you google Lane Kiffin, you get about 595,000 results. Try lame kitten and you get over 600,000 results. There is even a Web site called lamekitten.com devoted to the first year Tennessee coach. Besides, Garfield likes to shake things up and his orange-like hue is close enough to the Vols orange color scheme.

Les Miles/Nick Saban

In the eyes of most fans in Cajun country—when it comes to LSU's recent coaches—Les is less than Saban and always will be. Les would prefer to be the Pope, with Miles' affinity for hats and all. That Pope hat would have to look less dorky on Miles than the lids he wears on game day, but Urban gets first dibs.

Steve Spurrier/Bill Clinton

Like the former President, Steve Spurrier had his best days back in the '90s, and both were forever changed by their experiences in Washington, D.C. Oh well, like they say, it's better to be a has-been than a never-was. We feel your pain, Steve.

Bobby Petrino/General William T. Sherman

Union Civil War General Sherman first became a General in Louisville, KY, like Petrino, and both are despised in Atlanta, GA. Sherman is supposed to have told Ulysses S. Grant that he'd "make Georgia howl" and boy, did both of these guys accomplish that feat!

Rich Brooks/John Calipari

Brooks will have to delegate the waxing of Calipari's ride to head coach in waiting Joker Phillips. It will take a full day of being made up for the dour Brooks to pull off the costume as the slick new UK basketball guru known as Calamary by his many critics. Give it a full detail, Joker. The Squid will want to make it look good for his big date with the NCAA gumshoes.

Gene Chizik/Charles Barkley

You'd be hard-pressed to find two individuals any more different than these two men. It would give Chizik a chance to answer Sir Charles' claim that the new Auburn headman was unqualified. Chizik could make like Frank Caliendo and tell Barkley his analysis is "turrible, just turrible."

Bobby Johnson/Steve Martin

Last year with the 'Dores going to a bowl, and winning, no less, Johnson must have felt like the Steve Martin character, Navin Johnson in The Jerk. "The new phonebook's here, the new phonebook's here, I am somebody!" Navin Johnson exclaimed when his name first appeared in the telephone directory.

Also, like Navin Johnson, Bobby Johnson hit hard times shortly thereafter with a 2-6 record through eight games.

Dan Mullen/SEC Official

The Mississippi State rookie head coach recently found out you don't quite get the calls at MSU that the Florida Gators receive. Mullen was reprimanded by the league, the second consecutive week a coach who just got hosed against the Gators got called on the carpet by the SEC.

A seeing eye dog and cane with a Florida No. 15 jersey make nice accessories with the striped pants for the SEC officials Halloween costume, Dan.

Did The Arkansas Razorbacks "Shoot Their Wad?"

Roger Gowens — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 23:44:11 -0400

On last saturday's College Football Gameday on ESPN, when it came time to pick a winner in the Arkansas-Ole Miss matchup, after guest Lavell Edwards, former coach of BYU made his choice of Ole Miss, it was Lee Corso's turn at the mic.

Lee Corso, who so often is a good barometer on the show (if you're a betting man, just take the team Corso picks to lose) made what some considered to be a very un-PC remark.

"Ole Miss. Arkansas shot their wad last week at Florida," Corso intoned to snickering from his cohort Kirk Herbstreit.

"Can you say that?" Herby asked.

To those who know the term only for its adult content, slang for, well you know, I suppose it would be considered too risque for daytime TV.

For men of Lee Corso's generation, however, Corso is probably pretty near my 80 year old Dad's age, the term has a different meaning. Even though Lee Corso does ads for Hooters, I seriously doubt if the former coach at Louisville and Indiana meant it the way Herbstreit took it.

Shooting a wad is a muzzle-loading term. A wad is paper that wraps around the ball and gunpowder. In Civil War times, or about the time Lee Corso took up football, in the heat of battle, it was common for a shooter to forget to drop a ball down the barrel before packing wadding, hence a wasted shot.

Nothing shot but the wad.

Oldtimers like my Dad used to use a phrase for a politician who did poorly on Election day. "That SOB didn't get enough votes to wad a shotgun," they said in the days of paper ballots.

I got the meaning even if many others thought Corso was using slang. Which brings us to Lee Corso's central point. Did the Arkansas Razorbacks "expend all their energy" in a wasted effort, which is another meaning of "shooting one's wad?"

I don't think that is the case.

This Arkansas team just reached the last leg of a brutal stretch in the schedule.

In the last six weeks—remember the Hogs had their bye week in Week Two—Arkansas played Georgia, at Alabama, Texas A&M at a neutral site, then undefeated Auburn, at undefeated Florida and at an Ole Miss squad that was picked by some, erroneously I thought, to win the SEC West.

Name one football team outside the NFL that played that tough a schedule over a six week period.

Not only were the Hogs playing a second-straight game on the road against an SEC opponent, but an SEC West opponent whose coach would rather beat Arkansas than nearly anything, other than send text messages, maybe.

This Arkansas squad came out flat against Ole Miss, a team who wanted this game bad enough to give their coach a Gatorade bath after victory was secured. Maybe that was due to coming up short in Gainesville the week before.

However, this team had improved every week for three straight weeks leading up to SEC West foe Ole Miss. Far from "shooting their wad" in the slang sense, this team has a lot of good football yet to be played in the 2009 season, in my opinion.

Some even thought the Hogs might win out before the Ole Miss loss to finish 9-3.

That was overly optimistic. Getting to 8-4 will be difficult with a trip to Baton Rouge looming in the last week to face SEC West power LSU.

I picked the Hogs to finish 7-5 before the season, hoping for better, of course. A 7-5 record looks realistic now, but South Carolina at home on Nov. 7 won't be easy. SEC West opponent Mississippi State may not be easy, either, but 7-5 is my story and I'm sticking to it.

Arkansas Razorbacks Take Giant Step Backward vs Ole Miss

Roger Gowens — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 01:15:02 -0400

There is an old saying by coaches not to dwell on a loss in a previous game. "Don't let Florida (in the Hogs' case) beat you twice." By concentrating on the Florida game and the subsequent suspension of that games' officials, the Arkansas Razorbacks may have done just that.

The Hogs might have lost to Ole Miss anyway, after all, Ole Miss was highly regarded entering the 2009 season and ranked No. 4 in the nation at one time. Of course, that ranking was a case of too much, too soon and based on last year's Rebel squad that had five players depart for the NFL.

However, with a performance that could be charitably described as unfocused, unprepared, and even downright miserable, the Hogs could not have beaten any SEC team on Saturday.

Missed blocks, missed assignments, missed tackles, a personal foul on the first play from scrimmage, a host of pre-snap offensive penalties, where do we begin?

That misery index doesn't even begin to explain one dropped pass after another by the Hogs' normally sure-handed receivers.

Many fans will vent their spleens on Ryan Mallett's less than stellar play. On those rare occasions when Mallett had enough time to throw the ball, the receivers dropped the ball almost half of the time. Mallett had 12 completions, I counted eight drops.

Yes, there were a few times when Mallett airmailed the ball 10 feet over the receivers' head or gunned a 100 mile per hour fastball when a touch pass would have been better, but his performance was no worse than most of his teammates and better than many.

Getting blasted in the back or hit in the mouth has a tendency to affect most quarterbacks, especially when it is happening on what seemed like nearly every pass play.

Once again, like earlier in the season, the running game was almost nonexistent with Michael Smith getting 35 yards on only six carries. How can any running back get into a rhythm with so few opportunities?

Part of the problem is so many pre-snap penalties. The Hogs had only six infractions, but it seemed like many more. Not that they were bad calls, mind you. But if you're constantly in second down and 15 and the like, the running game is severely hampered.

Delay of game. False starts. Illegal substitution. These penalties should not be happening in the seventh game of the season. That goes back to coaching. This team was as ill-prepared and out of sync as any Arkansas team in recent memory. The Hogs played as if their minds were elsewhere. Did they have no idea that this was a big game for Ole Miss and Houston Nutt?

The defense was just as bad or worse than the offense with a host of missed tackles. Danger Will-y Robinson! Dexter McCluster, No. 22, is someone you just might want your players to keep track of.

After McCluster gashed the Hogs' for over 150 yards in the first half, whatever adjustments were made didn't work as the little engine that could steamrolled the Hogs for over a hundred yards again in the second half, totaling a ridiculous 260 yards for the game.

With just 39 yards less than the entire Arkansas team had in total offense, the Hogs defense made McCluster, a good player, look like Barry Sanders in his prime. The tackling on the screen pass was straight out of Keystone Kops.

McCluster had seven catches for 137 yards and a touchdown, just less than twenty yards a pop. While some Hog fans were expecting a two touchdown or bigger victory, I knew better. I knew Houston Nutt would have his team playing at a fever pitch and with the Hogs' tendency to give up long touchdown plays, I was expecting a close game.

I thought the Hogs had a good chance to win, but I was shocked by the Hogs' lack of preparedness and lack of any sense of urgency. I had to wonder what this team did all last week.

It could be that the team just didn't bring their practice to the game as coaches like to say, but it looked as if the Hogs had no defensive gameplan whatsoever after executing an excellent plan vs Florida last week.

If not for a lucky touchdown pass by the Hogs and Nutt going conservative, this game probably would have been a blowout by 4 touchdowns or more.

One factor may have been playing a different type of offense after three straight games vs the spread, but that's an excuse. One of the things I liked least about Houston Nutt was his excuse making after losses. There can be no excuse for the Hogs' performance in this game.

I give Bobby Petrino and his staff credit for not alibiing, but at some point these players need to learn that in the cutthroat SEC if you come out flat and uninspired, unless you're playing Vandy in some years, you're going to get your backside handed to you.

That's exactly what happened as Ole Miss made 31 first downs and 553 total yards with 221 yards rushing to the Hogs' piddly 299 and 45.

With winless Eastern Michigan next on the schedule, the Hogs figure to even the record at 4-4. However, at 1-4 in SEC play with the only win coming over an Auburn team that has been exposed as a pretender, until the Hogs beat an SEC team with a winning record, Arkansas has to be considered pretenders also.

A win over South Carolina on Nov. 7 could be a start, but like any game in the premier conference in college football, if it happens, it won't come easily. This UA team still has a long way to go.

It is a young team with a roster dotted by sophomores and juniors, but few seniors who play much. For this team to contend for SEC honors in the future, it won't happen unless and until the coaches and players realize that this isn't Conference USA or even the Big East.

In the SEC, a team must be ready for a knockdown-dragout every week or what happened against Ole Miss will happen again and again.

As for those who put Houston Nutt on a pedestal, I still contend that the man is a mediocre coach. If not for his curious decision to go ultra-conservative as he so often does right before the end of the first half, Ole Miss could have had that game put away at halftime.

Nutt got cute down on the goal line running the Wildcat when Snead had a hot hand and the Rebels settled for a field goal. Let's not forget that the holes on the Arkansas roster in the upper classes are due to Nutt's scattershot recruiting.

Let's also not forget that the Jevan Sneads and Dexter McClusters, along with their stable of defensive linemen, were recruited by Nutt's predecessor at Ole Miss.

Watching Damian Williams star at USC as a receiver and dangerous punt returner after Nutt ran him out of Fayetteville is all the worse when the Hogs have maybe the worst punt return average in the country.

Maybe someday someone on our side will figure out that this has become an important game and come prepared.

Arkansas-Ole Miss: 10 Things to Look For

Roger Gowens — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 01:11:34 -0400

In watching the early morning SEC matchup between the Arkansas Razorbacks and the homestanding Ole Miss Rebels, here are ten things to look for in the game:

1. Watch the referees. You won't see Marc Curles and crew. The "officiating" crew that wrapped up a victory for the Florida Gators last week in a big ol' "te-bow" has been suspended by the SEC for this week's games and won't work again until Nov. 14 at the earliest.

Given that two members of Marc Curles' crew worked the Arkansas-Ole Miss game last year in Fayetteville and a member of that crew who was out of position made a controversial offensive pass interference call against the Hogs, the officials will be under intense scrutiny.

2. Watch the left side of the Ole Miss offensive line. In games against non-hyphenated or directional schools, the Rebs' O line has protected QB Jevan Snead about as well as balloon boy's parents protected their child.

Oops, the whole thing was a fraud? So is Ole Miss, ranked No. 4 in the nation at one point and possibly about to fall to 4-3 with wins over a trio of cupcakes and Vandy.

3. Look for Ole Miss to come out of the tunnel last. In a bit of gamesmanship last year in Fayetteville, Houston Nutt held his visiting team, customarily the first squad to hit the field right before the game, in the tunnel until after Bobby Petrino and the Hogs came out.

I guess the man called "Hootie" by many critics in the Natural State couldn't bear to hear a few boos.

4. Watch for Ole Miss to try a few trick plays, particularly a reverse pitchback to Jevan Snead out of the Wildcat formation for a deep throw. Alabama burned the Arkansas defense with Greg McElroy throwing to Julio Jones after lining up at receiver.

Houston Nutt, not being the most creative guy, will at least try something along those lines.

5. How well the Hogs run the ball will be one of the keys to this game. Michael Smith had a big game against Ole Miss last year but has been slowed by a pulled hamstring. If Smith can't go, Dennis Johnson, dinged late last week against Florida, has to do a lot of double duty since Johnson is the Hogs' primary kickoff returner.

6. See No. 5. When Arkansas has the ball, watch to see how many yards the Hogs gain on first and second down. The Hogs are 116th in the nation at converting third downs, due in large part to penalties and lost yardage plays resulting in third and 10 or longer.

If Ryan Mallett is forced into a lot of long yardage situations, the Ole Miss rush could get several sacks.

7. If Mallett does get time to throw, the Hogs win easily. Ole Miss' achilles heel is the secondary. Starting corner Marshay Green has a lacerated kidney and may not play. Whether Green plays or not, Bobby Petrino will call some deep throws to test either he or his replacement.

8. If the Hogs get out to an early lead, Arkansas has outscored opponents in the first quarter 55-23, watch for cameras to pick up Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt biting his fingernails to a nub on the sidelines.

9. See what goofy thing Nutt says to the sideline reporter either going to the lockerroom at halftime or coming out for the second half, depending on who has the lead at break.

Listen for boos of Nutt who may be fast wearing out his welcome in Oxford if the Rebels lose at home. Never has a quarterback regressed any more from one year to the next than Jevan Snead from last season to 2009. Lack of protection is much of the problem, but even when Snead has had time, his throws have been high or behind receivers this year.

10. See which coach is wet at the end of the game. Nutt got a Gatorade bath after his return to Fayetteville last year. Bobby Petrino just might get one tomorrow, especially since Nutt celebrated as if he had won the national championship a year ago.

Arkansas-Ole Miss: A Tale Of Two Coaches

Roger Gowens — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 23:51:35 -0400

One of the story lines in this saturday's Arkansas-Ole Miss game is the stark contrast in the two coaches, Houston Nutt of Ole Miss, formerly of Arkansas, and Bobby Petrino, the Hogs' second year head man.

While the game itself should be a good one, the subject of the two coaches is one that is taboo in some circles in Arkansas. There have been a few people who claimed to be Razorback fans who have since switched their allegiance to Ole Miss since Nutt blindsided some and accepted the Ole Miss job just a day after his departure from Arkansas.

Good riddance, I say. If someone wants to be more of a Houston Nutt fan than a Hog fan, that's their right. It's my right and the right of most other true Razorback fans to tell them not to let the door hit them where the Good Lord split them.

Now, to the many differences between Houston Nutt and Bobby Petrino. While both had acclaimed playing careers in football and basketball in high school and both are coaches' sons, that's about where the similarities end.

Bobby Petrino has a plan for everything. It starts with recruiting, the lifeblood of any college football program. Parents of prospective UA recruits have been shocked at the detail of Petrino's plan for their sons, not only on the field, but in the classroom as well.

That is a major contrast to Houston Nutt's fly by the seat of the pants, tell-'em-what-they-want-to-hear spiel. Nutt has been known to sign six to ten players at one position in one recruiting class, usually running back or defensive back, then move some to other positions.

Last spring's Ole Miss signing class sported more names than the Iraqi Army with a hard to believe 38 signees. Last season after signing a player out of Arkansas, the young man received a call from Nutt in the summer wanting the player to walk on for a year.

Instead, he decided if he was going to pay his own way, it would be at UA. There were numerous young men who were academically qualified who signed letters of intent with UA during Nutt's tenure who got that call, some even got their ticket pulled altogether.

Bobby Petrino is all about trying to build a program with an emphasis on the longterm. Houston Nutt is all about trying to cobble together a team for a year or two and make a splash, then win just enough games to get into a lower tier bowl in the ensuing years (and keep his job), then repeat the process with a bunch of junior college players.

Petrino runs a disciplined program including the offseason. Nutt comes up with pithy little slogans like "Nuttin' but fun", "bring da' wood" with players brandishing little baseball bats, and last years' laughably cliched "one heartbeat".

Petrino has very detailed gameplans, relying on film study, preparation and conditioning to beat opponents. Nutt seems more worried about pickup basketball games among the coaches than prepping for the upcoming foe.

After all, when a coach can call on tent revival emotionalism to rally the troops on gameday, who needs preparation? I've heard some fans of other schools wonder why Rece Davis of ESPN calls Nutt the "Right Reverend". If you've ever heard a clip of one of Nutt's pregame speeches, you know.

"Special teams be special! ", "don't leggo th' rope!", "defense give me three turnovers!" all delivered in an impassioned rant that would make any Shiite Mullah or faith healer proud are among Nutt's gems.

Before you get the idea that I'm one of what Nutt quaintly called "haters", I give the man more credit than many Hog fans. It's not that Houston Nutt is a bad coach. The point is that he is a mediocre coach.

When Danny Ford left Arkansas, driving all those cattle back across the Big Muddy, Ford left a talented team that lacked only someone to make them believe. Nutt did just that, even though Ford is reported to have remarked of Nutt, who was Ford's receiver coach for a season, "that guy wouldn't even make a good high school head coach".

When ace recruiter Ed Orgeron left Ole Miss a full cupboard of talent, I had no doubt that Nutt would win there. For a year or two. That's what a "fixer" does. Make a team beaten down by losing and negativity believe in themselves and win games.

Then expectations are raised through the roof, even though a few key players are lost and suddenly emotion is not enough to overcome mediocre preparation and the players' confidence is shattered, leading to fewer wins.

Houston Nutt's entire ten year career at Arkansas is marked by two good years followed by two not as good years, then two good years and so on, with the best seasons coming in the first year of the cycle. Then the second year, as expectations increase, wins decrease.

We are seeing the same cycle repeated at Ole Miss with the Rebels' 9 wins last year looking like something less in 2009 in spite of the SEC's softest schedule.

As for Bobby Petrino, time will tell as to whether or not he will stay long enough to win big at Arkansas. My guess is due to the strafing from ESPN and other media outlets over the way he left Atlanta, Petrino will stay awhile. No NFL team would give the man the time of day for a long time, if ever.

If Petrino does stay, there is no doubt in my mind that the Hogs will win big, quite possibly in 2010 after a strong finish this season.

Arkansas Razorbacks' Midseason Report Card

Roger Gowens — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 23:09:37 -0400

Here we are at the halfway point of the 2009 regular season for the Arkansas Razorbacks with the team standing at 3-3.

How do the Hogs stack up by position and how will things look in the second half of the regular season?

Receivers: A-

The main reason this is not an "A" is the injury problems that have plagued the receiver corps and caused a revolving door with guys coming and going throughout the early part of the Hogs' 2009 campaign.

Just as London Crawford and Lucas Miller came back from broken collarbones, Joe Adams went out with a mild stroke. If all of the receivers are ever together this season, the Hogs have the best group, not only in the SEC, but in the nation.

I would like to see more balls thrown D.J. Williams' way, but defenses are determined not to let #45 beat them. In the absence of receptions, D.J. has greatly improved his blocking in 2009. All of these guys block well as evidenced by Jarius Wright's crushing block on the Greg Childs touchdown vs. Florida.

Offensive Line: C

The "big uglies" upfront as Keith Jackson of ABC fame used to call them, have performed adequately. Not spectacular, not terrible. This unit has greatly reduced last year's embarrassing sack total in spite of more pass attempts.

Is this group "gettin' bettuh" as Frank Broyles might say? You bet. I look for the average grade to move up by the end of the season. Ray Dominguez has cut his penalties way down, and Seth Oxner has been solid as he tries to replace UA's best ever at his position. Mitch Petrus has played well at one guard, Wade Grayson has solidified the other and DeMarcus Love has made a successful transition from guard to tackle.

The run blocking needs continued improvement and I believe we will see it in the remainder of the 2009 season.

Running Back: B-

Again, injuries to Michael Smith have effected this mark. First the shoulder, then the hamstring injury have held back the Hogs' Little Big Man.

Dennis Johnson filled in brilliantly against the Gators just as he did in 2008 against LSU. Broderick Green has been better of late after struggling in the redzone early. Part of that was the line, which was still in flux earlier.

Ronnie Wingo and Knile Davis have shown flashes, particularly Wingo on the touchdown in the A&M game.

The future is bright here with or without a certain recruit who appears headed to Auburn.

Quarterback: B+

This could easily be an "A" if not for the Alabama fiasco. Ryan Mallett is still a work in progress as his footwork still causes inaccuracy at times. Mallett has reportedly worked hard on touch passes and it shows.

You've got to love that big right arm. I love Mallett's game other than his lack of great mobility. I like that he doesn't take anything from anyone on the field. Every game, Mallett makes a throw or two that no one else that I've seen in college football can make.

I just wish he had hit Van Stumon in the endzone in Gainesville. Oh well. No QB completes 100%, but Mallett doggedly keeps throwing mud at the wall until some sticks. He will own every record in the UA passing annals before he's done.

Special Teams: C+

The reason this grade is as high as it is is simple. The Hogs have had only one kick blocked, that one after the 'Bama game was pretty much decided.

Dennis Johnson's kickoff returns have been excellent, the 70 yarder against Auburn choked off the attempted Tiger comeback.

The Hog kickoffs have been decent since Cameron Bryan took over kickoff duties. Actually Bryan has been a little better than average with his placement and has shanked none out of bounds since early in the season.

Punt returns have been dismal, but there has only been one muff which Tenarius Wright and Jerry Franklin took care of a couple of plays later with the defensive TD vs. A&M.

Punter Dylan Breeding, an Alabama native, is like Forrest Gump's box of chocolates. "Ya nevuh kno' what yer gonna git"

The lack of a punt return game and missed field goals keep the grade from being better. Alex Tejada is 9-11 on the season on three-pointers, but most only remember the two misses in Gainesville, which came at critical times in the game. I'll just leave it at that.

Defensive Line: B

This grade would have been much lower if given right after the games against Georgia and Alabama. Since then, this unit would get an "A". The last three games, this unit has dominated consistently. Malcolm Sheppard and D.D. Jones made Florida's offensive line look soft. Zach Stadther and Patrick Jones have been solid.

Jake Bequette is starting to remind me of Chris Long of Virginia earlier in this decade. Tenarius Wright is a little undersized for an SEC End, but has shown a lot of potential. Adrian Davis and Damario Ambrose are solid. This is starting to shape up as a good SEC defensive line that will continue to get better in the second half of the season.

Linebacker: B-

Other than Jerry Franklin's loss of poise against Georgia, #34 has played well. Wendel Davis is undersized, but has played very well. Jerico Nelson, who plays the hybrid jack linebacker spot, has often been spectacular as against Auburn. The kid can play.

The problem here is there is no depth.

Defensive Backs: Incomplete

This is the hardest grade to give. To give an "F" due to all the big plays would be unfair in my opinion. Ramon Broadway has been victimized, penalized and scrutinized, but has made some plays also.

It should be noted that the penalty on Broadway in the Florida game was bogus. Don't believe me, just read Terrell Owens' Twitter page. Perhaps the most famous receiver in football took the side of the DB in a man bites dog story.

Andru Stewart has been solid and was in line for a big interception against the Gators until Octupus-armed Riley Cooper, a one man offensive interference machine, did his thing, with no flag I might add.

Rudell Crim was burned against 'Bama, but rarely tested deep since. The Crim Reaper is getting better by the game judging by his lack of face time the last three games.

Matt Harris is solid at free safety. Unsung Elton Ford did not play in the Georgia game. When Ford was on the field against Auburn, the Tigers were tamed. When Ford left with an ankle injury early in the 3rd quarter, the Hogs' lead was almost blown like a candle in the wind, going from a score of 34-3 to 34-23.

When he returned, Ford snuffed out the Auburn comeback as Gus Malzahn's high-flying offense was held to 19 yards in the 4th quarter. That should tell you something. Elton Ford, who broke bones in his neck last season, should never have his toughness questioned.

As for the final grade, an incomplete is not an altogether bad grade. For a DB, an incomplete pass is a good thing, for instance. I just feel that this group, like the entire defense, is getting better with every game. The injury to starting field corner Isaac Madison before the season was a blow to this unit, also.

Ramon Broadway was caught peeking into the backfield on the long Florida TD saturday, a no-no in man to man coverage. If this team had Madison and Crim at the corners, it would be a better than average pair, but let's not go all "Nutt-y" with alibis.

You must play with who you have and Crim and Broadway are progressing, along with the rest of the secondary. It will be interesting to see if Darius Winston plays if he gets healthy as he and fellow freshman David Gordon could be a formidable pair in the future.

Coaching: A-

This team has steadily gotten better by the game since midway last season. John L. Smith has helped the special teams, which were anything but special in 2008.

The players at all positions are improving. How can you give an A- when the record is 3-3? Look no further than the schedule. Two of the losses were to numbers 1 and 2 in the polls, both on the road. Arkansas' opponents are a combined 29-11 with four straight who were unbeaten at the time the games were played.

The last coach would be whining about how the SEC is "so haaaaaaaaaaaaard" and crying about the injuries while Bobby Petrino just goes back to the film room and figures out ways to get the most out of his team.

The reason the grade is not an "A" is the Georgia game and a couple of uncharacteristically conservative playcalls. The run on 4th and 6 against Auburn was blown up from the getgo, and the run on 3rd and 4 in Gainesville was a headscratcher.

If I was calling plays, however, I probably wouldn't agree with many of them in hindsight, so let's not quibble.

We as Arkansas Razorback fans need to get over the incompetent officiating in the Florida game and focus on Ole Miss. The Florida game was a longshot that lost in a photo finish, albeit one taken with a slanted lens.

Ole Miss is a thoroughbred team coached by a jackass. A win over the Rebs could propel the Hogs to an 8-9 win season, a loss could mean 6-6 or 7-5 instead. The stakes are getting higher, too high to drive while looking in the rearview mirror instead of the windshield.

Are SEC Officials Deciding Games?

Roger Gowens — Sat, 17 Oct 2009 22:38:55 -0400

One of the most controversial calls in recent college football history was the 15 yard celebration penalty given to Georgia after receiver A.J. Green's touchdown catch against LSU. It was clearly a bad call by an official that former Buffalo Bills head coach Marv Levy once referred to as an "overofficious jerk" on NFL Films.

In the most recent flurry of over-officiating in the SEC, the Florida Gators benefitted tremendously by bad calls or non-calls in their squeaker of a 23-20 win over the upset-minded Arkansas Razorbacks.

Example: In the first half, slow-footed Hog quarterback Ryan Mallett was speared by a Florida defender while on the ground after a rushing attempt. Mallett was clearly down on the play. No call.

Now, everyone knows if a defender dares to pass gas in the vicinity of the fourth member of the Holy Trinity according to most of the national media and adoring Gator fans, said defender will not only be assessed a fifteen yard penalty but probably ejected as well.

Tebow's halo might be bent out of shape.

For the game, Arkansas was assessed 10 penalties for 92 yards to Florida's three for 16. Hog DT Malcolm Sheppard was given a phantom personal foul for daring to play football until the whistle.

Just a play before, a phantom pass interference penalty was called on a badly underthrown Tebow pass in the endzone that clearly wasn't catchable, not that defender Ramon Broadway interfered anyway.

Shortly thereafter, Florida receiver Riley Cooper, who would be good if he was 10% as good as he seems to think he is, clearly interfered with Arkansas' Andru Stewart in the endzone on what was going to be a Razorback interception. No call.

The officials didn't completely decide the outcome of the game, what with the Hogs' misses of two field goals from 40 yards and in and a few other plays that could have made a difference.

Ryan Mallett missed an open Jarius Wright in the endzone late in the first half, forcing the Hogs to settle for a field goal.

Mallett missed a wide open Van Stumon in the second half for a touchdown on a drive that again ended with three points instead of seven.

Was Florida lucky to win this game? Absolutely, but if the outcome had gone the other way, the Gators could point to a pair of redzone fumbles lost, a probable touchdown pass dropped and a total of four turnovers, at least some of which were what would be called in tennis "unforced errors".

I'm not saying that the Hogs should have won, although that clearly could have been the outcome. However, a team normally should never lose with no turnovers to the opponent's four.

I'm not saying that the officials decided the outcome. However, it would be interesting to have Adam Sandler's remote control and replay the game with even-handed officiating.

Of course, we all know that won't be done, and Florida made one more play at the end of the game than the Hogs. The battle of the kickers was clearly in favor of Florida.

I'm not really a pessimist, but the thought was in the back of my mind the entire game that Florida would win at the end, although I must admit I was surprised by the way the Hogs defense stuffed the Gators offense most of the game.

Maybe this will quiet some critics who contend that Arkansas can't play defense. This defense has drastically improved since the Alabama game and continues to get better. It just wasn't good enough to win over Florida while at times playing 11-on-17 this Saturday.

As in the Georgia-LSU game, the outcome might have been the same with good officiating, we'll never know for sure, but the game should be decided by the guys with pads on, not the ones in the striped shirts.

Arkansas Razorbacks-Florida Gators SEC Matchup: Do The Hogs Have a Chance?

Roger Gowens — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 13:40:23 -0400

This Saturday, Oct. 17, the Arkansas Razorback football team will take on the defending national champion and No. 1 rated Florida Gators. The Hogs have defeated the No. 1 rated team in college football a total of four times in the football program's 115-year history.

In a bit of irony, on two of those four victorious occasions, the Hogs beat the No. 1 rated team on the date of Oct. 17.

The only time Arkansas has played a No. 1 team who was a defending national champion on that date, the Hogs defeated the Texas Longhorns in Austin, TX on Oct. 17, 1964.

Will that have any bearing on the game in Gainesville, FL this Saturday? I seriously doubt that it will. Neither the Razorbacks or Gators have anyone on the team who was even born the last time the Hogs beat a No. 1 team on the date of Oct. 17 back in 1981. That game was also a victory over the Texas Longhorns, by the way.

History aside, the question remains: do the Hogs have a chance to beat the Florida Gators in 2009? The Gators are a 25-point favorite at home and have beaten the Hogs seven consecutive times.

Lost in all the hype over quarterback Tim Tebow, the Florida Gators' defense held the OU Sooners to only ten points in the BCS National Championship game back in January. The same Sooners who scored around half-a-hundred points per game in the regular season.

The Florida defense has given up only 32 points in five games this season. The Hogs gave up 28 to Georgia in the first half of the two teams' game last month. I don't know if Georgia has scored 28 points since that game.

All signs point to a Florida win in the Gators' Homecoming. The Gators' defense is maybe the only defensive unit in college football that could possibly lay claim to being the best in the country besides Alabama. We saw what Alabama did to the Arkansas offense. So why play the game?

In a big game less than two years ago, one team was a huge favorite, the New England Patriots. Their opponents, the New York Giants, still not only made an appearance, but scored a huge upset.

Late last September, the Ole Miss Rebels were in the midst of a long SEC losing streak. How could a team that had lost all those SEC games in a row possibly go into the swamp and win? Those are a pair of examples of why they play the game.

The problem is, I'm sure the Florida players have only been reminded of that 31-30 loss a little over a year ago a few thousand times by now. Urban Meyer was recently quoted as saying Arkansas was better than that Ole Miss team at this point last season. Could lightning strike twice?

As much as I would like to answer in the affirmative, I don' think the Florida Gators need to carry a lightning rod this Saturday. The Hogs' leading receiver until last week, Joe Adams, will miss the game after what was called a "mild stroke" last week.

Jarius Wright, like Tim Tebow, is coming off a concussion. The difference is Tebow is two weeks further removed from the concussion than Wright. Wright at about 5'10" and 180 pounds, is much slighter than Tebow. Quite a few yards and touchdowns separate the pair also.

The only way I can see the Hogs coming out of Gainesville with a win Saturday is if the Hogs' offensive line gives Ryan Mallett a lot of time to throw by gaining yards on the ground and setting up play action passes to the Hogs' depleted receiver corps.

An added advantage for Florida is quarterbacks coach Scot Loeffler and his familiarity with Ryan Mallett. Loeffler was Michigan's main man in the recruitment of Mallett and Loeffler was Mallett's position coach in the 2007 season for the Wolverines.

On the defensive side, while Florida has not seen an offense nearly as good as the Hogs' this season, let's not forget what happened in the national championship game. The Hogs' would have to play their best and get some help from Florida.

The Hogs' defense would have to cut out all the big play touchdowns opponents have scored in every contest or limit the big plays to only one or two.

In spite of all the glitz and glamor of the two offenses, this game will be won in the trenches. As fast and flashy as the Gators are on the flanks, this team is equally strong at the point of attack.

In short, as much as I will be rooting for the Hogs to pull the upset, realistically I know that lightning won't likely strike twice in Gainesville on an early fall Saturday.

Arkansas Gives Auburn a Case of Swine Flu

Roger Gowens — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 20:48:29 -0400

"I watched Arkansas play in person. They're not real good. They can score on you, but they can't play defense."

"Arkansas can't stop a cold, but they'll try to score some points."

"The next two Auburn games are against bottom tier teams (Arkansas and Kentucky) in the SEC."

Tommy Tuberville, former Auburn head coach from 1999-2008.

Tommy: Don't give up your day job. Oh yeah, you already did.

As George W. Bush might have said: "Tubby you're doin' a heckuva job." Of kicking a sleeping dog, that is. That sleeping dog, the Arkansas Razorback defense, took a big ol' bite out of your former team's hindquarters for most of last Saturday's game, stuffing Auburn's vaunted hurry up no huddle offense, holding that Tiger to a little over 100 yards and three points in the first half.

Auburn's offense heated up in the second half, scoring 20 points in the time it would take Teletubby to stick his size tens in his mouth, but after facing a 34-3 deficit, it was too little, too late.

Oh yeah, Flubberville. I don't know what Jerry Jones fed you in the Cowboy owners suite last week in Dallas. Maybe some of that wholly guacamole advertised in the stadium sent you running to the bathroom for the final three quarters of the Arkansas-Texas A&M contest and you missed the Hogs defensive flogging of the Aggies.

Whatever it was, Hog fans have a message for you: take that and stick it in your "bottom tier."

In any event, even though the Hogs' defense had a couple of lapses in the second half giving up two long plays, this defense is vastly improved over the crew that bumbled and stumbled their way into giving up 52 points to Georgia last month.

The first big play was a 60 yard touchdown run by Ben Tate, then the second was on a reverse to receiver Terrell Zachary after a handoff to Tate, to which the Hogs' defense over-reacted.

The Hogs outhit, outhustled and just generally whipped Auburn's offensive and defensive units and Dennis Johnson's 70 yard kickoff return to answer an Auburn score put the final nail in the coffin.

Ironically, the sophomore Johnson returned a Tulsa kickoff for a touchdown last season in Fayetteville to provide the Hogs' final margin in a 30-23 win over Gus Malzahn's team. Gus must be sick of looking at the Hogs' #33 by now.

In another irony, after noting in an earlier article how Malzahn would be bringing much better players into town than Tulsa did last season, Auburn left town with the same total on the scoreboard, 23 points.

Not having seen the coaches' film, just seeing the game in person with the naked eye, it appeared to me that the Hogs were determined to stop Auburn's passing game and dare the Tigers to keep running the ball.

Gus Malzahn is famous for taking what the defense gives. I believe it was the UA gameplan to take their chances with Chris Todd and dare he and those young Auburn receivers to beat them.

If so, it worked with the Tigers making only 133 yards through the air and Todd getting sacked a few times, coughing up a fumble on one takedown. With Auburn's balance on offense, coming in averaging around 250 yards per game both running and passing, the idea is to make your opponent one dimensional.

The time of possession in the game was Arkansas 38:27 to Auburn's 21:33, thus the Hogs hogged the ball over a full quarter of the game longer than the Tigers. The quickness with which Auburn scored was a factor in that, but no defense can be on the field that long and not wear out, especially one without a lot of depth.

Even though the Hogs yielded 395 total yards with 242 coming on the ground, some will say that Auburn was overrated instead of giving the Razorback defense credit. Make no mistake. While Auburn clearly isn't in a class with Alabama, this is still a good team and I look for Auburn to win 8 games or so on the season.

Just don't sell this Arkansas defense short, it is improving every week. Since a shaky 0-10 hole against A&M at the start of last week's game, the Hogs have scored 91 points and given up 32.

The Hogs still have an alarming tendency to give up big plays at times, but no team, not even Alabama, has really driven the ball down the field consistently on this defense.

Cutting down on the big plays is mostly a matter of maturity, consistency and concentration. This is still a young team and the defense has shown marked improvement as the season has unfolded. I believe they will continue to improve and while they probably won't remind anyone of the Alabama defense, this will be a solid unit the remainder of the season.

The Hogs won this game without Joe Adams, who had a minor stroke earlier in the week. Jarius Wright left the game in the 1st quarter with an injury of some kind and Michael Smith appeared to pull a hamstring before the end of the third quarter.

These Hogs are tough and they are resilient. That probably won't be enough for a win next week, it might even be an ugly loss to Florida. The rest of the SEC better be on notice, however, these Hogs are dangerous.

They may not be able to "stop a cold" according to Teletubby, whatever that means, but Auburn came down with a bad case of the swine flu Saturday. It could be catching for opponents not named Florida on the Arkansas schedule.

Defense: The Key to The Arkansas vs. Auburn Matchup

Roger Gowens — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 23:39:12 -0400

With the explosive offenses of the Arkansas Razorbacks and Auburn Tigers hogging all the headlines this week, there has been very little talk about the two units faced with the challenge of holding down the offenses.

"Defense wins championships" is a football cliche that most of us have always heard, but like many cliches, there is an element of truth in that saying.

I don't think either of these teams will win a championship in 2009, but defense will be the difference in the Arkansas vs. Auburn matchup in the early morning hours of Saturday in Fayetteville.

With the amount of big plays surrendered by the Arkansas defense thus far in 2009, this unit is possibly the most maligned outfit this side of AIG. What has been obscured by the lapses is the steady improvement of the Hogs' D.

Georgia, Alabama, and Texas A&M did not have but a handful of successful plays in the running game between them. One guy out of position allowed the 80 yard run by Georgia's Richard Samuel. Four missed tackles let 'Bama's Trent Richardson go the distance.

Of course, the Hogs were crowding the line of scrimmage against UGA and Alabama and we don't yet know how good Texas A&M's offense really is.

Because the Hogs are the only major conference team the Aggies have played, we won't know for sure until Saturday whether the improvements shown last week in Dallas will translate into a stronger performance by the Hogs' defense vs. an SEC team.

Before last week, there was a growing "Free Willy" movement in the Natural State with much grumbling about the Hogs' embattled defensive coordinator. There was even a joke about Robinson making the rounds.

It seems, Willy Robinson, Paul Petrino, and Bobby Petrino were on a recruiting trip to Atlanta, GA. The plane went down in a rural area in north Georgia and everyone was shaken up, but survived.

A scruffy band of "crackers" happened upon the wreckage on a hunting trip. "Say, I know you, you're that sorry SOB 'Pertino" that lef' the Fa'cons afore the season was over" said the ringleader.

The hunters huddled and decided to herd the survivors into a pen and put them before a firing squad. "You got any last words?" the man said to B. Petrino. "Yeah", said the coach, "look out, tornado!" The men turned and the older Petrino had vaulted over the fence and into the night while they were distracted.

Then, repeating the process with Paul Petrino, when asked for his last words, the younger Petrino replied: "earthquake!" Again, the firing squad turned only to find another Petrino had vanished into the night.

Finally, turning to Willy Robinson, remember these guys aren't rocket scientists, the leader, as he handed Robinson the blindfold, asked for last words. "Fire!" Robinson exclaimed.

Now, I like the mustachioed Robinson, who looks like a cross between the Monopoly man and Teddy Roosevelt. I want him to succeed as the UA defensive coordinator.

However, the big plays by opponents must be cut way down starting with this game if the Hogs are to get to a bowl game in 2009, and for Willy to be around in 2010.

For all the talk about the offenses, this game will be won by the team that pressures the opposing passer better, or slows the other high powered offense down more. Both of these teams have offensive weapons, excellent schemes, and gaudy offensive statistics.

Any defense that lets Ryan Mallett stand in the pocket and survey the field for this lethal group of receivers better learn to like the Arkansas fight song, 'cause they'll be hearing it a lot.

For Auburn, even though Chris Todd and a couple of his receivers have impressive numbers, the thing that concerns me most about Auburn's offense is the running game and the almost exactly 50/50 balance between run and pass. Only five yards separate the two.

Most fans think of Gus Malzahn and think of an aerial circus, but Gus has always had balance in his offenses. That's an advantage for Auburn with the Hogs' offense tilted heavily toward the pass so far this season. If Michael Smith and Ronnie Wingo can get untracked, the play action passes in Petrino's arsenal become more dangerous.

That, not the Wildcat Offense, not Gus' trick plays, not any razzle-dazzle, is what the Hogs must be most concerned with. A defense that has been burned as much as the Hogs' tends to overreact afterward and be susceptible to everything in the opponents' playbook.

In a recent interview, former Auburn head man Tommy Tuberville dissed the Hogs' defense saying "they can't stop a cold, but they'll try to score some points," whatever that means. "They can't stop a cold" must be a clumsy mixed metaphor by Tommy T.

in 1998 when Tele-Tubby was still at Ole Miss, the Jefferson Pilot crew had a camera in the Rebels' locker room. Tubby ended his pregame pep talk with "'member fellas, nothin' stanks like a wet hawg" before his team got thrashed in a downpour 34-0.

Tubby picked Auburn by three touchdowns even after watching the Hogs in Dallas last weekend. He and Jackie Sherrill, who was also in attendance, must have been swapping notes on fishing or castrating bulls as Sherrill once did at MSU to get his team up for a game with the Texas Longhorns as the Hogs' defense came alive in the final 50 minutes of that game.

I don't think UA DE Jake Bequette can turnstile Lee Ziemba the way he did against a green Aggie freshman. However, Auburn better be aware of Tenarius Wright, the reigning SEC defensive lineman of the week.

In an earlier article I misspelled Wright's name "Tenarious", adding an "o", kind of like the "O, (expletive deleted)" Jerrod Johnson must have been uttering under his breath every time he got blasted by Wright last Saturday.

Tenarius Wright and Jarius Wright, the Hogs' sophomore receiver, are not only not twins, but not related. If twins, the pair would be of the Arnold Schwarzenegger/Danny Devito variety as in the 80's film "Twins" as Jarius is maybe 170 pounds with Tenarius weighing in at 245-250.

Saturday's game could mark the emergence of a DB or two who have been little-used thus far. If the Hogs defense has to load up the box to stop the run or must blitz to pressure Todd, the Hogs will have to try to win in a shootout.

I still think there is a chance this will be the shootout everyone was expecting in Dallas with Texas A&M, but it will be the defense that makes a stop or two more than the other whose team wins.

Auburn-Arkansas: Which College Football Offensive Mastermind Will Win?

Roger Gowens — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 22:44:29 -0400

It's old home week in the Ozarks this Saturday, with Auburn invading Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Auburn first-year offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn will be only a few miles from the site of his high school coaching stomping grounds. Receiver/Wildcat quarterback Kodi Burns, a graduate of Fort Smith Northside—less than two miles from my home—will be coming home.

Tigers offensive tackle Lee Ziemba, though both parents are Auburn grads, played for the Rogers, Ark., Mounties—just 20 miles or so up I-540 from Fayetteville.

Both Burns and Ziemba were offered but lightly recruited by the previous Hog regime, no doubt stoking their fires a bit.

I've never met either young man, but have a friend who knows Burns well. I was once paired with Gus Malzahn and another man on a local golf course. I have nephews who went to school with Malzahn at what was then Fort Smith Christian.

I was new to the game of golf back when Malzahn was starting out as head football coach at Shiloh Christian High School in Springdale before moving to Springdale High. In an odd way, that may have contributed to Gus' move up the coaching ladder.

If Malzahn could survive such a traumatic experience as nine holes of golf with a guy who could crush the driver and couldn't hit any other club in the bag, nothing else figures to fluster the man. Like a scud missile or a Billy Joe Tolliver pass, no one knew where the ball would end up. Who's Billy Joe Tolliver, you ask? My point exactly.

Anyway, in addition to that trio, Auburn defensive line coach Tracy Rocker coached at Arkansas for a few years and recruited many of the Hogs' current defensive linemen.

So, both Gus Malzahn and Bobby Petrino have reputations as offensive gurus far and wide. Which one has the advantage Saturday? An irony is both men have served as offensive coordinator at the other's current school.

I've heard Malzahn's name mentioned for a possible head coaching vacancy at Colorado, which would be a good fit, what with all the spread offenses in the Big 12.

Petrino was at Auburn in 2002 running the offense—with Gene Chizik running the defense, by the way. Malzahn had the title of offensive coordinator at Arkansas in 2006. I say he had the title, because everyone knew who mostly ran the UA offense.

Therefore, Gene Chizik should know something about how Petrino thinks. Of course, the reverse is true, also.

A lot of Hogs know Malzahn well. None better than TE Ben Cleveland and kicker Alex Tejada, who played for Gus at Springdale.

Actually, in my opinion, both offenses will shine Saturday. Both Malzahn and Petrino will have brilliant gameplans and make a lot of good calls. The key will be which defense slows the other offense better or creates more turnovers.

The biggest advantage the Hogs have is the carryover from the Texas A&M game to this one, with both running hurry-up no-huddle offenses.

Another advantage is the Hogs played and defeated Malzahn's Tulsa team late last season. If only Gus was playing this game with Tulsa's players, the Hogs would be a solid favorite.

While Tulsa has several skill position players who could play in the SEC, no one in either line or on their defense could come close to cracking Auburn's lineup.

If the Hogs can pressure Chris Todd anything like the defense harassed Jerrod Johnson last week, the Hogs will win. If Auburn gets pressure on Ryan Mallett like Alabama did, the Tigers win. If Mallett has time to throw, look out. Auburn has not seen a passer or receivers like the Hogs possess.

While West Virginia has great team speed and Noel Devine, the Mountaineers' receivers don't come close to Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, and company. Michael Smith had a Devine-like performance at Auburn last season.

While the Hogs are 3-1 in the last four games at Auburn, Auburn has won in their last three trips to Fayetteville. The Hogs have not won at home in this series since Matt Jones was a freshman in 2001.

Overall, the Hogs are only 2-4 in Fayetteville under Petrino, 0-4 in SEC play. For this program to contend for future SEC honors, that must change.

The last time the Hogs won on campus was last Nov. 1 against the then-undefeated and 18th-ranked Tulsa Golden Hurricane and Gus Malzahn.

Now the 17th-ranked and undefeated Auburn Tigers come to northwest Arkansas. If the line in the Coldplay song "Clocks"—saying "Tigers waiting to be tamed"—is to be prophetic, recent history in this series must be reversed.

Philosopher George Santayana said those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it. The Hogs hope that the win over an undefeated team recently ranked in the teens is the past that is repeated.

Are the Hogs That Good Or is Texas A&M That Bad?

Roger Gowens — Sun, 04 Oct 2009 01:36:19 -0400

In Saturday night's renewal of the Arkansas-Texas A&M old Southwest Conference rivalry, the Hogs exceeded 40 points for only the third time against the Aggies.

It wasn't the most lopsided Hog win in the series, that would be a 45-6 victory in 1970, but the 47 points registered on the giant Cowboys Stadium scoreboard was the highest point total the Arkansas program has ever compiled versus Texas A&M on the football field.

So what happened to that vaunted, larger-than-life Aggie nation-leading offense we heard about all week?

In the week that the state of Arkansas featured a lottery for the first time in state history, Razorback defenders beat a path to the Aggie quarterback like lotto patrons lining up to buy tickets at 12:01 last Monday.

The Aggie left tackle served as a turnstile for Razorback defenders cashing in winning lotto tickets as Hog DE Jake Bequette in particular seemed to be beating the true freshman Barrera on nearly every play for most of the first half.

The Arkansas media has a habit of building up opponents large and small and last week was no different as most tub-thumped for the Aggie offense, ignoring the Texas A&M schedule which featured more creampuffs than the Wal-Mart deli.

It had to be a shock to the Ags system to get gut-punched time after time after the Hogs', Ryan Mallett in particular, seemed to be suffering from a huge Alabama hangover in the initial part of the game.

While A&M does have a good offensive scheme and QB Jerrod Johnson could start for a lot of teams, if Mike Sherman and staff don't tweak some things in Big 12 play, the talented scrambler Johnson won't make it through the 2009 season in one piece.

The Aggies No. 1 took shot after shot including a vicious blindside hit by the Hogs Tenarious Wright with only seconds remaining on the clock. While there is some talent around Jerrod Johnson, running backs Gray, Michael and the receiver Johnson looked impressive, there aren't many other weapons.

The Aggies offensive line was whipped consistently like no major college Arkansas opponent in recent memory and the Hogs much maligned DBs played pinball with Aggie receivers much of the last three quarters.

The Hogs looked like a bigger, stronger, much more physically mature team than the Aggies, who played 16 freshmen. The Aggies have shown that they can overpower weak opposition such as Utah State and the like.

While I think they have a lot of young talent, emphasis on young, any team playing that many kids straight out of high school is going to take their lumps when going against any SEC team or the upper echelon of the Big 12.

I can't see the Aggies, young as they are, beating any of their Big 12 South brethren other than maybe the Baylor Bears who may go into early hibernation without injured QB Robert Griffin.

Texas A&M, with another good recruiting class can be much improved in 2010. In early October 2009, the Aggies were not a physical match for the Hogs, who are still a young team in their own right.

The answer to the question is, in short, I don't think Texas A&M is a bad team. Bad teams don't beat anyone by the kind of scores the Ags have been winning by, even creampuffs. If they get a break in their opponents from the Big 12 North and beat Baylor the team could be in bowl contention.

As far as the first part of the headline query, there should be no doubt in any reasonable mind that this Arkansas team is much improved from last year.

The 2008 edition of the Hogs couldn't have beaten any college football team 47-19, much less a BCS conference school.

Therefore, the Hogs are light years ahead of last year. Even with all the big plays the defense has yielded, some of us could see progress 90% of the time. The 2008 Hogs couldn't stop the run most of the time. However, to win enough games to get into a bowl, the big plays must be cut way down.

In the cutthroat SEC, being a good team may only mean a middle-of-the-pack finish with seven wins or so. Last night's game should prove that the Hogs are a good team who ran into a buzzsaw in the form of what may be the best team in college football in Alabama.

Hogs fans shouldn't order tickets for a BCS bowl, but a win over Auburn next week, no small feat, would put the team in position for a bowl somewhere.

Arkansas-Texas A&M Preview

Roger Gowens — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 23:42:38 -0400

Much of the talk about this week's Arkansas-Texas A&M game has centered on the historical angle of the old Southwest Conference rivals.

The chance to renew an old rivalry at a neutral site for a ten year series, especially in the hotbed for high school blue-chippers that is north Texas and the Dallas area was a golden opportunity for both programs.

There are currently twenty or so Texans on the Arkansas roster and Bobby Petrino is on record as having a desire to increase that number. Assuming the Texas Longhorns get the lions share of the top players instate and the Aggies get their share, there are still plenty of big time players up for grabs.

Of course, OU has mined Texas talent for many years and is a strong presence in the Lonestar State, in large part due to the Red River rivalry annually held around the Texas State Fair.

Now that the Hogs have an annual game in the Dallas metroplex, that along with the new ESPN contract and the Hogs new-found passing prowess give UA a chance to expand recruiting greatly in Texas.

As for the inaugural game of the Southwest Classic, winning this game would be an important step for increasing the Hogs presence in the area. Not only that, but winning this game is crucial to the teams' chances to go to a bowl.

With Auburn, Florida and Ole Miss looming on the schedule the next three weeks, a loss Saturday and the Hogs could be looking at a disastrous 1-6 start.

A win, on the other hand could give the Razorbacks a shot of confidence that could put the team around the .500 mark halfway throughout the 2009 season.

Green Day's song Wake Me Up When September Ends could be the Hogs' theme song for the opening month of the season. Now it's a new month and time to think of the Texas band Blue October. Putting opponents in a funk this month is the goal.

So, having said that, what do the Hogs need to do to get back in the win column for the first time since Labor Day weekend?

1. Cut the penalties drastically, especially on offense where the Hogs have had way too many flags putting the team in a long yardage hole. Most of the 3rd downs have been 3rd and 10 or longer. Protecting Ryan Mallett on 3rd and 5 as opposed to 3rd and 20 is much easier.

2. Run the ball with Michael Smith, Ronnie Wingo and Broderick Green. The Hogs have fallen in love with Mallett's arm strength a little too much thus far.

3. Play run defense more consistently. The last two weeks against Georgia and Alabama, the run defense was good 90% of the time but yielded long touchdowns each game.

4. Find someone who can play the ball in the air in the secondary. Or the man. Or anyone who can occasionally break up a long pass, even if it means committing a penalty. The Hogs last pair of opponents looked like they were playing against air when the ball was thrown deep.

5. Try Andru Stewart or Darius Winston for No. 5. How much worse could they get burned than the starters? On that front, I notice a certain cornerback who has been vocal about A.J. Green and Julio Jones has been quiet this week. Maybe Bobby Petrino has discovered one of the many uses for duct tape.

6. Don't get caught up in all the hype about the Cowboys' new palace. "I've never been in the Taj Mahal" Petrino said this week. Any player who is caught watching the huge replay screen will probably be watching himself get a tongue lashing as soon as he gets to the sidelines.

7. Run the ball some more. Texas A&M runs a hurry up no huddle spread offense, so keep possession of the ball over 30 minutes and keep the defense off the field.

The Hogs aren't likely to correct all the problems of the last two games overnight and the Aggies have a good pass rush, but running the ball right at that stud end will take care of a lot of ills.

I don't know about A&M strength and conditioning program, but this game should see some dividends from Jason Veltkamp's grueling summer workouts on what could be a hot day.

Hopefully, the fact that the Hogs have played a pair of SEC teams the last two weeks as opposed to Texas A&M's schedule, which seemed to include every cupcake this side of Hostess, will make a difference. UA's last two foes are 7-1. A&M 's are 2-7.

Utah State, 1-3 with a win over Southern Utah, compiled 31 first downs, 521 total yards and 30 points on the Aggies with a running back who had 13 carries for 121 yards as the Ags held on for a 38-30 win.

In any event, one record that should fall is the series high 59 combined points for an Arkansas-Texas A&M game.

Arkansas & Texas A&M Go Back To The Future To Renew a Rivalry

Roger Gowens — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 23:20:22 -0400

The Arkansas Razorbacks and Texas A&M Aggies first met on the gridiron way back in 1903 when the fledgling Arkansas football program was only nine years into its existence.

The UA team was still known as the Cardinals as this was six years before Hugo Bezdek's "we played like a wild bunch of Razorback Hogs" speech following a landmark victory over LSU in 1909.

Some Hog fans say there are no "traditional rivalries" for the Hogs in the SEC. Tell that to people in eastern Arkansas or down around LA, Lower Arkansas to some.

Southern Arkansas was once home to Paul "Bear' Bryant, Barry Switzer, former LSU coach Charley McClendon, Tommy Tuberville, Bill Clinton, former U.S. Senator David Pryor, singer Glen Campbell (he of celebrity mug shot fame) and others who have to listen to LSU fans on a daily basis.

But back to old rivalries. On Oct. 3, the Hogs and Texas A&M renewed an old rivalry from the Southwest Conference when the teams meet for the first time since 1991. Just to give you an idea, some of the current players were barely born then, and UA freshman Knile Davis of Missouri City,Texas may not have been born at that time.

The Hogs lead the all-time series 38-24-3. When the Hogs left the SWC for the greener pastures of the Southeastern Conference, the Hogs led all of the former members of the SWC in the all-time series except Texas.

The Aggies got the last laugh in that 1991 game when then head coach Jack Crowe (I'm still trying to forget the Crowe era) tried to secretly put in the wishbone offense due to injuries at quarterback.

It was perhaps the worst kept secret in Arkansas history other than the news that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar of Springdale are expecting another child. Another couple and they could field a starting football team.

Here is my list of the most memorable Arkansas-Texas A&M football games in the history of this rivalry.

I wasn't even a gleam in my Dad's eye when the Hogs beat then first year A&M head coach Bear Bryant in his first season in College Station, so that game is not included in the festivities.

I was in diapers when the Bear returned the favor, beating the Hogs 7-6 on the way to the national championship in 1957, so again, I will include only the games I can recall.

The first and perhaps most meaningful was the game in Little Rock in December, 1975 when the 2nd ranked Aggies entered the game heavy favorites after having thrashed the Texas Longhorns earlier.

The Southwest Conference title was on the line and the Hogs throttled the Ags 31-6, the same score as another famous game a couple of years later. The game propelled the Hogs into the Cotton Bowl, then still a major bowl, where UA trounced Georgia 31-10 in Frank Broyles' last bowl game before retirement a year later.

In 1977, the Hogs struggled to a 26-20 win over the Aggies in College Station under first year head coach Lou Holtz, bringing an Orange Bowl bid. When fans pelted the field with oranges a week later after a win over future New England and Indianapolis head coach Ron Meyer and SMU, Holtz quipped "thank goodness we aren't playing in the Gator Bowl".

In 1981 at Kyle Field, which I thought was the toughest venue in the SWC, what with the fans being much more raucous than the more wine and cheese crowd at Austin, Billy Ray Smith, Jr, who spent several years with the San Diego Chargers, preserved a 10-7 Arkansas victory with a sack of the Aggie quarterback in the final moments of the game.

In 1986, the Hogs clinched another Orange Bowl berth with a 14-10 victory over the Aggies. That Orange Bowl was against the same team, Oklahoma, that awaited the Hogs after the 1977 season, but alas, with a much different result.

In 1988, after then Aggie coach Jackie Sherrill proclaimed before the game that the SWC title went through College Station, the Hogs won a cliffhanger 25-20 on a late interception. The win clinched the Hogs' first SWC championship and the Cotton Bowl berth that went with it since Broyles' last hurrah in 1975.

A year later, in 1989, Ken Hatfield and the Hogs were going for the team's first back-to-back SWC championships in football since 1964-65. Playing at Kyle Field, again, always a tough place to come out with a victory for visiting teams, the Hogs hung on 23-22 after taking an intentional safety to avoid punting from their own end zone late in the contest.

Those were the six most memorable Arkansas-Texas A&M games in my recollection. When I think of the Hogs-Aggies, the games were usually close, low-scoring contests in which defense decided the outcome.

To give you some idea, in the highest scoring game in the Arkansas-Texas A&M series, a total of 59 points were scored. Arkansas and Georgia combined for 48 points in a recent first half.

When I think of Texas A&M football, I think of mainly running backs and linebackers. For awhile there, the Aggies rivaled Penn State for producing NFL 'backers. There were great players at other positions such as defensive backs Lester Hayes, Pat Thomas and many others, but the linebackers were the heart of the A&M defense in their heyday.

Texas A&M was always a defensive and special teams oriented team back in the day, kind of like Virginia Tech. Contrast that with the Ags #1 ranked offense in 2009.

With Ryan Mallett and the Hogs having many offensive weapons, much to A&M and former Arkansas defensive coordinator Joe Kines' dismay, there should be a lot of points scored Saturday.

In a sort of Dennis Franchione tour, the Hogs go from Tuscaloosa to Texas A&M, and in both cases an ugly videotape was involved. The Aggies and Crimson Tide's histories are intertwined with Bear Bryant having gone to Alabama from A&M, then former Aggie head man Gene Stallings went to 'Bama after a number of years in the NFL.

Former A&M boss Jackie Sherrill played for Bryant at Alabama, then Franchione made his ill-fated trek from Tuscaloosa to College Station.

There is much history from Alabama to Texas A&M and if the Arkansas Razorbacks hope to change recent history and go to a bowl game following the 2009 regular season, a win over the Aggies in the Jones-Dome is a must.

I know, Dallas Cowboys Stadium is the official name for the state of the art palace in Arlington, TX and UA alum Jerry Jones is largely responsible for this ten year series that is set to begin.

Hopefully, the Hogs are up to the task at hand and will thrill a large contingent of Hog fans Saturday as a long time series goes back to the future.

From An Arkansas Razorback Fan: Is This Alabama Team Comparable To 1992?

Roger Gowens — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 01:15:18 -0400

In the fall of 1992, Arkansas was a little over two years removed from the departure of a coach who was viewed as successful by many fans. This coach's last game as the Head Hog was a loss to a neighboring state school in the Cotton Bowl.

This coach was under fire by a large faction of Razorback fans for not winning the "big one" and having a boring offense.

Alabama was coming off of an 11-1 season with a Bowl appearance against an opponent from the western United States after a seven win season in the coach's first year.

Led by a third year coach who had been a head coach in the NFL, no matter how impressively the Crimson Tide won that season, the Tide was overshadowed in the polls by the defending national champions.

The Alabama quarterback was considered a "game manager" type of QB whose job was seemingly not to screw things up for a stifling defense.

The country was about to undergo a change in leadership with a guy named Bush handing the keys to the White House over to a previously little known forty six year old Washington "outsider".

Iraq and healthcare were hotly debated items on the national agenda.

That September, the Arkansas Razorbacks offense sputtered against the Tide's highly rated defense, scoring only a single touchdown in a 38-11 loss.

Of course, the coach in the first paragraph was Arkansas native Ken Hatfield, who like Houston Nutt left the Hogs for another school due to a lack of fan support. Nutt didn't actually coach the Hogs in the Cotton Bowl two years ago, having already left for Ole Miss, but his last season ended there with an interim coach who was formerly the defensive coordinator.

When the Hogs squared off with Alabama in 1992, the team was coached by interim head coach Joe Kines, formerly the defensive coordinator. Gene Stallings was the third year 'Bama coach who had done time as a head man in the NFL.

The Tide was coming off of a bowl win over Colorado instead of a loss to Utah. The defending national champs were from the state of Florida, only it was Miami with a Heisman winning QB, Gino Torretta instead of the Florida Gators and Tim Tebow.

Jay Barker was the heady "game manager" signal caller and I'm sure you can figure out for yourself who the politicians were then and now.

This time around, Bobby Petrino's Hogs have an offense that's light years ahead of the 1992 Arkansas crew, but against Alabama's defense, the results were quite similar with the Hogs managing only 7 points in a 35-7 loss that could have been worse had Nick Saban elected to go to the air more in the final quarter.

On the Arkansas radio broadcast, it was noted that Eli Gold, the longtime 'Bama announcer had compared the Tide defense to the 1992 outfit. Is this a valid comparison?

Such judgments should probably be made only after the end of a season or after some time has passed, but it is a not an altogether bad comparison. There aren't a lot of teams who could hold this potent Arkansas offense to only 7 points and hold Ryan Mallett to under 200 yards passing.

With all of the Hogs' weapons, Mallett and company only threatened on a couple of occasions. The Tide secondary, considered suspect by some observors, covered receivers well and passed out some licks, which no doubt was due in part to Mallett being hounded all day by a fierce pass rush.

Even when Mallett did have time, he was out of sync and the receivers dropped more passes than they have all season, but I'm sure some of that should be attributed to the defense.

The Virginia Tech offense which looked futile against Alabama just put up 31 points on Miami. All the Hokies had to show for the 'Bama game was a bloody nose and another notch in the loss column, much like the Hogs.

Looking at Alabama's schedule, the toughest games are mostly at home. At Ole Miss against a team that suddenly looks vulnerable and the Iron bowl at Auburn appear to be the biggest road tests, along with LSU in Tuscaloosa.

I'm not ready yet to put this Alabama team on par with the '92 wrecking crew, if linebacker Dont'a Hightower is out for the season that loss could hurt the Alabama cause.

However, if the Tide defense pressures Jevan Snead, Chris Todd and Jordan Jefferson anything like they did Ryan Mallett, I can't see this team losing in the regular season. Snead was on the run constantly against South Carolina, Todd is not nearly as talented as Mallett and Saban's defensive prowess should confuse the heck out of Jefferson, a sophomore.

Even though the defense might not prove to be quite as dominant as '92, in my opinion McElroy may be better than Barker and there are more weapons on offense, so this team could still possibly hoist the Sears Trophy in January.

Are Ole Miss Fans Discovering Why Arkansas Let Houston Nutt Go?

Roger Gowens — Fri, 25 Sep 2009 23:24:41 -0400

In the aftermath of now Ole Miss coach Houston Nutt's departure from Arkansas, the national media and most of the SEC media portrayed loyal Razorback fans as pitchfork carrying, delusional morons for "running off the best coach they ever had".

"Why, they ran off a loyal coach and replaced him with a mercenary scumbag" was the prevailing sentiment of the national scribes. "Those people will get out their pitchforks and run Petrino off if he has a losing season."

Bobby Petrino is a very private man who would sooner streak across the football field than reveal his thoughts on such things, but it's safe to assume that Petrino seethed last season as the Hogs struggled through a 5-7 season with a cupboard that was not exactly left well stocked.

Especially given the fact that his predecessor, Houston Nutt, was the toast of the national media, particularly the TV foofs, after leading Ole Miss to a 9-4 season in his first season in Oxford.

I can hear it now: "why open up old wounds", etc. by the head-in-the-sanders in the Arkansas camp. The point is that after last night's Ole Miss loss to South Carolina, the national media and Ole Miss fans could just as quickly turn Houston Nutt from the toast of the town to just plain toast.

Longtime Nutt watchers saw most of the same coaching blunders in that game as Razorback fans witnessed for ten years.

A flat, ill-prepared team.

A highly touted quarterback who regresses rather than progresses from one year to the next.

Penalties coming out of timeouts.

Fingernail biting on the sidelines by Houston Nutt.

Talented players such as Dexter McCluster under utilized until it's too late in the game.

Excuses and finger pointing after the game.

In the offseason, Hog fans recognized the same old soap opera that seemed to run longer than the recently cancelled Guiding Light. Nutt signed more players to letters of intent than the number of soldiers in the Iraqi Army. Nutt openly named recruits in an interview with rivals.com before they were signed.

Then Nutt pulled out his classic flirtation with another school to get a raise ploy. Mysteriously, almost immediately after Tommy Tuberville left Auburn, guess who's name came up for that job? Presto! Houston Nutt gets a big raise.

Following a disappointing 2003 season at Arkansas which ended with a lackluster win over Missouri in Shreveport, LA, Nutt knew some of his more talented players would not be back, including future Pro Bowl offensive lineman Shawn Andrews.

Almost immediately after the game, reports of Nutt taking his nail-biting act to Nebraska surfaced. Just a little over a month before national signing day. The since departed administration caved to Nutt's demands for more money and the promise of a two year free pass, unheard of in this day and age.

Sure enough, the 2004-2005 seasons brought a combined won-loss record of 9-13. "He told us it would be bad" the apologists said, as if that was acceptable. It's funny how Nutt's fans have blotted those two seasons from the record as if they never happened.

We in Arkansas get so sick of the media portrayal of Nutt as "one of the good guys" and "he does more with less". If you really want the low down on some of Nutt's antics, read this article. For now, we'll just stick to his coaching record.

In reading an Ole Miss message board last night, the first post that leaped out at me was "The Honeymoon Is Over".

Meanwhile, most, not all, but most Arkansas fans are satisfied with Bobby Petrino thus far. Knowing that without Darren McFadden and Felix Jones, early departures to the NFL, and seniors Marcus Monk, Peyton Hillis, not to mention most of the defense, no coach could have won more than 4-5 games with such a young team last season.

However, the Nutt apologists and the national media seemed determined to compare apples to oranges, comparing the rag-tag crew Petrino inherited to the talent laden Ole Miss team that lacked only a QB and a coach.

Coincidentally, Jevan Snead had sat out as a transfer in 2007 and was dropped into Nutt's lap along with 5 NFL draft picks in last April's draft. Arkansas had one player picked, just so you know.

Now, Ole Miss fans, Nutt has used his reverse Midas touch with quarterbacks on a guy some even hyped for the Heisman Trophy. Keep in mind what one of Nutt's former players at Boise State, a one year stop for Nutt on his way to Arkansas, had to say. "He's a used car salesman" the player told the Arkansas media.

Don't used car salesmen have enough to worry about with the cash for clunkers program ending than to be compared to Houston Nutt?

Meanwhile, even though the mediocre Nutt is undeniably a much better coach than Ed Orgeron, even though I don't think Nutt is any better than David Cutcliffe, who Ole Miss fired to make way for Orgeron. Most Arkansas fans consider Bobby Petrino an upgrade from Nutt, in spite of the record so far.

In an ironic twist, all three teams involved in this coaching carousel of the offseason of 2007 have benefitted. Nutt is a better coach than Orgeron. Petrino is better than Nutt and Mike Smith has done a fine job in Atlanta and is more suited for dealing with NFL millionaires than Petrino.

I can't help but wonder, however, if the fans of Ole Miss aren't going to be seaching the lawbooks for a lemon law if their used car salesman of a coach loses more games like the South Carolina fiasco.

For their part, Hog fans are satisfied with the recruits Bobby Petrino has brought in and the direction the UA program seems to be headed. The breakthrough probably won't happen against Alabama, but at some point Petrino will win a big game and the media will be left to wonder if just maybe those "delusional Arkansas fans" knew something they failed to see.

2009 Arkansas Razorbacks: The Good, The Bad, And The Uga

Roger Gowens — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 23:17:18 -0400

Arkansas talk radio stations and Internet message boards have been busy since the Hogs' 52-41 loss to Georgia Saturday night. The most common comments are bemoaning the Hogs' lack of defense, many calling for the ouster of defensive coordinator Willy Robinson.

Free Willy to Razorback fans is not another sequel to the whale films of the early 90's, but a battle cry in the wake of the total meltdown in the secondary of the defense that Robinson oversees.

In the 60's film, The Graduate, a chain-smoking woman named Robinson turned to a young man in search of companionship. Willy Robinson, in the opinion of many Hog fans, needs to turn to a young man named Winston after his secondary got smoked last Saturday.

Darius Winston was a five star recruit out of West Helena, AR with offers from schools all over the nation. Young Winston, a cousin of former Pittsburgh Steeler linebacker Dennis Winston, languished on the bench as some of his older, supposedly more seasoned teammates got torched by Georgia receivers.

"Where have you gone Darius Winston, Hog Nation turns it's lonely eyes to you" to paraphrase the theme song of The Graduate.

The feeling by the coaches reportedly is that Winston is not yet ready to play, but how much worse could he have done than some of his older teammates against the Bulldogs?

As far as finding positives in the loss to Georgia, as disappointing as the loss was after having a 21-10 lead early in the second quarter, a lead that looked to be even larger after the interception of a Joe Cox pass, there are plenty.

However, most of the positives were on the offensive side of the ball. Ryan Mallett throwing to Joe Adams, Jarius Wright, Greg Childs, and DJ Williams will give the Hogs the nuclear option at any time. This potent air attack will score on every team on the schedule and give the Hogs a chance to win on most Saturdays.

The flip side of the coin is that if the Hog defense doesn't tighten up their coverage considerably, I mean as tight as UA alum Jerry Jones' facelift a few years ago, opponents will have a chance to win every week as well.

It's easy to figure out the good part of the equation, the passing game. Fans should be happy about that after years of grinding offenses.

The run defense was pretty good, but had a lapse, allowing an 80 yard run for a touchdown. That can't continue to happen in SEC play for the Hogs to win.

The Hog special teams were decent, the only major advantage Georgia had was the punting of Drew Butler. In one sequence, Butler boomed a 64 yarder to the nine yard line, then the Hogs' Dylan Breeding returned a 29 yarder, a 35 yard loss in the exchange.

The bad was just as obvious. While Georgia's defense was gouged for 408 yards and five touchdown passes, Ryan Mallett was throwing with such precision the first three quarters and the receivers were laying out making such spectacular catches, there aren't too many defenses that could have stopped the Hogs.

Georgia's defense switched to rushing three and covering with eight and got the Hogs offense under control. The Hogs' defense, on the other hand, never had an answer for what had been an unspectacular offense in the two previous games.

The uga, or ugly, was the yellow laundry all over the field the entire game on both teams. The officials were likely icing down their arms after throwing all those flags.

Seventy-eight of the Hogs' 100 yards in penalties came in the second quarter, 45 on a trio of unsportsmanlike conduct calls in one drive. Not that they were necessarily bad calls, understand.

But the ejection of UA linebacker Jerry Franklin for drawing two of the flags was critical for the Hogs as Franklin is the best backer in coverage the Hogs have. His replacement got burned for at least one of the long touchdowns by the Georgia tight ends. Franklin must learn to control his emotions better than he did and avoid situations like that in the future.

I certainly don't believe in "moral victories," but believe that there are a few things for Hog fans to be happy about. Mainly the passing attack, although the offense through two games is heavily tilted in favor of the pass.

In my opinion, the running game must improve to balance the offense, not only to keep defenses honest and protect Ryan Mallett, but to keep the shaky pass defense off the field.

As far as fan expectations, the jury is still out on the Hogs. Some fans will abandon ship after a loss, look at Auburn's record and consider that another loss, but it's way too early to concede anything yet.

Some fans have soured on big back Broderick Green already, but Earl Campbell in his prime couldn't run over three-four linemen and linebackers waiting at the line of scrimmage.

A big loss to 'Bama will have some Hog fans humming the Green Day tune "Wake Me Up When September Ends," but the schedule doesn't get much easier in October and November.

This Saturday's game at Alabama would be a major upset if the Hogs' were to win, but anyone who was paying attention should have known that before the Georgia game.

'Bama just may be the best team in the country right now, in my opinion they are, but don't look for Bobby Petrino to try to shorten the game ala Lane Kiffin at Florida, keeping it close and trying to get a break at the end.

Petrino will have the Hogs taking their shots down the field and even though the Hogs could lose by a larger margin if it backfires, the team will be better for it in the long run.

No one expects the Hogs to beat 'Bama, I certainly won't be making any bets, but I would rather lose taking my best shot than playing rope-a-dope for 60 minutes.

5 Reasons I Shouldn't Make Predictions On The Arkansas Razorbacks

Roger Gowens — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:25:26 -0400

Okay, I was wrong in picking the Arkansas Razorbacks to beat Georgia 35-31. To that, I plead guilty...with an explanation.

You see, in making that pick, I was under the assumption that the Hogs' defense would be much-improved, and that UGA quarterback Joe Cox would resemble Joe Blow more than Joe Montana.

We won't know for awhile if Cox is that much better than he looked in the first two games, or if he just happened to be the guy throwing against a weak secondary. My guess is that he is better than most thought and will have at least a solid season, albeit with no more five touchdown performances.

As for the first item, the Razorback defense did show some improvement from 2008, believe it or not. The run defense was actually respectable, other than giving up an 80-yard touchdown run by Richard Samuel.

Of course, that's like saying that Kanye West is a swell guy, other than making an occasional ass of himself at awards shows.

To put it bluntly, the Hogs' secondary couldn't have played much worse. When they weren't letting Georgia receivers get behind them for taking-candy-from-a-baby touchdowns, the Hogs' defenders were letting the Dawgs' pass catchers snatch the ball away like the aforementioned Kanye West taking the mic from Taylor Swift.

I haven't seen such an undressing on a football field since the infamous "wardrobe malfunction" in the Super Bowl halftime show a few years ago.

Even with all of that, I would contend that if not for the double penalties following the Hogs' only interception and the subsequent ejection of the Arkansas defense's best pass defending linebacker, with a 21-10 lead already, this would have been a different game.

The momentum swing of that penalty, and the following aborted drive, along with the 80 yard Samuel run, provided a lift to Georgia that was palpable.

Regardless of that, it is obvious that there is a considerable dropoff from the Hogs' first to second string players at several defensive positions. There is some of that to be expected, but when corner Rudell Crim went out with leg cramps, his replacement was immediately tested, then toasted.

When one of the Bulldogs' starting corners went out, nothing happened. With a pair of highly-regarded cornerbacks in the last recruiting class (one of whom being Darius Winston, a five-star recruit according to Rivals), it may be time to take the wraps off and see what the youngsters can do.

Not to berate individuals, the problem wasn't a lack of effort, and maybe not even a lack of ability; however, after getting torched to that extent by a QB with a previously thin resume, some sort of changes seem necessary either in personnel or in tweaking the scheme somewhat.

It's for sure that the Alabama Crimson Tide is not a team ideal for playing when trying to bounce back from a disappointing loss. With a crunching running game, an improving quarterback, Julio Jones, 260-lb. linebackers who can run, Javier Arenas in the return game and brutish linemen on both sides of the ball, the Hogs face a daunting task next Saturday.

Alabama is better than Georgia in nearly every area, if not all of them, and with the game in Tuscaloosa, there won't be a lot of people giving the Hogs a chance.

In case you hadn't guessed it by now, this is not really a list of reasons not to make predictions. I'm sure at some point, I may get back on the horse, just not this week.

Five Reasons Why The Arkansas Razorbacks Will Beat Georgia

Roger Gowens — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 23:44:56 -0400

In year two of the Bobby Petrino era, after a debut season in which Petrino was consistently overmatched on the field in both talent and experience, the time has come for the second most reviled man in the history of the state of Georgia to make a statement on the field.

The most reviled man in the history of Georgia was, of course, Union General William T. Sherman. To listen to some media and fans in Atlanta, Sherman's burning of the city in the Civil War barely eclipses Petrino's "crime" of leaving the NFL's Falcons after only 13 games.

Many Georgians will say that the Falcons and Georgia Bulldogs don't have much in common, a different fan base, etc.

Forget that. I have read rants about Petrino on Georgia based sites that rival Mussolini on the balcony or former Georgia Governor "ZigZag" Zell Miller at the GOP convention in 2004.

South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson's "You lie!" warddrobe malfunction in Congress last week would be polite compared with the "Your coach is a scumbag" type diatribes I see from college football fans concerning Petrino, especially those in the state of Georgia.

That, and the fact that ESPN is covering the Hogs for the first time since the all-Petrino-all-the-time 24 hour bashfest of the Hog's head coach in December 2007, make this a big game.

Of course, it's a big game for the Hogs for other reasons, it is the SEC opener, after all, and is a bit if a statement game. This game will go a long way in determining whether the 2009 edition of the Hogs are pretenders or contenders, even if the Dawgs are slightly weakened by the departures of Stafford and Moreno.

Here are five reasons the Hogs will prevail Saturday in my opinion:

1. There are six Georgia natives on the Arkansas roster and four of them will play against a team that snubbed them in during the recruiting process. This is a bigger game for the Hogs than the Dawgs.

2. With an open date last week, Petrino and the UA staff has been game planning for UGA since before the Dawgs finished off South Carolina. Even before that, this game was a point of emphasis for the Hogs as both a crossroads game and a statement game.

While Georgia has played two tough opponents to the Hogs' none so far in 2009, never discount the coaches' adage about a team's biggest improvement coming from game one to game two. That and the Hogs' fresh legs will make a difference.

3. In this, the 100th anniversary of Hugo Bezdek's statement which led to the name change from Cardinals to Razorbacks, there has been a great deal of anticipation by Hog players, coaches and fans for the Fayetteville opener.

There is a new playing surface, quite a fast track we're told. If Stephen Garcia can pass for 300 + yards against Georgia with a less talented stable of receivers than that of the Hogs, Ryan Mallett could make quite a splash on the national stage.

4. Georgia has little film of the Hogs to dissect. Looking at film of 2008 with Casey Dick at the helm throwing to freshman receivers and with only Michael Smith to hand off to won't be of that much help to the Dawgs.

The Hogs had a very vanilla gameplan against Missouri State with the Bears playing a very unconventional defense. That film will be about as much use to the Georgia staff as Bruno.

5. Lastly, back to the ESPN/Georgia angle. While Petrino has little to say about his time in Georgia other than comparing the experience of coaching the Falcons to the movie Misery, the man is human and has to have had his ears singed by all the vitriol.

If nothing else, this game is a chance to show that Arkansas is back after the underachieving 2007 season and last year's rebuilding year. And Arthur Blanks' Home Depot wasn't supplying the materials.

Arkansas over Georgia 35-31.

10 Things Arkansas Razorback Fans Learned from the S.C.-Georgia Game

Roger Gowens — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 19:14:14 -0400

Two games competed for viewers last Saturday night, with USC-Ohio State being on ESPN and the other USC trying to upset the Georgia Bulldogs on ESPN 2.

On a national level, there is no question that the Trojans and Buckeyes were the bigger attraction.

However, in the SEC, football games are a cross between social events, family reunions, and border disputes. Visiting fans are sometimes treated sort of like the rafters were treated by the locals in Deliverance.

Rest assured, in SEC country many more viewers watched the border dispute between Georgia and the home state of "Liar Liar Pants on Fire" South Carolina Congressman Joe Wilson.

In the state of Arkansas, with the Razorbacks having no game this week and UGA coming up next Saturday and South Carolina on the schedule in November, one doesn't have to see the Nielsen ratings to safely assume most Hog fans were watching on the deuce.

So what did Hog fans learn about a pair of future opponents Saturday night? Here are 10 things:

1. With a game that lasted almost as long as Burt Reynolds and company's float trip in the '70s film and the Gamecocks running over 80 offensive plays to Georgia's 52, Hog fans can hope that UGA's defense will come to Fayetteville weary.

2. New Georgia quarterback Joe Cox bears a striking resemblance to one of the banjo players in the aforementioned Deliverance.

One can almost hear Ross Perot sound-alike Steve Spurrier quoting ESPN's Jimmy Dykes: "paddle faster, boys, the banjo music's gettin' louder" as Cox sort of stumbled his way to victory.

Deliverance was filmed in Georgia, after all.

Rather than hearing "squeal like a pig," Cox will be hearing lots of Hog calls next week.

3. The most entertaining thing about watching a South Carolina game is still the antics of the Ol' Ball Coach. Steve Superior, Darth Visor, The Evil Genius, whatever opposing fans are calling Spurrier these days, they are much more likely to be gloating than moping. The man is just not the same coach without all those Florida athletes.

4. If there is a special teams unit more inconsistent than the Hogs', it has to be Georgia's. A 100-yard kickoff return, a botched snap on a punt, and a fumbled kickoff all on the same night. Sheesh.

5. In a game that figured to be about as entertaining to watch as an Amish barn-raising, there were 78 points tallied. I don't know if that's a good or bad omen for next week, but I, for one, was glad to see UGA win. When was the last time Georgia started 0-2? Instead, the Dawgs are 1-1 and maybe not quite as hungry.

6. If Stephen Garcia can find receivers against Georgia's pass defense the way he did, after finding only trouble previously, it makes a Hog fan confident that the Hogs will score. But will it be enough to win the game?

7. Spurrier must have had anger management counseling at some point. I can't recall a single visor fling in this game.

8. With ESPN's main crew and shapely sideline reporter Erin Andrews reportedly set to cover the Hogs' game with Georgia, there might be extra pairs of binoculars in the stands Saturday.

Just for the record, guys, cameras are not allowed in Reynolds Razorback Stadium. That policy was in place even before Andrews' unauthorized videos hit the 'net this summer.

9. Not just in this game, but for the last two to three years, we have learned ESPN color man Todd Blackledge loves to eat in his Taste of the Town segments. I have no idea where in Fayetteville Blackledge will dine. I also don't know how the guy avoids a John Madden-like physique. We have learned he does a decent Spurrier impression.

10. This is a crossroads game for both teams. Even though Georgia may be down from the past few years, the Hogs could garner a lot of national prestige by ending a six-game losing streak against the Dogs.

Let's hope if the Hogs win, they don't follow with a loss to an unranked team from the state of Texas like the last team to beat Georgia, although a big test at Alabama comes first.

Ten Things Arkansas Razorbacks Fans Can Do to Pass the Time on Bye Week

Roger Gowens — Wed, 09 Sep 2009 23:23:50 -0400

It is unusual, to say the least, for college football teams to have a bye week so early in the football season. UA Athletics Director Jeff Long reportedly searched high and low for an opponent willing to play this weekend. It would have been preferable to take the week off later, maybe in October, about halfway through the season.

No takers were found, so here we are with no opponent to jeer this week. There will be 11 games on the next 11 Saturdays with no break. What to do?

Here are 10 ways for an Arkansas Razorback fan to spend this weekend with no Hog game on the slate:

1. Watch the Georgia-South Carolina game to scout next week's foe and a later one as well. For fun, maybe bet your neighbor or co-worker as to how many constipated grimaces will form on the face of the Ol' Ball Coach, followed by the outdoor record for visor-throwing.

2. Check your furnace, as it will be turning cold before too long. Besides, as many Hog fans have commented for years, the hot place would freeze over before the Hogs would lead the nation in passing, even after one game.

3. Wonder aloud what Bobby Petrino said to kicker Alex Tejada after the second of two out of bounds kickoffs.

4. Wonder when the honeymoon will be over between former coach Houston Nutt and Ole Miss fans.

5. Wonder when the national media's love affair with Houston Nutt will sour, if ever.

6. Wonder how long the pee wee league handshakes before college football games will last. My guess is until the Tennessee-Florida match in late September.

7. Speculate as to what would happen if strong-armed Hog QB Ryan Mallett pulled a Paul Crewe from The Longest Yard (the original, not the Adam Sandler remake) and hurled the football into the nether regions of a rushing defensive lineman.

8. Speculate as to how long it would take for Hog backup QB Tyler Wilson to enter the game after No. 7.

9. Watch the Notre Dame-Michigan game and wonder which coach will get axed first if their team has another bad season and which is the bigger jerk. My money is on Charlie Weis, who clearly outweighs Rich Rodriguez.

10. Wonder if Tim Tebow has a healthcare plan and if his helmet will fit over his halo.

Arkansas Razorbacks Pass First Game Test

Roger Gowens — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 00:22:04 -0400

Against a football FCS division team picked to finish seventh in a nine team Missouri Valley Conference, the Arkansas Razorbacks were something like 37-point favorites to win their opening game against Missouri State.

The Hogs covered that spread, not that I care about betting lines, winning 48-10 with a school record 447 yards passing, half a season's worth under most of the Hogs' former head coaches.

Missouri State was so determined to stop the running game, the Bears curiously crowded the line of scrimmage, as if almost daring the Hogs to throw.

And throw the Hogs did with Michigan transfer Ryan Mallett hitting 17-of-22 passes for 309 yards and a touchdown.

Backup QB Tyler Wilson was also effective completing 13-of-19 attempts with 139 yards and a pair of scoring tosses.

Yes, Razorback fans realize that Missouri State is hardly an SEC caliber team and there were several items to be concerned about when the Hogs play more than token opposition.

Still, after a 2008 season in which all five of the teams' victories went right down to the final gun, a 48-10 win in which the Hogs led on the scoreboard all but 17 seconds shows progress in Bobby Petrino's second season.

Now, to the concerns. With much emphasis put on special teams play in fall camp and spring practice before that, there were still way too many special teams blunders even for a season opener.

A trio of kickoffs went out of bounds allowing Missouri State to set up shop on the 40-yard line. There was also a long kickoff return by the Bears, a muffed punt, and a couple of punts that were allowed to hit the ground.

Running into the return man who signaled for a fair catch, a couple of shaky PAT attempts that barely hooked inside the left upright—these were a few bonehead plays that almost made fans forget Dennis Johnson's 90-yard return for a TD on the opening kickoff.

However, Johnson's return did cover some of the special team's sins, if not the entire multitude.

Alex Tejada was 2-for-2 on field goal tries and 6-for-6 on PATs, but after two shanked kickoffs, Tejada was replaced on the kickoff team by walkon Cameron Bryan, who kicked his first one out of bounds, also.

As for the defense, even though Missouri State ran the ball at times, Hog fans will take 36 attempts for 82 yards by any opponent after a 2008 season in which every opposing team ran the ball effectively.

The pass rush was decent with Bear QB Cody Kirby receiving a rude reception in his return to his home state.

Missouri State was helped by a fourth down penalty on their only touchdown, so the Hogs' defense receives a passing grade. Not an "A", but a solid "B" maybe.

The offense was only solid in the running game with Broderick Green struggling to find holes, but it should be noted that freshman Ronnie Wingo got twice as many carries as starter Michael Smith and Missouri State was selling out to stop the running game.

The passing was often spectacular with Jarius Wright having a career night of 139 yards receiving and freshman Cobi Hamilton looking like a seasoned vet.

Overall, while no one will ever confuse the Missouri State Bears with an SEC squad, last seasons' Hogs would have likely struggled to a 10-14 point win at best.

Therefore, this year's thrashing of an opponent in the opening game shows progress. More good news is that the offensive and defensive gameplans were very vanilla, using maybe one or two pages of the Hogs' thick offensive playbook, thus not giving away too much to future foes.

The Georgia game in two weeks will give Hog fans a much better indicator as to what 2009 will bring. While the Hogs have an open date this weekend, UGA will have a tough game with South Carolina, which could be a nice advantage.

However, for the Hogs' six Georgia natives to have a happy reunion on Sept. 19, special teams play must improve. There's no way the Hogs can afford to give the Dawgs the kind of field position the Bears enjoyed before going into early hibernation.

Arkansas Razorbacks 2009 Defense: Nowhere To Go But Up

Roger Gowens — Sat, 05 Sep 2009 00:46:53 -0400

If there was any part of the Arkansas Razorbacks that struggled more in 2008 than the special teams, it was the defense.

The Hogs "D" yielded 170.8 rushing yards per game, 375 total yards, and a whopping 31.2 points, all good for 12th in the defensive oriented SEC. In fact, the Hogs defense was a distant 12th in all three categories, giving up almost a touchdown a game more than 11th place Mississippi State.

There were some grumblings among defensive minded fans that first year head coach Bobby Petrino put all the best athletes on offense, didn't care about the defensive unit and so on, as fans will do in a 5-7 season.

Some fans, ignoring the constant drama surrounding the Arkansas program from 2003-2007 and forgetting the fact that the Hog defense on the 8-5 team in 2007 wasn't exactly the '85 Chicago Bears, even pined for departed coach Houston Nutt.

It's easy to forget that the 2004-05 editions of the Hogs were 9-13 and that Nutt, the toast of Oxford, Miss. for now, lost 21 games in his last four years in spite of having some of the more talented teams in Razorback history.

The 2007 team simply outscored the eight opponents they defeated, giving up a lot of points in the process and failing to hold late leads against Alabama, Auburn and Kentucky.

So, what has been done by Petrino and defensive coordinator Willy Robinson, a man who had many fans crying "Free Willy" after the 2008 defensive debacle?

For starters, strength and conditioning coach Jason Veltkamp has had a full offseason to put defensive players in particular through his grueling workouts. The Hogs may not be quite as talented as a few of their opponents in 2009, but they will not be outconditioned by anyone.

Defensive bellcow Malcolm Sheppard is up around 295 lbs. and is an All-SEC type player. End Jake Bequette is at 270 with 4.66 speed, and according to Robinson is as good a pro prospect as the Hogs have.

Linebacker Jerry Franklin is at a rock solid 241 and was one of only two players to intercept a Tim Tebow pass in the 2008 regular season. Freddy Burton is up in the 230's and the depth at linebacker is way better than a year ago.

Freshman Terrell Williams is a future star. Former safeties Jerrico Nelson and Brett Harris add quality depth at outside linebacker.

Wendel Davis is solid in the middle, if undersized. Jermaine Love or Austin Moss need to step up as backups there.

No unit at Arkansas has undergone more of a facelift than the secondary in the last year with the additions of JC transfers Andru Stewart, Rudell Crim and Anthony Leon and freshmen David Gordon and Darius Winston.

All are expected to play early, with the possible exception of Winston who has fallen down the depth chart recently, but is likely too talented to redshirt.

Leon is a monster at 6'4", 230 lbs., with a reported 42 inch vertical and is pushing returning starter Matt Harris for playing time at free safety.

Elton Ford returns at strong safety after breaking three bones in his neck last season, but is backing up converted corner Tremain Thomas.

All in all, the team speed is much better on defense in 2009, there is much more size in the line and there is so much more depth in 2009 than last season, the unit can't help but be better.

In addition to dealing with heavy player losses and suspensions in 2008, the Hogs defense had to make massive changes in philosophy. Going from all out blitzing in spite of mediocre coverage in the secondary to a more zone oriented approach often had many players thinking instead of reacting.

With the 2009 season on the verge of kicking off, expect the Arkansas defense to be much improved. Not dominant, mind you, but with the offensive firepower assembled by Bobby Petrino, this team should be able to win enough shootouts to return Arkansas to a bowl.

There is more excitement for this season than any in a decade or so. Expect the Hogs to lay the foundation this season for a possible SEC title run in 2010.

Arkansas Razorbacks Hope To Get Their Kicks In 2009

Roger Gowens — Mon, 31 Aug 2009 22:34:01 -0400

In his star-crossed 2008 season, things got so bad for Arkansas kicker Alex Tejada that he was unceremoniously yanked for a walkon, Shay Haddock, who didn't even finish the season himself.

In the Hogs 28-27 comeback win over Louisiana-Monroe, Tejada drew head coach Bobby Petrino's ire not only by drawing a delay of game penalty, on a kickoff, no less, but by then kicking the ball out of bounds to hand ULM great field position.

To top things off, Tejada proved to be a triple threat in that game by missing an easy field goal, shank you very much. Lip readers could make out Petrino's response to Tejada's explanation for the miss. Hint: it can't be printed in most publications.

After a 2007 freshman season in which Tejada made 17 field goals, Alex's point total dropped from 109 points to only a scant 32 in 2008.

The 4-9 field goal kicking and short kickoffs exemplified Arkansas' kicking game woes in Bobby Petrino's first season in Fayetteville, but they were far from the only problems.

Dennis Johnson's kickoff returns and the punting of departed senior Jeremy Davis were the only bright spots in the kicking game for the Hogs in 2008. The rest of the special teams' performance could charitably be described as terrible.

Even after Tejada made the extra point to give the Hogs a 31-30 lead over LSU in the season finale with only 22 ticks left on the clock, the Razorbacks were still hanging on at the end as the Bayou Bengals missed a long field goal attempt at the gun.

The ensuing squib kickoff after the Hogs took the lead barely made it past the 50 yard line, once again giving an opponent great field position.

So, you ask, what have Bobby Petrino and the Arkansas staff done to rectify the Keystone Kops performance of the special teams in 2009?

John L. Smith, former head coach at Utah State, Louisville and Michigan State and Petrino's mentor, was brought in to attempt to fix the special teams after Lorenzo Ward bolted for South Carolina right before signing day.

John L., a thrill seeker who has run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain and hiked to the top of Mt. Kilimanjaro among other things, has the reputation as a special teams guru in addition to being a defensive minded coach.

Petrino is counting on Smith's expertise, more and better athletes throughout the Arkansas roster and an improved showing by Alex Tejada to upgrade the Hogs' special teams to at least an adequate level in 2009.

Tejada was hampered by a dislocated kneecap on his plant leg in 2008, so hopefully Tejada will return to his 2007 form this season.

Junior college transfer Briton Forester, the punter for Hawaii in their banner season a couple of years back before leaving upon June Jones' departure, figures to be the Hogs punter. Freshman walkon Dylan Breeding may have a good future, but the more seasoned and consistent Forester is the man for now, apparently.

Dennis Johnson, who set the Arkansas record for kickoff return yardage in a season, returns. Receiver Joe Adams has the potential to be a game breaking punt returner as he showed with an 85 yard burst for a score in one scrimmage.

A few junior college studs with blocked kicks on their resume have been added as well. In short, the Hogs have nowhere to go but up on specialty teams after the disaster film that was the 2009 season.

The Hogs have spent more time in practice working on special teams this season. If that work pays off, the team will reap the rewards with a better bowl bid than 6 or 7 wins would deliver.

Ryan Mallett, Quality Backups Ensure Arkansas Well Armed at Quarterback in 2009

Roger Gowens — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 19:47:51 -0400

Last season, the first year of the Bobby Petrino era saw quarterback Casey Dick set many passing records at the University of Arkansas. Granted, UA has not exactly been known for throwing the football since Joe Ferguson took his act to Buffalo in the early '70s.

In fact, the last few years of the Houston Nutt era brought an annual passing ranking in the 100s out of 119 NCAA schools in the top division.

While some fans grumbled as the running game fell to 10th place in the SEC, the passing game improved to second with 259.6 yards per game, trailing only Georgia and Matthew Stafford.

What many fans failed to realize is that with Darren McFadden, Felix Jones, and Peyton Hillis all playing on Sundays and 5'7", 176-lb. Michael Smith having to carry the entire load on the ground, the running game was certain to suffer.

What does that have to do with the Arkansas quarterbacks? Lots. You see, the Hog signal callers won't have to carry the offense as much with what figures to be a vastly improved running game in 2009.

There shouldn't be nearly as many second-and-long or third-and-long yardage situations this season with the stable of backs that Petrino has assembled. Opposing defenses won't be able to come after the QB quite as hard while guessing whether the play is pass or run.

When the Hogs do throw, and they will often in Petrino's offense, huge rocket-armed Ryan Mallett will have his choice of several quality targets. D.J. Williams is the best pass-catching tight end to ever play at Arkansas, and a couple of wideouts have All-SEC potential—maybe not this year, but before they move on.

Prediction: This Mallett will smash all of Arkansas' single-season passing records, barring injury. The young Michigan transfer sometimes has accuracy problems due to sloppy footwork, but who better to iron out those wrinkles than Bobby Petrino?

Mallett is bigger, stronger, and has a better arm than any Razorback quarterback in many years, maybe ever.

If somehow Ryan Mallett is injured or ineffective, all is not lost. Redshirt freshman Tyler Wilson was second on the depth chart, ahead of departed Nathan Dick, in 2008 before a bout with mono derailed Wilson's season.

All Nathan Dick did in the only game he played from start to finish was pass for 333 yards and three touchdowns, against an SEC team to boot.

Wilson sometimes has trouble breaking the huddle in time and taking snaps from center after playing exclusively in a no-huddle spread offense in his high school career.

Once those problems are worked out, in the words of Bobby Petrino, "the kid can throw the heck out of the ball." 'Nuff said?

While Wilson doesn't put quite as many RPMs on the football as Ryan Mallett, many QBs, like Joe Montana, somehow made do without a big arm.

Not to compare Wilson to a four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, but this young man is more than capable of leading the Hogs offense if necessary.

True freshman Brandon Mitchell is athletic enough to have had a scholarship offer from LSU for basketball and has the arm strength and size to be a future standout. The coaches must be pleased with Mitchell to have moved third team QB Jim Youngblood to tight end recently.

To sum it up, Ryan Mallett is the most talented QB at Arkansas in some time, if not ever. Tyler Wilson is a better backup than most schools possess and could eventually be a standout, and Brandon Mitchell has a lot of talent.

All together, it adds up to the Arkansas quarterback situation being in good hands now and in the immediate future.

Depth at Running Back No Longer a Problem For Arkansas

Roger Gowens — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 22:14:05 -0400

What a difference a year makes.

Just 12 months ago, the Arkansas Razorbacks entered the 2008 football season with a lot of uncertainty at the running back position after the departures of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones to the NFL. Both left with a year of eligibility remaining.

It was believed that Michael Smith could be a solid SEC-caliber back, but with few carries to be had after McFadden, Jones and Peyton Hillis, also in the NFL, Smith was very much an unproven commodity when the game was on the line.

While Smith established himself early in the 2008 campaign as a force to be reckoned with, true freshmen backups DeAnthony Curtis and Dennis Johnson struggled to run the ball from scrimmage (though Johnson was a record-setting kickoff return man).

Curtis had a momentum-changing fumble in the Kentucky game, which, combined with a defensive collapse, led to the Wildcats fourth-quarter comeback in a 21-20 Hog loss.

Like Bob Dylan sang 40 years ago, the times, they are a-changin'. In 2009, Smith, Curtis and Johnson all return, with Johnson having a stellar performance in the season ending win over LSU.

That's not the only good news for the Hogs. The trio are joined by another talented trio, USC transfer Broderick Green, a 6'2", 240 pound jackhammer, and freshmen Ronnie Wingo and Knile Davis.

Green should provide a lift in the redzone and in short yardage situations that the team was missing last year and according to head coach Bobby Petrino, Green is a solid receiver and good in pass protection. Look for the Hogs to "go Green" often in 2009.

There has been some debate among fans as to whether Davis and/or Wingo should redshirt in 2009 or play. With Davis' history of injuries, a redshirt would not be surprising at all.

However, when it comes to Ronnie Wingo Jr., as they say in New York, fuggetaboutit. No way Wingo redshirts. The young man got 19 carries in a recent scrimmage; not fodder for a player who wouldn't figure on playing immediately.

Petrino has been quoted as saying that there is something special about Wingo, while staying mum on Knile Davis. My guess is with both being in the same recruiting class and Davis coming off a broken ankle in the spring, that Davis will sit in 2009.

That's just a guess, mind you, but it's very unlikely that Wingo redshirts, barring an injury between now and the middle of September.

For one thing, Wingo at 220 is the only big back besides Broderick Green, with Dennis Johnson and Curtis being between 200-210 pounds at most.

Michael Smith right now is the probable punt returner with Dennis Johnson returning kickoffs, so an injury to either could weaken the Hogs at more than one position.

DeAnthony Curtis has been looked at at receiver some, telling me that Wingo will play, especially with senior Brandon Barnett still having knee problems.

Four or five backs will be needed before the season is over, and Petrino loves big backs. Look for Michael Smith to get the most carries, but not 90 percent plus, as in 2008.

Look for a little of a committee approach with Smith getting 15-20 carries with 20 or so split up fairly evenly among the others.

The Arkansas backfield has gone from Michael Smith being lonely at the top to an embarrassment of riches in one year.

Potentially, this group can really carry the mail while making opposing defensive coordinators go postal. All they need is a nickname.

Hmmm. This group can be more efficient than the postal service. FedEx ground does a good job. How's Feral Express? A feral is a wild beast, after all, kind of like a wild Razorback...

Arkansas Receiving Corps Could Be Best In School History

Roger Gowens — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 00:14:18 -0400

When it comes to receivers, the University of Arkansas does not have a long, illustrious history. Sure there have been standouts: Chuck Dicus in the ‘60s, Bobby Duckworth, who played in the NFL in the ‘80s, and Anthonys Eubanks and Lucas in the ‘90s.

Don't say Lance Alworth or Gary Anderson, however. Alworth, who is enshrined in the Pro Football Hall Of Fame, played running back at Arkansas, as did Anderson, mostly.

Yes, there were a few Arkansas receivers who played in the NFL way back like Preston Carpenter, but only a handful of Hog pass catchers have ever scratched the 50 mark in receptions for a season.

In fact, the Razorbacks have been such groundhogs since Frank Broyles went ultra-conservative in the early ‘70s that there have been eight seasons when the Hogs leading receiver had fewer than 20 catches for a season.

Whoa Nelly!, as the former voice of college football might say. Just like Bill Murray of the film Groundhog Day, Hog fans have awakened from having the same experience over and over, watching predictable, "play not to lose" offenses for years.

Even though the 2008 season was not a stellar one, it was exciting seeing a football in the air downfield for something other than a punt, for a change. The Groundhog Day offense is no more with a head coach who doesn't call plays as if he's scared of his own shadow only to crawl back in his hole for six weeks.

Tight end D.J. Williams jumped from five catches in 2007 to 63 in 2008, earning himself a spot on the Mackey Award watchlist.

However, with the development of several of the wideouts, Williams may not be called upon quite as much in 2009.

Sophomore Joe Adams, athletic enough to be recruited as a corner by USC, where he was committed until Petrino's hiring, had 31 catches as a frosh even though he tailed off in the 2nd half of the season.

Adams, who Petrino called "electrifying" in the spring, is just one of the wide receivers poised to make big strides in 2009.

Greg Childs, a 6'3” 220 man-child, had 88 yards receiving in the season opener last year, but like most freshman was inconsistent in much of his first season of college football.
Petrino is reportedly quite pleased with Childs' improvement in fall camp along with that of Childs' high school teammate at Warren, AR, Jarius Wright.

Wright came on strong in the 2nd half of the 2008 season with long touchdown receptions against South Carolina and LSU.

London Crawford who made big catches against Ole Miss and the game winner vs LSU, may be ready to play up to his considerable potential consistently as a senior.

Lucas Miller, when he comes back from his recent injury, and Carlton Salters are sure-handed possession receivers.

True freshman Cobi Hamilton, who the Hogs signed after a late charge by Texas, has made waves in camp and looks as if he will get a chance to reconnect with his former Texarkana, TX battery mate, Ryan Mallett this season.

With the injury to converted wide reciever Chris Gragg at tight end and Ben Cleveland's history of injuries, Colton Nash has been moved to TE, along with converted quarterback Jim Youngblood, to backup All-SEC candidate D.J. Williams. Look for former walk-on Joseph Henry to see some playing time, also.

There is talk of running back DeAnthony Curtis being used some at wideout with the glut of running backs. The lack of proven depth at TE is the only minus in the Hogs suddenly robust receiving crew.

With rocket-armed Ryan Mallett at QB and a coach committed to the passing game instead of making annual promises to open up the offense, only to revert back to the same old same old, the Arkansas Razorbacks could break most of the single season passing records at UA in 2009.

That, along with a much-improved running game and hopefully a defense to match, should add up to a return to bowl action this season, not to mention an energized fan base.

Linemen Hold the Key to Arkansas's Success

Roger Gowens — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 23:21:01 -0400

It's what's up front that counts. A major ad campaign was centered around these words many years ago, but as many a plastic surgeon and a major restaurant chain can attest, those words still ring true today.

In the 2008 football season, the Arkansas Razorbacks ranked fourth in the SEC in total offense even though the rushing attack lagged in the bottom half of the league. Mighty mite Michael Smith was stellar, but the running game when Smith was on the sidelines was nearly non-existent, at least until freshman Dennis Johnson gashed LSU in the season finale.

The Hogs ranked near last in the NCAA in sacks allowed, a statistic that has to stick in the craw of head coach Bobby Petrino more than most anything else in a 5-7 debut season.

The run defense was a distant last in the league, yielding around 170 yards per game on the ground. Partly due to a feeble pass rush, the Razorbacks yielded an SEC high 22 touchdown passes.

Even though the Hogs were within 3-4 plays of going 8-4 in 2008, the flip side is that the team was within 5-6 plays of going 0-12.

With all the problems listed above along with a drastic change of offensive and defensive philosophies, 5-7 was about where the team probably should have finished.

So, you ask, what has been done to address those problems that made even games with Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe such struggles?

For one, conditioning coach Jason Veltkamp, a man like his boss Petrino, known to throw praise around like manhole covers, seems quite pleased with the offseason strength and conditioning gains of almost all the players.

Both lines have had several players make significant weight gains, adding strength without losing speed. Defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard reportedly went from 270 to 292, for instance. Mammoth redshirt freshman Alfred Davis has been added to the defensive line rotation, along with true freshman DeQuinta Jones.

However, the most improved area of this football team, in my opinion, will be the much maligned offensive line. Preseason All-SEC pick Mitch Petrus, No.66, missed the 2008 season due to academic issues and his crunching run blocking was sorely missed. Look for a much deeper stable of backs to cruise down Route 66 in 2009.

Petrus was quoted in one of the local papers as saying that this line has 15 quality players on the offensive line after years of normally having six or seven. As a fifth year senior, Petrus said that this is by far the best group of players in quantity and quality that he has played with.

Having said that, several of those players are untested in SEC play, or in the case of a couple of true freshmen, untested period. The center replacing Rimington Award winner Jonathon Luigs will be either sometime guard Wade Grayson or holdover Seth Oxner, who has been around but never played in a game.

Grayson had the edge after spring ball, but Oxner was promoted by the time two a days began earlier this month. It's the Year of the Ox according to the Chinese calendar, so maybe that's Oxner's advantage.

The position is critical to how well the line performs in 2009 with Luigs having been probably the Hogs' best center ever. On the plus side, nearly all of the guards and tackles return, although a few have changed positions.

With even a solid performance from the "Big Uglies" as Keith Jackson of ABC called the linemen, this Arkansas team has the offensive skill position talent and speed to score on any defense.

Petrino will take his chances with his fourth or fifth wide receiver being better than the other guy's nickel backs or safeties when the Hogs spread the field and TE D.J. Williams will wear out the middle of the field if opposing D's play too deep. The running backs catch the ball well enough that that it's dangerous to try to cover them with a linebacker.

Too many DBs and the man New York Giant coach Tom Coughlin called the best play caller he has ever been around will pound the ball with Michael Smith, Broderick Green, Dennis Johnson and others in the suddenly deep backfield.

One thing is for certain. That is the scoreboard operator will be kept busy when the Hogs have the ball in 2009, and quite possibly when opponents have the ball, also.

The upshot is that this edition of the Razorback defense doesn't have to remind anyone of the 1985 Chicago Bears. With the potency of this offense, if the Hogs defensive squad can just slow down opposing offenses somewhat, the Hogs should win seven or eight games.

The Hog defense was dealt a blow a few days ago when starting corner Isaac Madison was lost for the season with a torn ACL. The good news is there is talent waiting in the wings in the form of Rudell Crim, Darius Winston, and David Gordon. The bad news is one is a JC transfer, the other pair true freshmen.

If necessary the leading interceptor from 2007, Jerell Norton, can be moved back from safety.

If the pass rush doesn't improve, a lot of 41-38 type games could be in store. If Adrian Davis, Damario Ambrose, Jake Bequette and company can provide a better rush from the outside with opponents doubling Sheppard, the defense could surprise.

In any event, the improvement of the offensive and defensive lines is critical to the Hogs returning to postseason play in 2009.