HOG BLOG: Ole Miss stuns Razorbacks
Arkansas and Ole Miss traded blows in an instant classic, but the Hogs couldn’t finish the job in their second straight loss.
By: Wild Hog
The Hogs put up a valiant fight against the Rebels, but Ole Miss made one more play to get the win. (Photo: Razorback Communications)
Wow. You’d think after several 2-win seasons, I’d have no problem stomaching back-to-back losses, but shoot, you string together four straight wins including 2 Top-15 upsets, and let me tell you: Life comes at you fast.
That being said, this loss doesn’t feel anything like the Georgia loss last week. At the end of the day, our fate was in our own hands, and we didn’t execute. I feel much better losing that way than getting absolutely demoralized Between the Hedges.
I want to start by acknowledging the absolute cajones on that man Sam Pittman for making the call to go for 2. I love it. Inject it. That’s the kind of confidence I want in my coach and the kind of confidence his players need. The play call may have broken down, but that’s football. He went for it, and he’d do it again.
That kind of belief makes a loss much easier to handle, because I know Coach Pittman and the Razorbacks left it all out on the field. And speaking of that, sheesh there was a lot out there. Combined 1200+ yards of offense, 103 points, combined 61 first downs. This game had a slow first half but man oh man, that second half was electric. Both teams scored TWENTY or more points in the fourth quarter, and it really just cements that literally anything can happen with Ole Miss and Arkansas face off.
Let’s talk QBs. Last weekend, Corral quieted doubts about his Heisman candidacy, and was laser accurate all day. Finishing 14/21 for 287, 2 TDs and no INTs, Corral was very efficient, but I’d like to chalk some of that up to having all DAY to throw. At times it looked like we weren’t sending ANY pressure. Dude could have done his taxes in some of the pockets he had, and we didn’t record a single sack all day. We can’t succeed in the SEC if we let QBs stand in the pocket for hours at a time, but I’ll get into that more a little later.
On the Hog side of the ball, KJ was no slouch either. The big fella aired it out 35 times, completing 25 passes for 326 yards (39 more than Corral…), chalking up 3 TDs and 1 INT, in addition to tallying 2 TDs of his own on the ground. While this was a banner day for the young QB, I’d be negligent to avoid addressing the overthrows. There were several big plays missed, most notably the potential game-winning 2-point conversion, where KJ just sailed the ball over his receivers, not even giving them a chance to make a play. I love that we’re dialing up more pass plays for KJ because I think he’s got a great arm, and downfield threats open up our rushing opportunities, but for an offense that loves to play from ahead, we need to capitalize on EVERY opportunity to move the ball forward and score, and accuracy has got to be a priority in practice for KJ for the rest of the season.
And I want to reiterate, I have been wildly impressed with KJ this season, and the man has earned every ounce of my respect. But I know the passing can be improved, and I want that for him.
It’s honestly insane to look at the stat line and see that a team with 39 first downs, 676 yards of offense, and 35 minutes of possession LOST this game. But that’s what happens when your defense looks porous all day. We’ve hung our hat on defense all season, and our last two SEC opponents have embarrassed that defense.
What’s most disappointing for the Razorbacks here is the exposure over the top. Time and time again, the Razorbacks let Matt Corral find someone for huge chunk plays and just buried our defense.
What’s the point of dropping eight in coverage if we can’t defend against the pass? I say this knowing those boys are working their asses off out there, but Odom needs to adjust and throw some blitzes in there or at least some more plays with four on the line. We won’t be facing Heisman candidates every week, so let’s put some pressure on opposing QBs and force some bad plays. That’s where our stars like Catalon feast, and we need to create the opportunities for them to make big defensive plays. Sure we sell out a bit on the pass, but what we’re doing is not finding the same success as it was to start the season.
I also want to take a moment to send out my thoughts and prayers to all the injured Ole Miss players. It was so inspiring to see them conquer the sheer, intense pain they were CONVENIENTLY dealing with right in the middle of Razorback drives and get back in the game a few plays later. I mean talk. about. toughness. *eye roll*
Did the Razorbacks win? No. Did our defense stand up? Not so much. But was it fun to watch? Absolutely. And that’s the best part about watching the Hogs this season. Even if the outcome isn’t a win, there’s joy on the field and excitement for the fans. Chalk it up to karma, the Landsharks, or whatever the hell mascot they decide on for the day, were due one after numerous shenanigans in our recent contests. Our biggest concern was letting Georgia beat us twice, and while we might not have succeeded against Ole Miss, we certainly posted a W in that column. A 9-3 season is still very much a possibility for these Hogs. Looking forward to taking revenge on the Auburn Tigers this week, and as always…
TURN THAT DAMN JUKEBOX UP.