Arkansas Football: Previewing the South Carolina Game

This weekend, No. 7 Arkansas will square off against No. 9 South Carolina in Fayetteville, and I am hard-pressed to remember a matchup of this magnitude that received as little fanfare in the history of Arkansas football.

As Tuscaloosa gets set this weekend to witness a clash of the titans, there is little mention of the SEC's other Top 10 matchup.

It is understandable that this game is going unnoticed on the national scene, but even the fans of the two teams themselves seem to be half asleep in the lead up to this game.

Perhaps that is because the expectations in Fayetteville and Columbia have risen so high in recent years that both fan bases—while not necessarily disappointed with a 7-1 start—are a bit let down by the style in which it has been accomplished.

Both teams have had to fight, claw and scratch to reach this point in the season.

Now, we'll take a look at the keys to deciding which one of these teams will notch their eighth win of the season.

Will Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney Destroy Tyler Wilson?

Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson has been hit so many times this season that you hardly hear his name mentioned without some mention of how tough he is.

I think that it's safe to say that Arkansas will face the best pair of defensive ends that they've seen this season (in Melvin Ingram and Jadeveon Clowney) when South Carolina heads to Fayetteville this weekend.

Arkansas is still trying to work out the kinks in an offensive line that has replaced three starters from a year ago, so they will have their work cut out for them protecting Wilson.

Can Arkansas Run the Ball Up the Gut?

The Arkansas running game has shown signs of life at times this season, but has still failed to produce consistently.

Dennis Johnson seems to have established himself as the feature back (if he can hold onto the ball), and Arkansas will need him in his game if they are going to beat South Carolina.

An ability to run the ball up the middle will force Clowney and Ingram to slide inside to help against the run, because otherwise they can pin their ears back and come off the edge all night long.

An ability to run the ball up the middle will be key to protecting Tyler Wilson against the Gamecocks.

Wake Up and Play Ball!

Bobby Petrino has said no more talking about getting off to a fast start, but we are going to talk about it anyway.  In fact, I'm not pushing for a fast start, but rather just for some sign of life in the first quarter, for a change.

In the last five games, Arkansas has tallied a combined deficit of 80 points and yet miraculously has lost only one of those games.

One has to figure that this habit will catch up with the Hogs if it isn't remedied soon.

Will Arkansas Make Brandon Wilds Look Like Marcus Lattimore?

No one in the SEC was happy to see Marcus Lattimore go down with an injury two weeks ago, but one would figure that the job of the Arkansas defense would be a little easier without Lattimore in the game.

Unfortunately, the Arkansas running defense makes opposing running backs look like Bo Jackson.

Brandon Wilds, Lattimore's replacement, ran for 137 yards against Tennessee in his first career start.  The Gamecocks will need him to put in a similar effort against Arkansas since Connor Shaw has been anything but spectacular in his three starts this season.

Prediction Time: Arkansas 31, South Carolina 27

On paper and without Lattimore, I think Arkansas is a couple of touchdowns better than South Carolina—but Arkansas has not lived up to its potential this season.

I learned a long time ago that when predicting Arkansas football, "They will continue to do what they've been doing until they do something else."  What Arkansas has been doing is playing fairly inconsistently and doing just enough to squeak by with a close win.

The Hogs are playing at home and have more of their skill players healthy than South Carolina does, so I'll pick them to win their third consecutive game by five points or less.

Arkansas 31, South Carolina 27.