Bleacher Report Picks Hogs

The Bleacher Report is picking the Razorbacks against Auburn in a shootout tomorrow in Fayetteville, 41-35. What’s certain, it will be an interesting and fun game to watch! Starts tomorrow on ESPN at 1 pm Eastern.

Check the article here.

My Preseason Prediction Stands: Hogs 28-21

Before the Arkansas season began and before Auburn started off the season 5-0, my pick for this week’s game was, “Hogs at home equals another win, 28-21.”

That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

However, like last week’s game against Texas A&M, while I think the 7 point spread is still right, I now think the score will be much higher…perhaps like the Georgia-Arkansas scoring extravaganza.

In spite of Texas A&M being a less talented opponent, I saw some improvement in Arkansas’ defense. I believe if the Hogs find any kind of defense this year they will be in most games.

And I think there is another reason why an Arkansas win is pretty likely this year. It’s the fact that Auburn as won in Fayetteville their past three meetings. The Hogs are overdue to beat Auburn at home. Ryan Mallett is due a breakout game this year too.

Here’s CBS Sports’ preview of the game:

Arkansas vs. Auburn

Auburn’s hiring of Gene Chizik in December was a surprise move given his lack of success as a head coach, but he’s quickly winning over the Tiger faithful.

Chizik and No. 17 Auburn look for the school’s first 6-0 start in five years when they visit SEC rival Arkansas on Saturday.

The Tigers (5-0, 2-0) went 5-7 last year, capping off the disappointing season under Tommy Tuberville with a 36-0 loss to conference foe – and top-ranked – Alabama. It was the school’s first losing season since 1999 and ultimately led to Tuberville stepping down just four years after he led the team to a perfect season.

To replace Tuberville, who went 85-40 in 10 seasons, Auburn hired Chizik, who was the Tigers’ defensive coordinator in 2004.

Chizik, who also was a coordinator at Texas, was coming off a 2-10 season in 2008 and a 3-9 campaign in 2007 with Iowa State, though.

So far, doubts regarding Chizik’s qualifications have been quieted with an impressive start, although it’s the offense that has keyed Auburn’s fast start. A 26-22 win at Tennessee last Saturday propelled the Tigers into the top 25 for the first time since halfway through last season.

“I guess it’s a good thing but it really doesn’t matter to be ranked,” cornerback Walt McFadden said. “It’ll put a smile to our face but we can’t let that get to our heads.”

After five games, the Tigers rank fifth in the nation in yards per game at 521.3 and are second in points scored with 207 – one shy of their total from all last season.

Ben Tate has been a major contributor to that success. He’s the SEC’s No. 2 rusher with 108.0 yards per game, and had 128 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries against the Volunteers.

Quarterback Chris Todd has been equally effective. Coming off offseason shoulder surgery, Todd appeared in seven games in 2008, throwing for 903 yards and five touchdowns with six interceptions. The senior was 19 of 32 for 218 yards and one score against Tennessee, giving him 12 touchdowns and one interception this year. His 1,230 passing yards lead the SEC.

Tennessee came into last weekend ranked eighth in the Football Subdivision in yards allowed with 233.0, but the Vols gave up 459 yards to Auburn, which had the ball for almost 10 minutes longer than Tennessee.

“That just lets everyone know that we’re for real,” Tate said. “It kind of gives us confidence in ourselves too. They are one of the best defenses in the country with one of the best defensive coordinators in the country. That just shows us that our hard work is paying off.”

The Razorbacks (2-2, 0-2) are coming off a 47-19 victory over Texas A&M last Saturday. After back-to-back losses to ranked SEC foes Georgia and Alabama, Arkansas scored 23 second-quarter points against the Aggies and cruised through the second half. Ryan Mallett finished 17 of 27 for 271 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

Mallett, a transfer from Michigan, has thrown 11 touchdowns this season. Arkansas begins the week ranked seventh in the FBS in passing yards per game with 329.0.

“He’s an extremely good quarterback,” Chizik said. “He is what makes their passing game go. They also have some great receivers for him to throw too. … We have to work on our open-field tackling.”

Arkansas is trying to avoid losing its first three SEC games since 2007. The Razorbacks have given up 87 points and 955 yards of offense in their two conference losses, allowing eight passing touchdowns.

“(Auburn is) undefeated and we are going to be on national television,” Arkansas offensive coordinator Paul Petrino said. “It’s a big game and we’re going to do everything in our power.”

The Tigers have won three straight at Fayetteville.

Copyright 2009 by STATS LLC and The Associated Press. Any commercial use or distribution without the express written consent of STATS LLC and The Associated Press is strictly prohibited.

Texas A&M Must Win for Arkansas

I’ll be blunt. With a horrendous schedule still ahead in 2009, tonight’s Texas A&M game becomes a “must win” game for Arkansas if Bobby Petrino hopes to finish strong with seven or eight wins. That’s if Arkansas wants to use 2009 as a springboard to re-emerge in the national college football conversation.

Last weekend’s match-up against Arkansas revealed a team that has a long, long, way to go before coming anything close to be a national contender. As Hog fans, we can only hope that Petrino, his coaching staff and players are learning from excellent SEC teams like Georgia and Alabama as the year progresses.

But my concern is only learning from loses, but whether or not Arkansas has the personnel needed to compete with the better SEC teams.

I’ll go ahead with my pre-season prediction of Arkansas 30-21, but I now think the scoring could be much higher. However, if Arkansas loses today, I may have to seriously look at revising my season predictions.

Surprises Await Ark-Ala Match-up?

Now, I am not one of those Razorback pundits who picks the Hogs to beat every opponent on any given Saturday. However, after attending and evaluating the Razorback’s effort against Georgia last weekend in Fayetteville, I think there are reasons for hope against Alabama.

Already, sportswriters are focusing in on the match-up brewing between Saban’s defense and Petrino’s offense. It is a match-up that may be more significant in 2010 than this year, but I still think it has some interesting potential in 2009.

The question of Arkansas’ defense must be answered and, honestly, there is no way to go but up. Taken as a whole and considering the outcome of the Georgia game, the defense failed. However, there were some glimmers of hope and a dramatically improved defense that may show its face in the weeks to come. The defense needs to continue to make improvements against Alabama and not give up big plays.

I believe the key to the game won’t be how good Arkansas can play defense, because I think they will be better. The key to the game is if Alabama can stop Ryan Mallett, who hasn’t seen this kind of pass rush all season. If Mallett can survive that, the Hogs have a chance to pull out a win, if ever so slim.

Here is some of what is being said about the game:

Arkansas vs. Alabama – A Test of Bobby Petrino’s Ability to Adjust story

Petrino vs. Saban: Only the beginning story

Lack of Discipline Ruined the Hogs

Jim Harris on Arkansas Sports 360 provides some great insight here in the Hogs disastrous loss to Georgia at home. Personally, I’m wondering if they can recover from this, but I am hopeful. Early, so much went right, but boy did it blow up big time went the penalties started flying!

Georgia-Arkansas Game Recap

I just can’t motivate myself to comment about the Georgia-Arkansas game, so I am going to link to a good — and mostly positive — recap and look to the rest of the season from KenHog on Arkansas Expats. Here’s an excerpt:

“Of course, we are all pleased to see that we now can pass the ball. But we can’t lose our ability to run as well. I would have liked to have seen some long drives that ate up clock on the ground to go with the passing. I believe we ran under 100 yards. I know we complained about Nutt always wanting to run. But the thing that good teams do is both throughout a game.”

Link

Razorbacks Not Overlooking Georgia

Coach Bobby Petrino knows he has to beat Georgia Saturday if he is to send a message to the college football world that Arkansas is back.

The problem is Georgia has beaten the Hogs five straight times, three of which have come in Fayetteville, the site of this week’s game.

Considering Georgia isn’t as good as past seasons, for Arkansas to lose this year would be devastating to Petrino’s rebuilding program.

Alex Abrams of the Northwest Morning News has a good preview on this week’s Arkansas-Georgia game.

Follow is an excerpt:

“Thanks to an open date on the schedule, Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino has an extra week to prepare for Georgia’s offense, which is in a state of transition after losing its two biggest weapons (to the NFL).

Direct Link: http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2009/09/13/razorback_central/091409fbgeorgiafeature.txt

SEC Week 2 “Things We Learned”

ESPN’s Chris Low has some excellent observations on Week 2 of the SEC season. Direct link or below:

What we learned in the SEC: Week 2

September 13, 2009 11:30 AM
Posted by ESPN.com’s Chris Low

Auburn made a little history. Tennessee came crashing back down to reality and Georgia lived to see another day Saturday.

Here’s a look at what all we learned in the SEC in Week 2:

1. Auburn serves notice: Hey, this Gene Chizik guy has made a pretty big splash. In fact, of the three new head coaches in the league, he’s made the biggest splash, and he’s done it the old-fashioned way — by winning games. Auburn flattened Mississippi State 49-24 on Saturday night and rolled up more than 500 yards of total offense for the second straight week. It’s the first time since 1970 that Auburn has surpassed the 500-yard mark in back-to-back games. This is a team that’s improving weekly and a team that obviously knows how to put its opponent away. Auburn led Louisiana Tech 13-10 at the half last week, but set sail on a 24-3 run in the second half to win easily. And then Saturday, Mississippi State jumped out to a 17-14 lead midway through the second quarter, but Auburn scored four unanswered touchdowns to send the Bulldogs packing in the SEC opener for both teams. Here’s the most telling stat about what the Tigers have done: They scored six offensive touchdowns against Mississippi State. A year ago, they scored a total of seven offensive touchdowns in eight SEC games.

2. Alabama has options on offense: Sophomore running back Mark Ingram was already coming back from the flu and a bruised knee. Then on the opening drive against Florida International, Julio Jones bruised his right knee cap, while senior running back Roy Upchurch injured his ankle. No problem, though. The Crimson Tide unveiled freshman running back Trent Richardson in full, and he responded with 118 yards rushing. Mike McCoy got most of Jones’ snaps and finished with 100 yards in receptions, and junior quarterback Greg McElroy really looks comfortable standing in that pocket right now and throwing the ball. Everybody will keep an eye on Jones these next few days to see how his knee responds, but this appears to be a more diverse Alabama offense than a year ago.

3. Tennessee not ready for prime time: Now we know. Western Kentucky was just that bad. The Big Orange Nation was giddy with excitement over the Vols’ 63-7 season-opening win last week. But after watching the Vols play a real opponent and lose to UCLA 19-15 at home Saturday, reality quickly set in for the folks on Rocky Top. This is an average team that has a ways to go before it climbs back among the SEC’s elite. The offense doesn’t look any better than it did a year ago, although Monte Kiffin’s defense played valiantly. Lane Kiffin has a decision to make about senior quarterback Jonathan Crompton, who’s already thrown five interceptions in two games. Kiffin obviously lost any confidence he had in Crompton throwing the ball in the second half Saturday. How else do you explain those two up-the-middle-run calls by Kiffin down near the goal line in the final minutes?

4. Garcia finds his groove: Even though South Carolina didn’t win Saturday, sophomore quarterback Stephen Garcia gave the Gamecocks hope for the future with the way he played. He showed some courage in the pocket, was a wizard at scrambling out of trouble and just generally grew up in South Carolina’s 41-37 loss at Georgia. It’s sort of what everybody has been waiting to see from Garcia ever since he came to South Carolina as a highly regarded prep quarterback out of Tampa, Fla., two years ago. He finished 31-of-53 for a career-high 313 yards and was intercepted just once. He also led the Gamecocks in rushing with 42 yards on 10 carries. If he’d only kept the ball on that final fourth-down play instead of trying to throw it, South Carolina might be 2-0 right now. Either way, if he continues to play this way the rest of the season, the Gamecocks are going to have a chance to win a lot of games.

5. Bulldogs aren’t dead yet: They were reading the last rites on Georgia’s season as South Carolina drove down the field in the final minutes Saturday. Who knows where an 0-2 start would have led the Bulldogs? Wherever that is, it wouldn’t have been a lot of fun. But by gutting out a 41-37 win, Georgia now heads to Arkansas this coming weekend with a little momentum. The Razorbacks have been pointing toward this game for the past couple of weeks. Even Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino admitted the Hogs worked on some Georgia stuff leading up to the opener against Missouri State, and they were off this past weekend. The Bulldogs will have to play better defensively, especially against the pass, if they’re going to win in Fayetteville. But they go into that game with some newfound confidence and do so 1-0 in the SEC.

How Impressive Were the Hogs? Really?

I have been reading news reports and blogs the past couple of days following the Razorbacks dismantling of Missouri State 48-10 at War Memorial Stadium. And while I am overjoyed that Arkansas didn’t have to struggle for this win (unlike last yea’s opener), I have lot of cause for concern.

Here’s some of my big concerns:

• The kicking game. We couldn’t seem to keep our kickoffs on the field of play. Giving Missouri State a short field wasn’t the end of the world, but it won’t cut it in SEC play.
• The short run game. Wow, did USC transfer Broderick Green unimpress or what? Petrino gave him his chances, but he didn’t deliver. Yeah, the offensive line is partly to blame, but Green is a big load and he really needs to learn how to use his size effectively. At least in one series, after three tries Petrino opted for the air for the score. Sad.
• The defense. Yes, improved, but should Missouri State have scored at all on Saturday? I’ll give them the long field goal, but the drive they put together was nothing but a collection of missed assignments and sorry tackling by the Razorbacks. That just won’t cut it in the smash mouth SEC.

There are several important factors to consider as we look ahead to Georgia. I have to wonder if Coach Petrino laid all of his cards on the table against Missouri State. I doubt it. Also, Georgia was beaten by Oklahoma State in its opener and has South Carolina next week. There is a chance Georgia could travel to Arkansas 0-2 when they play the Hogs if they stumble against an improving South Carolina team. It could shape up to be the perfect storm. They may mad and overdue for a win.

While Arkansas has two weeks to prepare for the Dogs, I think in lots of ways it will be to Georgia’s advantage having already played quality opponents and one SEC game – win or lose – than it will be an advantage for the Hogs having so much prep time.

That being said, this is not the Arkansas team of old. Petrino is undoubtedly one of the best minds in college football and he will have this squad ready with a solid game plan. The game will be won or lost based on execution of the plan.

Here’s what Brandon Marcello of The Slophouse has to say about Saturday’s game and debut of the retooled Hogs, who broke numerous records on offense and – at least for one week – find themselves statistically one of the best teams in the nation:

Just how impressive was the Arkansas offense?

By Brandon Marcello
September 7, 2009

Arkansas was very sharp on the football field in its season opener, and quarterback Ryan Mallett was the catalyst in his first start as a Razorback. So just how hot were the Razorbacks on offense in their 48-10 win over Missouri State on Saturday? Well, so hot that they’re rated first nationally in passing yards and near the top in several offensive categories (through Saturday’s games).

When was the last time an Arkansas team was even close to sniffing the top 10 nationally in passing yards per game? Does anyone know? … Anyone?

Bueller?

So don’t be surprised if Mallett is the recipient of an SEC Player of the Week award when the conference makes their announcement later today.

Here’s a breakdown of the Hogs’ offense, with the national ranking in parentheses. Coach Bobby Petrino, who graduated with a degree in math AND physical education at Carroll College in Montana, should love crunching these numbers today.

Even if it was against an FCS school, Petrino looks to be getting back on the path he cultivated as an offensive juggernaut at Louisville and Auburn. As an assistant coach or head coach, Petrino’s offenses have ranked in the top 10 nationally six times in total offense, including twice at No. 1.

We’re not the only ones impressed with Petrino’s offense and the Hogs’ 447 yards through the air Saturday for a single-game school record. Matt Hayes of the Sporting News, who recently predicted eight wins for this season, had this to say Sunday:

Last year at this time, the Hogs needed a second-half comeback to beat I-AA Western Illinois. This time, quarterback Ryan Mallett led an offense that set the school record for passing yards in a game. There will be many more records broken this fall by the SEC’s most underrated team.

Here’s something else to consider: Arkansas plays all of the SEC’s Big Four — Florida, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi — on the road. And they’ll get at least one upset from that group.

And let’s not leave out Willy Robinson’s defense. Three sacks and eight tackles for a loss against the Bears can not be overlooked.

Arkansas’ defense, even if it did have a few missed tackles which led to a Missouri State touchdown in the first half, also showed signs of improvement from a season ago. The Hogs’ D is ranked 21st in total defense nationally after giving up just 205 yards to the Bears on Saturday.

Also, sophomore Dennis Johnson, who returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown, is second in the land in yards-per-return with a 57.5-yard average on kickoffs.

Not too shabby.

“Celebration of the Razoback” Video

Enjoy!