Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Why Do I Complain About SEC Officiating This Year?

oh...I don't know...

Why you don't go play for a CUSA Team Like Tulsa

All Powerful Hurricane Coming to Arkansas

While the mascot of the Tulsa football team is lame, their team is formidable - at least on paper.

Tulsa is currently undefeated with 8 wins and ranked 18th in the nation. Their offense under the leadership of former Razorback Offensive Coordinator, Gus Malzahn, has operated in a hurry up, no huddle fashion throwing up ridiculous stats and points on their opponents (on pace to break a 1944 record of 56 points per game). However, that was up against non-BCS conference talent. Arkansas, which is in a rebuilding year, is a BCS conference team that could be one of the most vulnerable in the country.

The question is - can Arkansas, during this rebuilding year, beat a high-powered offense from a non-BSC conference? I think we can, but I will not bet on it.

Things to watch for in this game:

*Tulsa's defense - they will be outsized and outmatched, but how will they compete?

*Arkansas's pass defense - Tulsa throws often and Arkansas's DBs know how to give up yards. Will the hogs force turnovers or give up yards?

*Arkansas's crowd - Tulsa is not used to playing in large, loud SEC stadiums...Will the crowd affect Tulsa's performance?

*Points on the board - Tulsa scores alot. Arkansas, not so much. How will this game shape up?

*Arky Hurricanes - there are a number of Arkansans on Tulsa's depth chart. Their Arkansas playmakers include AJ Whitmore, Slick Shelley, and Charles Clay. How will they perform?

Pass Interference?

Not in my view, especially so late in the game and against the home team. This call officially ended the game breaking the heart of hog fans. The Razorbacks should have had a 34 yard field goal attempt to win the game 24-23.

Here's how it all went down:

After cutting Ole Miss's lead to two with a 22 yard touchdown pass to Greg Childs, Arkansas recovered an onside kick with a little over a minute to go. On the kick, the refs at first called it Ole Miss's ball, but after a review on the PigScreen clearly showed an Arkansas recovery the refs could not ignore the fans. They reviewed the play and overturned it. Very shortly thereafter, the refs made another call (pass-interference) against the Razorbacks that got the crowed upset. This time there was no review, and the game was essentially over.

To all this, plus the Kentucky game, I loudly say, F-U SEC refs. In neighborhood football and basketball we called this a p**** foul. I am clearly mad at the refs for the calls against the hogs, but I have to hand it to that one SEC ref who tackled the South Carolina player - that was a nice hit.

Here's the NCAA rule on pass-interference:

Each player has territorial rights, and incidental contact is allowed under ‘attempt to reach…the pass’ in Rule 7-3-8. If opponents who are beyond the line collide while moving toward the pass, a foul by one or both players is indicated only if intent to impede the opponent is obvious.”

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Petrino Gets #21 Today.



Fork Union Military Academy linebacker Ben D'Aguliar, 6-3, 235, 4.7 has orally committed to Arkansas, according to HawgsIllustrated.com. D'Aguliar becomes Arkansas' 21st commitment. I don't know much about D'Aguliar as he played high school in Ontario, Canada, but he is high on Petrino's list. He currently is not rated by rivals, but I will get more information on him as I find it. He has the size and speed for a LB.

This commitment will be able to count towards last year's class which will significantly help with numbers allowing Petrino to bring in more than 27. I believe Petrino can bring in two from prep school or junior college that can fall in this category. Both should enroll in December and participate in spring practice.

Petrino Picks Up Big Time FB/LB From Georgia

Coach Petrino received a big time commitment from Jahron Brown - a highly rated 3 star Rivals recruit from Dallas East Paulding High School in Georgia. Brown, 6'0" 220,is rated the #6 FB recruit in the country, but he could also project at LB. He looks the part and could play a similar role as Peyton Hillis - a big blocking fullback that can run and catch.

While the 2009 class is far from complete, Coach Petrino is definitely building a class that is on it's way to being rated the best in recent history. With the 20 commitments in the fold currently, the Hogs rank 13th in the nation. Petrino has 27 scholarships available, but he will likely oversign by a couple to cover any academic issues that may pop up. If Petrino can stick to the 3 star recruits while picking up a couple more 4 or 5 star players, look for this class to shoot up into the top 10.

National Signing Day is not until February, so there is still a long ways to go, but things are currently looking up.

Sunday, October 26, 2008

Hogs Lose Another Nail-Biter

Arkansas lost another very close game on Saturday to Houston Nutt and the Ole Miss Rebels in front of 76,000 Razorback fans in Fayetteville. Hog fans were hoping for a big win over their old coach, but it looks like that will have to come next year. The final score was 23-21.

Houston left the cupboard bare for Coach Petrino, but Petrino is managing to do pretty well with the players he inherited and his first recruiting class. Once again, the hogs relied on underclassmen to carry much of the load in this game and it was clear that the hogs lack talent in several areas. Most notable in this particular game is the lack of a BIG running back, a shortage of talent at cornerback, and the need for a QB that can distribute the ball. These holes are on their way to being filled as Coach Petrino is actively seeking two top notch running backs in Knile Davis and Ronnie Wingo along with top flight cornerbacks in Darius "Dirty" Winston, David Gordon, and Gabe Lynn. Petrino has also been grooming future quarterback Ryan Mallet this season to take over next year. Mallet was a 5 star QB who transferred to Arkansas from Michigan.


How did the hogs lose the game against Ole Miss?

*Haddock's missed 34 yard kick on opening drive. Time for Tejada!
*Dick's pick at the end of the first half setting up a chip shot field goal.
*Failure of having a big back to pick up critical short yardage.
*Isaac Madison's poor defensive back play (toasted).
*The referees b.s. pass interference call on Arkansas's final drive. This call took us out of field goal range and ruined momentum.

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

DRAMA WEEK

Houston Comes to Town...

Monday, October 20, 2008

U.S. Army All-American

Rivals 5 star Razorback commit, Darius "Dirty" Winston, has been selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American game in San Antonio, TX at the end of the season.

Winston will play cornerback in college. He'll be in attendance this weekend as Arkansas takes on Ole Miss in Fayetteville.

Big Rob Flips to Arkansas

Muskogee, OK DT Robert Thomas has officially changed his commitment from Kansas State to Arkansas.

Thomas is 6'1" 295 lbs His commitment makes him the 19th verbal commitment for Petrino's 2009 recruiting class. His commitment helps fill the depth chart on the defensive front. Rivals rates Thomas as a 3 star recruit.

Sunday, October 19, 2008

Dominated


The Razorbacks dominated Kentucky last night, yet they found a way to leave the stadium without a win. ugh. The final score was 21-20 Kentucky. I can't wait until Mallet.

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Akransas at Kentucky












WHEN 6 p.m. central today
WHERE Commonwealth Stadium (capacity 67,606), Lexington, Ky.
RECORDS Arkansas 3-3, 1-2 SEC; Kentucky 4-2, 0-2
RANKINGS Neither team is ranked
BETTING LINE Kentucky by 7 1 /2
COACHES Bobby Petrino (3-3 in first season at Arkansas, 44-12 in fifth season overall; Rich Brooks (29-37 in sixth season at Kentucky, 117-143-4 in 24th season overall)
SERIES Kentucky leads 3-2
TELEVISION ESPNU
RADIO Arkansas Razorback Sports Network

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

2 NEW COMMITMENTS


Coach Petrino added two more to the 2009 class bringing the total number of commitments to 18. These two will likely play on the defensive line. Kevin Lowry projects at DT and Rickey Hughey projects at DE. They are both 3 star recruits. Lowry is from Gainesville, FL and Hughey is from Stamps, AR.

Kevin Lowry: 6'3", 286 lbs, 5.1 40
Rickey Hughey: 6'5", 221 lbs, 4.8 40

Sunday, October 12, 2008

HOGS GET FIRST SEC WIN!

Coach Petrino and the Razorbacks pulled out their first SEC win on the road, 25-22, over Auburn on Saturday. While the Razorbacks dominated in yards gained (416-193), they also made a couple of attempts at losing the game. Fortunately the defense came through in the very end to pull this one out.

Michael Smith led the offensive charge rushing for 176 yards, including a 63 yard touchdown run. Joe Adams, Greg Childs, and DJ Williams also performed well. Casey Dick made some good throws, but made some mistakes as well throwing two picks that became easy field goals for Auburn. Dick threw 17 for 32 and 222 yards with 2 interceptions.

The Arkansas defense overall was salty. The DBs did a good job of covering and the DL was in Auburn's backfield all night. The linebacker play was pretty good too, and Jerry Franklin is looking beastly.

With this win over a top 20 team and conference foe, the Razorbacks now have confidence and hope for the remainder of the season. With 3 wins under their belt, bowl eligibility becomes an attainable goal. The schedule gets a little easier after facing the top two teams in the nation along with two others in the top 20. Look for the hogs to have some more tight games, and look for the confidence level to stay high along the way.

Hog fans should remain optimistic about the future as it's now crystal clear that these players have the motivation to win and pure confidence in their coaches.

GO HOGS!

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Can the Hogs Beat Auburn?

Every Razorback fan is tired of losing and some are feeling optimistic about the road game with Auburn this weekend. The hogs are 0-2 in the SEC after going up against Alabama and Florida, but they have shown significant improvement and have grown up tremendously through the rigorous schedule.

Auburn has a hell of a defense, but their offense has sputtered at best putting up minimal yards and points throughout the season. They beat Mississippi State 3 to 2 and just lost last week to Vanderbilt (though Vandy is currently leading the SEC East). After their dismal offense through the first half of the season Auburn fired their offensive coordinator this week, which could further deflate their playmakers. Auburn's ex-coordinator introduced Auburn to a new spread offense that flat out did not produce, and it looks like they want to take a new direction. However, is mid season the right time to switch offenses and coordinators? We'll know a lot more after this weekend.

While the Tuberville (a.k.a. the river boat gambler) is calling the plays now, look for Auburn to move back to a more conservative offense with a simplified playbook that leans more on the run.

Watch out for:

A QB change that would place former Fort Smith high school QB Kodi Burns in charge of Auburn's offense. He brings a strong arm and speed, but his experience is lacking.

Sunday, October 5, 2008

Another Loss, But Improvement Made

The Razorbacks are now 2-3 after losing to the Florida Gators 38-7 in Fayetteville yesterday. While the score looks to be a blowout, the hogs were very much in the game for the first 3 quarters before transforming into a high school team in the 4th. The first 3 quarters were pretty tight and intense. For some reason the Razorbacks just froze on offense when they broke the 50 yard line. Those who watched the game had to be impressed with the offense...at least on half of the field.

It's hard to win in the SEC when you are starting 15 freshmen, but you have to love the in-game experience these kids are getting. I thought there were a few players that stood out in this game. They deserve little hogs on their helmet.

MVPs
Jerry Franklin: he was awesome. laid some big hits and had an interception...almost two.
Malcolm Sheppard: got his first sack. You could tell he smelled blood and liked it. Wish we had 4 of him on the front line.

Joe Adams: Awesome. Looked fantastic throughout the game. He is going to play in the NFL.
Michael Smith: He looked good and had some big gains. Unfortunately, he never got the big one. I still would like to see De'Anthony Curtis get some carries. Smith also had a fumble lost on a punt return that pushed the momentum in the florida direction.

Piss Poor Performers:
Casey Dick - horrible game again.

Saturday, October 4, 2008