I’m not really sure what else to call it.
I’ve been sick and tired so long, I forgot what winning football big in football is all about. And this goes all the way back to the hiring of Nutt instead of Tuberville some 21 years ago, and if you want to be completely accurate it actually goes all the way back to Jack Crowe in 1990 when the Hogs went from back-to-back SWC titles to 3-8 and 1-7 in the SWC – in just one year. And to put that in perspective, Arkansas had not had a season in which it had won fewer than 5 games in about 32 years at that point – 3-8 was unthinkable.
Since that time it’s been a steady of parade of losing, excuses and “wait till next year”.
What I’ve found most disgusting is the constant turnover in coaches. Winning is not good enough as we proved when we ran off Coach Nutt.
Then we found a Coach who took the program places it had not been in over 30 years – 30 years, but he lied about having a fling and going on a motorcycle ride – so we got all self-righteous and stood on character and were proud to do so. We weren’t about to impose a suspension or salary forfeiture – no way, we were going to fire him. Welcome John L. Smith for an interim forgettable and wasted season, and our football program has been in the tank since that time. You wonder the difference in Arkansas and Ohio State – well, there you go. 3 game suspension for allowing an assistant coach to beat his wife and ignore her pleas for help equals 3 game suspension. At Arkansas if you have an affair and have a wreck and try to cover it up, you get fired.
It’s okay to spare all the replies that you are proud we stood on character and are glad Arkansas is not Ohio State, etc. I get that. But that’s why you are watching Ohio State play for national titles year-in and year-out. I agree with my good friend from Oklahoma who moonlights as a Razorback fan when he’s not rooting for the Sooners – Arkansas just doesn’t get it and never has and never will.
Then we hired a Coach with a great resume — all seemed to be going well, the team was improving despite that hiccup to Toledo and bizarre and inexplicable blow-out to Auburn – then there was the Missouri game and the nightmarish Belk Bowl telling us there was more to the Toledo and Auburn losses, er, our concerns were real – to be followed by last year which ranks right up there with Jack Crowe and John L. Smith.
And now we have the new “answer” – after very publicly telling the world we were going to unload Fort Knox for Gus, and Gus said “No thanks, but thanks for letting me use that as leverage to get Auburn to unload Fort Knox for me.” So we had to settle, but oh, the Texas recruiting that awaits.
Saturday night – game was in hand, Hogs leading 27-9 and about to make it 34-9…ok to nap and look forward to the future. Nope, time to watch a repeat and replay of the last 2 decades with an inexplicable collapse.
And I’m so tired of the wash-rinse-repeat people who hate on one coach and love on the other. I’ve read some of the Bielema haters who spewed venom all last season and are now telling us to give him a year or two of mediocrity, give the new coach time, and they expected to lose to Colorado State, etc. I’m old, and I’ve heard that one before – A LOT.
My Dad was in his prime during that 1964 national title. He’s been waiting on a return to national prominence since that time. He told me it was time to accept the reality – 8 and 9 win seasons were about as good as it was going to ever get and we were going to have several losing-seasons in between – that’s Razorback football. We are Ole Miss, Mississippi State, etc.
Our football program has reached a state of mediocre zen – and we are all at peace and accept it. As they say, there are more important things in life than football – unless you live in Alabama, Oklahoma, Ohio, Texas, etc.
