I have absolutely no clue as to what to expect come this Saturday. Furthermore, I’m not at all sure that either the Hogs or The Horned Frogs know definitively what to expect. I expect we’ll find out on Saturday.
I wouldn’t bet the farm or Grandma’s new replacement dentures fund on the outcome.
I’m not being overtly pessimistic; I simply have no basis upon which to speculate, given the results of both teams’ initial game. I did not witness a solid, confidence-inspiring effort by either team this past weekend. TCU prevailed in an offensive shootout, manifesting an obvious “defense be hanged” mindset. Arkansas squeaked out a one point victory after being touted as a three touchdown favorite. TCU will snap the ball at a jack rabbit pace, and will double dog dare the Hogs secondary to allow the spread out Horned Frogs receivers a consistent ten yard cushion in order to keep the play in front of them.
Perhaps the game results will rest primarily upon mistakes and penalties, or upon the kicking game, or upon the least flawed defensive secondary, or upon the execution of the most poised and most proficient QB, or upon the offensive line blocking, or upon the consistency of the Hogs’ running game, or upon the late game stamina of the opposing defenses, or upon the time of possession and the subsequent commensurate payoff for each succeeding possession etc., etc., etc.,; - - - - - I simply have no competent yardstick by which to measure the probabilities. After last week’s respective games, I also lack the brash bravado to put any kind of homer spin on a baseless and totally worthless projection.
We will be a little better on defense,a little better with the run game and AA should be a little better with the ball. Another nail-biter Hogs by 3 points. HOGS YA’LL.
Before the La. Tech game last Saturday I had allowed myself to be led down the preseason hype garden path and PR psyched up to a rather high level of gullible expectation of success for the startup of the new season. That expectation has severely dissipated with the resultant first game now in the rear view mirror. I’m not down on the Hogs; but my expectations have suffered a sharply defined nosedive. I’ve always been a sucker for believing in miracles; however, that steadfast tendency to believe is now undergoing the sobering process of being weighed in the reality balance.
One of the two opposing teams set to play in Jerry World this coming Saturday will emerge victorious. My heart yearns for a triumph by the fellows who will be wearing the red and white uniforms. Sadly, however, dispassionate and unbiased deductive reasoning favors The Purple Gang.
I see the Hogs coming out well early but then playing not to loose late and as a result getting beat. Something along the lines of TCU 42 Berts scared to play Hogs 28.
That’s interesting (I believe TCU will beat us handily, but) I was thinking about that last night. We were ranked in the 30’s last week, struggled but won and fell into the 50’s. If we have another squeaker, even though TCU is #15, I can see us being left out of the Top 25. I can see us struggling against all of our first five opponents. Can you imagine going into the Bama game at 5-0 but not being ranked? I can see Bama overlooking us, then ESPN falling over themselves trying to get us in the Top 10.
If we should go into the Bama game with 2 or three losses and then miraculously emerge from the Bama game with a fluke victory, that accomplishment won’t have the significance of a fart in a tornado. Such an outlandish, unexpected feat would not impact and/or impress the pollsters sufficiently enough to compel them to collectively vault Arkansas into the top tier of ratings contention. It would be treated as a momentary anomaly; a blip on the current radar screen. Such a scenario would likely result in Bama being dropped one or two spots in the rankings, - - but it would have almost no impact upon Arkansas’ prestige or ranking fortunes at that juncture. The HOGS’ RECORD, at that point, would constitute the overall measuring yardstick; - - - - not the single wacky victory.
You’re exactly right, bakedog; I didn’t pay strict enough attention to your precise wording. If we should happen to go into the Bama game with five nail-biter victories - - and then add Bama as a statistical sixth - - - I have no creditable formula by which to surmise how that unlikely event would prove to impact the overall fortunes of EITHER Arkansas or Bama. I rather suspect that such determinations would be decided upon according to the inherent collective bias of the contributing pollsters; such a resultant pecking order readjustment would likely prove to be quite favorable to Bama - - and not so much so to Arkansas. That supposition, however, is pure conjecture.
I worried about depth at CB before Richardson went down. Now, I’m really concerned. I’m glad this is the Hogs second game; I wish the Frogs had a bye last week.
Should be fun to watch…if you were neutral.
I have no clue what will happen. But, I wish we were playing MSU this week, or, that Devwah had 100 yards last week.
I was most impressed last week with Allen’s composure; I think we have a chance. WPS.
Composure - in and of itself - is generally a beneficial trait. However, whenever a QB without an appreciable amount of game experience suffers several interceptions during the course of a game due to a persistent tendency toward “tunnel vision” - (pointedly staring unblinkingly and unstintingly straight toward the particular receiver who is his obvious, predetermined sole target), the reaped benefits of “composure” are substantially diminished.
I well understand that the many nuances of effective QB production are a learning process; Austin"s older brother, Brandon, proved that point. But that process had better accelerate exponentially and rapidly for Austin if Arkansas is to have any real shot at national OR conference honors this season.
Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. Yours is certainly as noteworthy and as valid as mine. But mine is NEVER going to line up in agreement with yours, even if Petrino’s teams win each and every game by 50 points plus from now until doomsday. Principal and character are EXTREMELY important to some of us. Petrino did not measure up in that regard. I wish him well. I wish Arkansas well. I wish that he forevermore stays away from Arkansas.
I have to admit that I am chewing my nails a bit. All hinges on the OL improving so the run game will dominate and open up our passing game-SIMPLE. HOGS YA’LL.
Both teams are big question marks still. While we barely beat a pretty good La Tech team and we didn’t score a lot, TCU let S Dakota St put 41 points on the board and had to win that game in the 4th quarter as well.
Maybe both were caught looking ahead,
I foresee a good game between Hogs n Frogs, and us having at least a 50/50 or better chance of winning.