Two-woe-and-eight!
Dear devotees – Welcome to the imploringly depressed state of affairs that is Arkansas Razorback Football Week 11. Check any and all brains, egos, firearms and/or children at the door, for this is not a suitable spot for any of ‘em, and, please, whatever you do, proceed cautiously.
For here resides dumb luck, toe stubbing and the sort… so, ‘tis best to be open-mindedly prepared and unarmed from the jump rather than shocked and blown away by any decidedly dirty detail and/or declaration down the line. Trust me, arise they will and gruesomely do they grow.
Speaking of gruesome, my Arkansas Razorback sickth sense kicked in (loud and clear) on Saturday morn before kickoff, and I heeded its call, choosing to stay home and defer catching the football game with all the homies. Seeing as how I’d traveled out to Airport Rd. for the previous night’s basketball dub over scrappy Samford and Som, my cup already runneth over with cardinal-red bliss, so I gleefully remained aloof.
Back to the gloom and doom.
Somehow, the Hogs and/or their QB1 can continue to lead the mighty, mighty SEC, and even the entire country, week after week, in one offensive statistic or another, yet can only manage two whole dubs outta 10 games. I know. I know. Everyone is all too aware of this and has their own firm reasons and theories as to who and why. But really, why haven’t the obvious issues been addressed?
Like downfield passing or the lack thereof? What was once a gameday staple for Bobby “Mr. Football” Petrino’s intricate and unstoppable offense during M.F. (1.0), has all but disappeared and turned into just another 50/50 coin-toss QB scramble.
Obviously, Taylen Green can out-scramble 99% of the other QBs in land, but runs are not as quick-strike and effective as downfield passes, period. Green neither reads defenses correctly nor in time to deliver necessary passes, and teams know it. They are also aware that when his internal clock gets to one, two, three – he’s gonna take off running, so most teams stick a spy on him to mirror his moves, ‘specially in the second half.
Meanwhile, the defense has over-shouldered most of the blame for all eight losses but really, has performed most admirably, all things considered. Holding teams to FGs, drive after drives in game after games, has been duly noted and Saturdaze battle was pretty much the same as it ever was.
But once again, in Twilight Zone fashion, the Hogs resorted back to their same old, turnovering ways and lost another nailbiter, this time down in Baton Rouge to LSU at Death Valley. Just like games gone by, Taylen Green threw the ball to the other team, over and over, and it cost Arkansas a much needed victory that was so within reach. One day, I look forward to watching KJ Jackson take snaps as Razorback QB1 and lead us to a win. He has most def earned his shot by now.
As far as the next HC – it’s time to either hire Barry Lunney, Jr., or look completely outside the box and bring in a protégé of Mike Leach’s (RIP) Air Raid system. Leach and his Mormon beliefs were a little otherworldly for traditional ol’ Arkansas in the past, but this is 2025 and let’s go! He was the most-advanced offensive coach in the history of the game before recently passing at too-young an age, and his pass-heavy approach might just be the fix little ol’ Arkansas could use to get back to hitting that line.
Either way, Coach Calipari and his cagers are peaking, and the almighty Duke Blue Devils lurk.
Stay tuned and stay well.