HOG BLOG: RAZORBACKS DOMINATE TEXAS A&M
MY TEXTS WITH BOSSMAN SLIM. EAT CROW, SLIM.
ONCE MORE FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE BACK: THE ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS ARE 4-0 AND OWN THE STATE OF TEXAS.
SAD LASSIE.
THE PEOPLE ARE STARTING TO MURMUR THAT THE HOGS ARE BACK.
NUMBER 8 IN THE AP POLL. NUMBER 11 IN THE COACHES POLL. NUMBER 7 IN ESPN POWER RANKINGS. THIS. TEAM. IS. LEGIT. RECRUITS WILL BE POURING IN.
SAM PITTMAN IS A GOD AMONG MEN AND I HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CONVINCED MY WIFE THAT WE SHOULD NAME OUR FIRST CHILD AFTER HIM.
Photo: Arkansas Football
THE SOUTHWEST CLASSIC TROPHY IS OURS FOR THE FIRST TIME IN NINE YEARS. WHAT DO I DO WITH MY HANDS. OUR SOCIAL MEDIA TIME IS STILL THE GOAT.
WHILE I PROMISED AN UNHINGED, ALL-CAPS BLOG, IT WOULD BE WILDLY ANNOYING TO READ A WHOLE BLOG IN ALL CAPS SO I’LL SPARE Y’ALL THE PAIN and start to write normally. But rest assured, the content will remain unhinged.
Man oh man, what a Saturday. Tensions were high and expectations even higher heading into Saturday. A&M fans entered the season with 10/9 circled on the calendar as their marquee matchup with Bama, but as the first three weeks of college football progressed, it became clear that the conference opener against Arkansas was going to be a much more important challenge than they originally anticipated.
For the Hogs, this one was personal. A shaky start against Rice raised questions, then a big victory against Texas was marred by the usual “well maybe Texas isn’t really that good” talk. (Spoiler, they just hung a cool 70-burger on Texas Tech, so no I don’t think they’re bad). A convincing win over Georgia Southern’s tricky triple-option offense added to the hype, but everyone knew the real test was going to be Texas A&M - a playoff-caliber roster and a pre-season #7 ranking all pointed toward New Year’s Six berth and championship hopes.
And boy, the Hogs did not disappoint. I think we can finally say with confidence, the Hogs are BACK. This marks the second victory against a ranked opponent this season for the Hogs, and the first time in the top-10 of the AP since 2012, and the first 4-0 start for the Razorbacks since 2003. What makes this resurgence even more impressive is the sheer 180 Sam Pittman has done for this program, a program that won ZERO CONFERENCE GAMES in 2018 and 2019. In his debut season last year, Pittman cashed in 3 conference wins in an abbreviated All-SEC season, a feat which many saw as genuinely miraculous given where the program was prior to his arrival.
Many fans had high hopes for this season given last year’s results, but even the most optimistic fan couldn’t envision the success we’ve had so far. I can’t sum it up better than one reddit user I saw:
“I remember sitting at the bar at Red Lobster on my birthday watching the Hogs lose to Auburn by over 40 points. If you would have told me we would be #8 in two years I would have poured hot shrimp scampi juice on you and said get thee hence.”
Avid fan though I may be, I too would have said “BEGONE, foul temptress, beguile me no more with your wily tales of a strange and baffling future!”
But here we are.
We’re gonna start to have a problem with these blogs soon because it’s going to become harder and harder not to just write love letters to Sam Pittman each week. This man has these boys BELIEVIN’ and the results are on the field. Recruits are going to start pouring in, mark my words.
So before I wax too poetic on my love for the Pittboss, let’s dive in.
From start to finish, the Razorbacks owned this game. I will freely admit, however, that the second half looked a little shaky, and the Aggie defense was able to hold the Hogs to only 3 points in the last two quarters, which undoubtedly triggered some Heartbreak Hogs PTSD for any fans who have watched this matchup over the last decade.
An injury to KJ kept him out of most of the second half and forced Malik Hornsby to start. The future looks bright with Malik, but the offensive playcalling during his stint on the field was … questionable. I’m assuming OC Kendal Briles was focused on burning clock, but without any discernible effort to pass the ball, A&M got wise real quick and started stacking the box against Hornsby to solid effect. Hornsby was on the field for 16 plays, only 3 of which were designed pass plays.
Despite the sluggish offense in the second half, the Razorback defense remained sharp and kept up the pressure, absolutely smothering A&M and QB Zach Calzada. The poor kid was in a blender for most of the game, getting sacked three times and hurried another eight. Even more disappointing for the Aggie O-line was that the Razorbacks were able to stifle the offense with only three men on the line for most plays. Arkansas DC Barry Odom is making a case for one of the best defensive minds in the conference right now, as the Razorback defense is unquestionably winning these games for them. The Hogs only allowed 272 total yards, 151/121 passing/rushing.
Post-game, Aggie RB Isaiah Spiller noted that penalties hurt them and “they never really stopped us.” And while I’ll admit there were definitely some costly penalties against the Ags, and Spiller went on to acknowledge that Arkansas “played better than us,” I just want to drop this thread here for him.
Aggie fans can’t be happy with Calzada, who averaged only 4.2 yards per pass and threw a late game interception that highlighted the offensive inefficiencies Texas A&M will need to figure out before their matchup against Bama in two weeks. (Sorry Mississippi State, I still think the Ags will dominate here).
I wrote last week about some key defense stats for both teams, but let’s take a look at some updates - last week, A&M owned the nation’s best passing defense and scoring defense, allowing only 77 yds/gm in the air and a measly 5.6 pts/gm to opponents. After the Hogs rolled through Dallas, that average dropped to 119.5 yds/gm in passing. Every Aggie I talked to said “we’re gonna stuff the run because you guys won’t be able to pass against us.”
Where was that “stifling” pass defense here?
Treylon for 85.
Or here?
The Hogs however, jumped from 12th to 8th in passing defense, and moved up to 11th in scoring defense, now posting a very respectable 14.5 pts allowed/game, and now rank 8th in the country for fewest yards allowed per play: 4.11.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Razorbacks looked as good as ever. The Razorbacks only had to keep the threat of the pass alive to let their run defense work, with KJ attempting only 15 passes to 4 receivers. Treylon Burks had a massive day, catching 6 for 167 yards, including that 85-yard BOMB I shared above.
KJ is the engine that makes this offense hum, and as long as he can stay healthy, this Razorback team is going to be a threat to any team in the conference, save maybe Bama. But after this game, Pittman and the Hogs have triumphantly proved they are capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone, and they are rolling into Athens next weekend with the confidence, a strong resume, and the absolute support of an entire state. Hawgs vs. Dawgs should be a real barn-burner, and good lord is it exciting to say the Razorbacks are in a TOP-TEN SHOWDOWN next week. A win here genuinely blows through any ceiling the Razorbacks still have this season, and I can’t wait to see what Sam and the crew scheme up. College Gameday, we’re comin’ for ya!
Woo Pig and as always, TURN THAT DAMN JUKEBOX UP.