We Saw Alright!

Here’s the definition of “dismal” from www.dictionary.com:

dis⋅mal/ˈdɪzməl/ Show Spelled Pronunciation [diz-muhl] Show IPA Pronunciation
–adjective

1. causing gloom or dejection; gloomy; dreary; cheerless; melancholy: dismal weather.
2. characterized by ineptness or lack of skill, competence, effectiveness, imagination, or interest; pitiful: Our team played a dismal game.

I guess the young Razorbacks and their second year coach are learning the hard way that consistency is the key to the game.

Their showing at home against Mississippi State was dismal, to say the least. Let’s just hope they can get things back on track for the rest of the tough SEC schedule!

We Shall See!

The Razorbacks face their first test of the young season tonight when they take on the Mississippi State Bulldogs in Fayetteville.

Fresh off of unexpected strong showings and wins against two Top 10 ranked teams – Oklahoma and Texas – expectations are certainly running high for the Hogs.

Can the young Hogs, who are currently starting up to three freshmen, continue their winning ways as they enter the tough SEC. We shall see. Hopes are high. Let’s just hope they can maintain the high standard of play they have established so far.

Hogs Clawing to the Top

I must say, it has been an interesting week with the Hogs knocking off two Top 10 teams: the Oklahoma Sooners and Texas Longhorns.

Now, conventional thought would say that Oklahoma and Texas were overrated, but after watching both games, I’m not so sure. They looked pretty good to me. Arkansas just happened to be better (at least on those particular nights).

Is Big Time Arkansas basketball back? The jury is still out, but Arkansas is looking good as they start SEC play.

Commentators on TV tonight stated that Coach John Pelphrey has won more games in his start than Eddie Sutton or Nolan Richardson.

I expect to enter the Top 20 next week, probably about No. 12.

Hogs Mettle to be Tested at SC

According to www.Dictionary.com:
noun
1. courage and fortitude: a man of mettle.
2. disposition or temperament: a man of fine mettle.
3. on one’s mettle, in the position of being incited to do one’s best. The loss of the first round put him on his mettle to win the match.

I believe the Razorback’s contest against the South Carolina Gamecocks will be the defining game of Bobby Petrino’s first year as head coach in Fayetteville.

A win will mean Arkansas has found a coach that can take a group of young mean and mold them into winners. A loss will point to a lot of work has yet to be done.

I think the Hogs have a real chance to win, especially if they can put together four strong quarters of play. Unforunately, that has yet to happen this season.

I’ll have to give the nod to the Gamecocks at home, 27-21.

Tulsa and Homecoming

After an emotional loss to Ole Miss last week, Arkansas faces an up and coming Tulsa team this Saturday.

When the Hogs scheduled Tulsa its football team wasn’t ranked 18th in the nation and wasn’t known for a potent offense. Gus Malzahn, Tulsa offensive coordinator, may have more to prove by beating Arkansas than Houston Nutt did this past weekend.

After all, it was Malzahn’s riff with Nutt that resulted in him leaving as offensive coach and becoming offensive coach at Tulsa. Nutt may be gone, but because of Malzahn’s Arkansas ties, I’m certain would like to make the statement, “Hey, look what you already could have!”

While 8-0 Tulsa is relatively untested so far this year, I predict they will come out of Fayetteville with a win. It may be a close game, but I think the Hogs will lose.

Now for the real story. I believe a loss to Tulsa, coupled with the loss to Ole Miss, will take it’s toll on Petrino. So far fans have for the most part have rallied around their new coach, but I believe some fans who expected Petrino to do miracles this year, will start some heated criticism.

I believe this criticism will heat up because SEC teams are supposed to beat lesser out-of-conference teams like Tulsa, even in rebuilding years.

It will be interesting, particularly in defeat.

Game preview on ESPN.

Hogs Fall to Wildcats :-(

Since Arkansas wasn’t able to hold off the Widcats, it appears now it was more of a case of Kentucky not playing its best rather than the Hogs finding their way. On top of that it appears Michael Smith may be out for the game against Ole Miss.

Now the young team must deal with the enormous emotion that will accompany the Ole Miss game and Houston Nutt’s return to Fayetteville.

Originally, I predicted Arkansas would win this one, but I am now wavering and wondering if it is possible.

I’m Going with the Hogs, 34-31

This season has rolled along rather quickly and the Hogger is surprised that our beloved Hogs have managed to claw out a .500 record. If you will recall, Hogger predicted the Razorbacks would be 2-4 at this point in the season. So it is a pleasant surprise that they upset Auburn last weekend and have evened their season record at 3-3.

Now we come to Kentucky. I really believe this is a toss-up game, but I will stay with my original prediction for the Hogs to pull out a 34-31 squeaker in Lexington.

Both Kentucky and Arkansas are struggling, to say the least, but I think the Hogs will ride the momentum of the Auburn win into the Bluegrass State. A “W” will only be possible, however, if Arkansas continues to improve and build on the improvements they have made in their overall play the past couple of weeks.

Season Looking Up

After a tremendous effort and win at Auburn, the season for the Hogs is looking up. Here’s a quote from an article from the Northwest Arkansas Times:

“Somehow a 3-3 mark overall and 1-2 record in SEC play doesn’t look quite as bad, considering in the latest Associated Press poll Texas is ranked No. 1, Alabama is No. 2 and Florida is No. 5. Most teams that played Arkansas’ schedule would have a identical record.”

Read the entire article here.

What a Win!

Well, it appears the Razorbacks aren’t the only team that’s down this year and searching for the right offensive and defensive combination to win in the SEC. Let’s place Auburn in that category too after Saturday. The problem is that the Hogs are a team that are slowing putting the pieces together to be competitive in the intense SEC, whereas, Auburn seems to be slowly losing its way.

Arkansas definitely showed some heart and a glimpse of the future in the gutsy win at Auburn. What is important to note is that Coach Petrino is using what he had when he arrived in Fayetteville and using it to compete successfully.

I actually had Arkansas losing to Auburn this season, who this is pleasant surprise. I have Arkansas beating Kentucky next week, so this should be interesting.

Check out the recap of the Auburn game at www.ArkansasRazorbacks.com here.

ESPN Arkansas-Florida Preview

ESPN has posted a preview of the Arkansas-Florida match-up, “Gators, Tebow, aim to get back on track after stinging loss.”

Here’s the game summary, “After getting tipped at home by Ole Miss, Florida looks to get back on track at Arkansas. The Gators will be looking to diversify their offense, while the Razorbacks will be looking for any offense at all. Florida has won six straight games against Arkansas to take a 6-1 lead in the series.”

Surprisingly, on paper the two teams look fairly evenly matched. However, the competition Florida has faced is of a much higher caliber.

Check it out here.