Hogs need to rebound: Arkansas-Ole Miss preview
Arkansas is 2-3, and after losing three straight to BYU, LSU and A&M, for many fans, the season appears lost.
By: Wild Hog
I’m not that fickle, but I’m also not happy. There’s absolutely a path back to bowl eligibility, but it will take some serious adjustments from the coaching staff and a laser focus on efficient play. Let’s recap.
Since we last talked, Arkansas lost a brutally close 34-31 game to LSU. At night. In Death Valley. It was the third year in a row this game was decided by a 3-point margin and one that was unfortunately marred by 11 penalties by the Hogs for 69 yards. More importantly - and equally depressing - it was absolutely a game that the Hogs could have won. The porous LSU defense allowed the Hogs to gain 426 yards, 25 first downs, and go 9-14 on 3rd and 4th. KJ played lights out, and true freshman TE Luke Hasz looked like an absolute stud. In fact, it was another week where our net success rate outweighed our opponent - we’re beating ourselves.
So yeah, we lost. But after losing to BYU, this loss was a much easier pill to swallow, giving us some real positives to take away, and generating at least *some* optimism for the TAMU game last weekend…
… that was quickly routed by a truly depressing ass-whipping by the Aggies. It’s been a long time since I turned a game off, but I couldn’t even watch the end of this one. A 34-22 scoreline does not capture how terrible the Hogs looked, and the Aggies probably should have tacked on at least another 10 if not for some baffling referee decisions that fell in the Razorbacks’ favor - including a truly indefensible fumble recovery that the refs gave to the Hogs despite two Aggies laying on top of the ball. But that should tell you enough right there: the Hogs committed ZERO penalties, had a pick-six, and recovered two fumbles and still lost the game by 12. Oh, and we lost Luke Hasz to a likely season-ending collarbone injury, DL John Morgan to a scary non-contact injury, and DB Dwight McGlothern to a concussion. Cool cool cool.
It also marked the third week in a row where Coach Pittman goes for it on 4th and 1, and we fail to convert. Why, you ask? Surely KJ Jefferson, a 6’3” 247 lb monster of a man can fall forward a yard right? RIGHT?
Actually, no. Dan Enos is going to dial up a handoff three yards behind the line of scrimmage. Because that makes sense.
At some point, Coach Pittman’s lack of prior head coaching is going to stop giving him a hall pass, and he’s going to have to be accountable for allowing these mistakes to keep happening.
Enough complaining. Let’s talk about the week ahead.
Ole Miss just won an emotional victory over LSU, which always means teams are primed for a letdown the following week. Hoping that a depleted Arkansas can take advantage of that. The Fayette Villains model has this game much closer than the spread would indicate, predicting a 27-23 loss to the Rebs.
This game has a long history of being a shoot-out, with plenty of memorable OT endings. While the Hogs are not nearly as strong on offense as LSU, this Ole Miss team allowed 637 yards of offense. The front line for Ole Miss isn’t strong against the run, so hopefully the Razorbacks can lean on Rocket and KJ to get the run game going, which will be important to staying ahead of schedule. The Enos scheme suffers when the offense gets behind the chains, and the Ole Miss defense excels at getting off the field on long third downs.
On the other side of the ball, the best chance for success from the Hogs is to exploit similar O-line issues and press the sack on Rebs QB Jaxson Dart. If the Hogs can tackle in space and keep pressure on the QB, this can remain a close game. The Hogs will have to win this battle in the trenches, which is entirely possible, and hope that battle gives KJ enough time to push the ball downfield.
Final score prediction:
Ole Miss 31
Arkansas 27
As always, Woo Pig, and Turn that Damn Jukebox On.