Arkansas vs. South Carolina: Why the Razorbacks Have the Coaching Edge

Tomorrow night’s SEC showdown between No. 7 Arkansas and No. 9 South Carolina hasn't generated anywhere near the amount of hype and anticipation that’s been building up for the LSU-Alabama “Game of the Century.”

However, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the battle between the Hogs and ‘Cocks actually turn out to be more exciting and entertaining.

Two of the top offensive minds in college football—Arkansas’ Bobby Petrino and South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier—will test their wits against each other to see whose offense is capable of doing the most damage.

Given all of Spurrier's success in the past, it’s hard to say that Petrino has the coaching edge, but if you look at what these two coaches have accomplished recently, it’s Petrino who looks like he actually might be the better game-planner at this point.

Even though the Razorbacks lost their star running back Knile Davis in the offseason, the offense has still managed to average 37 points and 452 yards per game behind Petrino’s vaunted passing attack.

Spurrier, who was once known as a passing guru at Florida, hasn’t had the same type of success through the air this year. He just wasn’t able to get his quarterback situation straightened out until recently.

Now, with Connor Shaw at the helm, South Carolina should have a better chance of finding success in the passing game. But the question is, will the Gamecocks be able to keep pace with Petrino’s high-powered attack?

You can’t help but appreciate what Petrino’s been able to accomplish in Fayetteville during his short tenure, turning the Razorbacks from a primarily run-first team into a team that now ranks No. 9 in the country in passing offense.

From the outside looking in, it seems that Petrino has worked much better with his quarterbacks than Spurrier has with his at South Carolina. The fact that Petrino has been able to mold Tyler Wilson into a developing stud signal-caller could end up being the ultimate difference in this game.