HOG BLOG: WE ARE THE CHAMPIONS (of this week)
By: Wild Hog
Vince is the Hogs and that French guy no one ever remembers or cares about is Mississippi St. Come to think of it, accurate description of Mississippi St. anyway.
TURN THAT DAMN JUKEBOX BACK ON.
Six words that will immortalize Sam Pittman as a coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks. After giving a simple but heartfelt postgame speech to the team in the locker room, Sam uttered those six words and bought himself a nice chunk of real estate in the hearts of Razorback fans nationwide.
There’s a long road ahead this season (toughest schedule in the country, change my mind), but if nothing else, Pittman has given the Hogs something they haven’t had since an incredibly brief period after the hiring of Chad Morris: hope.
This one snapped a 20-game conference losing streak, and as someone who watched all 20 of those losses (through intense fandom or sheer masochism, you pick) this game was like a light at the end of the tunnel. When we lost last week, I would’ve told you that it was still my favorite game of those 20 losses, and I’ll be the first to tell you that despite finally “eatin’ a W,” this wasn’t a pretty win.
Who wants to eat a W?!?! Real talk though, this has to be THE worst pre-game speech in history right?
And as much as the Razorback in me wants to spend the rest of this article talking about how we’re “gonna run the table” and “we want Bama,” I’m going to refrain, and instead focus on how bad Mississippi State really is.
Just kidding.
What I do actually want to do is highlight three big takeaways from Saturday’s game, and two areas for improvement next week.
First and foremost - we’re witnessing a culture change. After finding out from players that Morris never really had the locker room, the on-field performance from the Hogs for the last two seasons starts to make a little more sense. Chad Morris got up to the podium after each of his 18 losses (in only two seasons) and gaslighted us each week, saying how the loss was “on him” and they’ve just gotta “play better,” and after awhile the words just meant nothing, and you started to feel like he just didn’t really care. Now watch this clip, and tell me you think this guy is EVER gonna not care.
As a coach, your job is not only to craft a winning gameplan week to week, but foster an environment for that gameplan to succeed. And win or lose, you can tell Sam Pittman walks the walk and talks the talk - these guys love him, and that’s a cornerstone for winning plays, recruiting talent, and building a legacy worthy of Arkansas’ storied history.
“We gonna change damn Arkansas’ luck!”
Secondly - this defense is real. Buoyed by co-SEC Defensive Players of the Week Bumper Pool and Joe Foucha, the Razorbacks D shut down a lightning offense that torched the defending National Champions, and held a stout Georgia offense to only 5 points in the first half. And yes, the game got away in the second half, but that’s more a product of the offense’s inability to stay on the field than major defensive failures. Those two players tallied for 20 tackles and two interceptions, respectively, and his dominant performance earned Bumper the Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player of the Week award. He’s even leading the nation with 15.5 tackles per game, and the SEC in total tackles. Did I mention we’re also the highest graded coverage in the SEC? We’re early in the season, but I think this defense will be the rock on which the Razorbacks can build Tusk V a nice little home.
Photo: Arkansas Athletics
The reigning SEC Defensive Player of the Week, according to Google images.
Finally, I want to reiterate the praise Pittman gave to the coaching staff, and highlight defensive coordinator Barry Odom in particular. Heading into this week’s game, Odom had to scheme for an offense that gashed LSU for 623 yards through the air, and he did it with killer instinct. Electing to shift to a three-man rush rather than the Hogs’ typical 4-man scheme, the extra coverage helped negate the offensive threat from Costello. That type of prep and scheming is going to be critical for a young Razorback team that can’t rely on pure talent like other recruiting giants in the SEC who hoard five-star recruits like a dragon hoards treasure (lookin at you Bama).
Speaking of play calling, I’ll wrap up with two areas of focus for next week. More than anything, the Razorbacks have got to avoid getting behind the sticks on first and second down. We’re not going to be an offensive juggernaut this year, so we need to see some smart decision-making from Franks under center (no picks this week - beautiful), and a more-established run-game to help close the gaps on third downs and fix our abysmal conversion rate: 8-for-28 on the season. And as an expansion on that, we have to be better about calling plays for our playmakers. We’ve got a really strong receiving core in Burks, Knox, Woods and Henry (yes, I know he’s a tight end), and Briles has got to do a better job of finding ways for Franks to get the ball to them. I mean sheesh, have you seen the size of Treylon Burks’ hands??? Throw the ball near this man more often.
Here’s the bottom line: is this Hogs team gonna win more than 3 games? Probably not? But is this team going to give the Arkansas faithful something to finally feel good about this season? Absolutely. And I’m telling you right now, if we beat Auburn this week, I’m taking over the Biscuits &SEC Twitter account and spending the entire Saturday DMing Chad Morris asking for directions to Club Dub.
Wild Hog is a guest contributor to B&S, Arkansas grad, lover of Dad jokes, motorcycle enthusiast, avid road tripper, and is William H. Macy.