Why Not Arkansas In 2012? The Yeas and Nays
by KevinHog on Jan 10, 2012 11:56 AM CST
in Arkansas Razorback Football
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PrintRazorback fans, your team just finished the 2011 season in both the AP and Coaches polls ranked No. Five in the nation. Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma State, and Oregon finished ahead of us. That's two BSC bowl winners and the two teams that just played in the National Championship Game. That's rarefied air, right there, elite company. Go back and think about Bobby Petrino's first season here in 2008 when the team finished 5-7 and had some pretty ugly losses during that season. Thanks in large part to Petrino's leadership and a dedicated class of seniors, three short years later and the Hogs have won two bowl games, increased their win total each year, seen players win national awards, been to a BCS bowl, and finished the season ranked in the Top Ten two years in a row. If this isn't a program on the rise, I don't know what else you could call it? The next step has to be an SEC West Championship and the program's first overall SEC Championship. And these days, an SEC Championship is a ticket to the National Championship game. And why not take that step in 2012? Here's a quick (off the top of my head) look at both the positives and the negatives in relation to the Hogs winning it all in 2012.
POSITIVE: Knile Davis and most likely Tyler Wilson (can't see him leaving with just one year as a starter) are coming back for the 2012 campaign.
NEGATIVE: The Hogs are losing play-makers such as Childs, Wright, and Adams in the receiving corps and Broderick Green on the ground.
POSITIVE: Alabama and LSU are at home (wherever home is for the LSU game, but in the state of Arkansas still). Overall, the schedule sets ups nicely. The Hogs might finally get a classic, bad, Kentucky team, for example. But one still wonders which team will be selected for the fourth out of conference opponent. Hmmm?????
NEGATIVE: We still have to play Alabama and LSU! haha. Both will still be formidable foes. Alabama, I think, more so than LSU.
POSITIVE: If all goes right this year, no off-season injury, Alabama should have to face Knile Davis in the running game. If we can get a running game going against the Tide, I give the Hogs a very good chance of beating Alabama in Fayetteville. After seeing last night's performance, I know that is a big "IF" there. But also keep in mind that Arkansas's 14 point effort against Alabama was more than LSU scored on Alabama combined in two attempts! A Petrino coached quarterback will never look as bad as Jordan Jefferson looked last night.
NEGATIVE: SEC fatigue. Last night's game did not endear the nation to the SEC. Already many didn't like the fact of the rematch. The lack of it really being a game with any excitement made the resentment, worse, I am sure. This sixth win in a row will likely have the national pundits, writers, voters, all looking for an excuse not to invite an SEC team to Miami in January 2013. If the Hogs have a slip up along the way, a loss of any kind, they might not get the benefit of the doubt that past SEC teams have gotten simply because the nation is tired of the SEC.
POSITIVE: The coming out of Chris Gragg as a dangerous weapon at the tight end position. He made the loss of D.J. Williams much easier to take with his clutch catches on third down all season.
NEGATIVE: If the Hogs get by the beasts in the West, Alabama and LSU, they'll likely face Georgia in the Georgia Dome for the SEC Title. It will be Hostile with a capital "H." Of course, South Carolina, also stands a good chance next year of winning the East, but I think the Hogs still have to worry about Georgia and the Georgia fan base standing in the way of an SEC title again like they did in 2002. And the Bobby Petrino factor will bring out an extra dose of hate come early December of 2012.
POSITIVE: The emergence of Tevin Mitchell and Alonzo Highsmith on defense.
NEGATIVE: The loss of players like Jerico Nelson, Tramain Thomas, and Jake Bequette on defense.
POSITIVE: Hocker and Breeding will both be back come next year.
NEGATIVE: The trend of Bobby Petrino's offenses not racking up very many touchdowns in the post-season.
POSITIVE: We have Hocker if we have to go all field goal on a team in a national championship game.
NEGATIVE: The Mayan Calendar! haha. It sure would suck if the Hogs won the SEC and then were set to play say, USC, in the National Championship game at the Orange bowl and the world ended on December 21st 2012, haha. Can we have a post-apocalypse version of the BCS?
POSITIVE: In the mojo / vibe category, the National Championship game is going to be played in the city where the Hogs got their best post-season win since the 1965 Cotton Bowl. Yeah, the Orange Bowl, 1977. Petrino is already 1-0 in that game too.
NEGATIVE: The Hogs are likely going to lose the comfort of Jerry World when they compete against Texas A&M next year. Gone will be the 50/50 crowd and in its place will be the Aggie World that is College Station.
POSITIVE: Paul Haynes. Well, he has made a very good first impression, right? haha.
NEGATIVE: The departure of Garrick McGee. Not a knock on Paul Petrino. But I just think Garrick made a good "Good Cop" for the quarterbacks to Bobby Petrino's "Bad Cop." I am not for sure if Paul Petrino can replace that dynamic. Plus, Garrick was a great recruiter!
POSITIVE: This is a potential positive. But let's think positive and DGB turns down all those big offers and comes to Fayetteville where the Hogs know how to throw the ball around the field. He is a type of player who could have that immediate impact.
This is by no means an exhaustive look at what the Hogs have going for them and against them next season. Feel free to add to the list in the comment section. But looking at it as whole, I think the Yeas are significant enough to get us really excited about the prospect of the 2012 season ending with a trip to the National Championship Game. Five wins, Eight wins, Ten wins, Eleven wins, well, why not take the step that LSU couldn't take and make it fourteen wins next season? Why not Arkansas in 2012?
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DBG is the most important of all those things you listed.
I think that kid has the tools to be an all time great. This team has developed great receivers and quartbacks and I think he can have a Cam Newton like impact from the receiver position.
#WPS
TV Journalist Chris Hanson is a cockblocker
This will be a fun team to watch in 2012.
Offensively I think they’ll be quite good again in 2012, with a chance to be even better, with a more balanced attack and an emphasis on running the ball. Hamilton and Gragg will catch plenty of balls, and some young WRs will need to emerge to fill the voids left by Adams, Wright, and Childs. But if the Hogs can get a solid ground game going with Davis, DJ, Wingo and pals, it will make this offense far more dangerous. That was originally the plan for 2011, but the injury to Davis mucked things up a bit. With the quality of defenses and spectacular athletes in the SEC these days, you can’t afford to be one-dimensional offensively. You’ve got to keep them honest in order to succeed, and that means offensive balance.
Inconsistency was an issue at times this year as well. There were a lot of big plays, but sometimes it took the offense a long time to get into rhythm, and it would occasionally lurch and sputter like an old jalopy, only to get revved up and zoom along like a Corvette late in the game. A quality run game can only help this.
The defense will have to improve, but the Cotton Bowl really showed us something. Kansas State was not an offensive juggernaut by any means, but the Hogs were very impressive shutting them down for most of the game. One would hope that they continue to show progress under Coach Haynes.
The schedule is going to be slightly easier next year, with Bama and LSU at home. But they away games include aTm, SC, Auburn, and MSU. If we beat Bama in Week 3 and aTm in Week 5, look out. If not…well, it should still be an interesting year.
The list I wrote isn't exhaustive
Yes, certainly, add the loss of Jerry Franklin as a NEGATIVE all by itself.
I hope the lost of Adams and Wright
doesn’t hurt us in a big way. Who’s next in line to take their spots?
☠★☪Creator of http:/vikescity.info/ and dedicated DN reader.
by UnBannedVikingholic on Jan 12, 2012 2:47 PM CST reply actions
The Hogs will not win the SEC in 2012
It is always next year for the Hogs and Arkansas beating LSU and Bama in the same year is not going to happen. Hogs fans can take credit for being in the SEC and that is about it. Oh and by the way, listening to talk radio here in Arkansaw can make your head hurt also why all of a sudden the last couple of days all the discussion about Oklahoma and Oklahoma State? Why such the inferiority complex? No, Arkansas will never have the program or national brand that is OU and well maybe the U of A used to be a better program than OSU but not any more. OSU wins big games such as the Fiesta Bowl and beat their biggest rival this year while Arkansas lost the Sugar Bowl a year ago and lost to their biggest rivals this year. Sorry Hogs, just playing in the SEC does not qualify you for much higher than fifth this year and no you are not the third best team in the country. Oregon would have kicked a little Hoggie Arse as would OSU this past season. Enjoy third place in the SEC and your Cotton Bowl victory.
haha, u mad
I hope you feel better now. Seriously though, I do hope that we can get to the point where we beat our biggest rival once every 9 years! That must feel so awesome!
by coastalrazorback on Jan 12, 2012 6:13 PM CST up reply actions
Everytime I listen to the Big 12 hoo-haa,.....
I’m reminded of how much pride it gives me for my beloved Razorbacks to be a member of the SEC.
OSU will dwindle to the depths of the 2nd best conference in the land next season, while Arkansas will continue it’s journey toward greatness in the land of the giants.
GO HOGS GO, BABY!!!!!
If either of the Oklahoma schools played in the SEC West then they would go to a BCS game once every 7 or 8 years. On a good year Arkansas will only have to play 2 top 10 teams and 5 in the top 25. On a normal year, they will will play 3 top 10 teams and 6 in the top 25. On a rough year, they have the 2 best teams in the nation in their own division.
Haters gonna hate, but you take it to another level. I think it is hard for fans of teams outside of the SEC to understand how difficult it is to win 9 games in this conference. Maybe Landry Jones can lead Oklahoma to the title game next year so they can get thumped like second rate team that they are.
GET TO THE CHOPPA!!!
by hoosier3 on Jan 12, 2012 8:51 PM CST via mobile up reply actions
Take it easy there, Frannie.
There’s little for Arkansas fans to be disappointed about this year. The Hogs got beat on the road by the top two teams in the country (each with a historically great defense), but still won 11 games and ended the season ranked in the top 5. Why, yes, I think we will enjoy third place in the SEC and the Cotton Bowl victory. Thank you for your congratulations, I guess.
Arkansas vs. either Oregon or OSU would have been a fantastic BCS game, and I think the Hogs would have benn pretty competitive with either one. KSU gave OSU all they could handle in Stillwater, somehow putting up 45 on the Pokes, whereas Arkansas shut down the Wildcats. I think Arkansas could have scored plenty on OSU, but would have struggled defensively (just like almost every other team in the country). As for Oregon…well, it’s tough to say, but probably about the same story as OSU. They hung points on some pretty good defenses (52 on Standord, 45 on Wisconsin, and 27 on LSU – the most scored against them all year), so Arkansas would have been hard-pressed to shut them down, but I think the Hogs would have put up a lot of points too.
Alas, Arkansas got held out of the BCS due to the ridiculous strength of the SEC (West), so we’ll never know how these games would have played out…
Tyler Wilson announced that he is returning
I’m really excited about next year. How many more days? Haha
by coastalrazorback on Jan 13, 2012 11:49 AM CST via Android app reply actions
Rumor Mill
Posted from a co-worker friend who is a LSU fan.
FROM AN LSU DENVER FRIEND (1-12-12): I just heard this from a friend with ties to the LSU athletic department. I am not sure if it is true or not but a lot of the pieces fit. Apparently about 3 hours before the game T-Bob Hebert and Russell Shepard and 2 other receivers and a hand full of linemen got into a heated argument with Les Miles and the Offensive Coordinator about Lee getting more playing time and possibly starting the BCS Championship game. It got so heated that Miles benched T-Bob and RS and 3 other players. He called Lee into his office and told Lee that he would not be playing in the game. The Offensive CO told Miles that he thought that Lee gave the team the best chance to win the game. Miles told the OC to start looking for a new job after the game and Miles will be calling the plays for the championship game. Apparently the O Line sided with T-Bob and Lee and did not give their all in the game to prove to Miles that the players are more important then the coach. Now I know that this is hard to believe but when you look at some things it kind of explains a few things: I will list some:
Playcalling: Read option pass on 3rd and 10 – 4 times. Running the same 5 plays over 90% of the game. Overall, Horrible play calling. Running the ball in the 4th quarter with 9mins and down by 21. T-Bob Hebert not taking a snap in the game. RS only playing 3 snaps and not touching the ball or getting looked at. Lee getting off the bus and walking 10 feet behind the team with his head down and looking dejected while walking into the Dome. Heated argument between receivers and JJ and O Line with O line coach on sidelines. And the kicker, reports that 2/3 rds. of the plays that were practiced up to the game were not ran and the players were not told why. Again I do not know if this is entirely true but there seems to be a lot of truth in it just by seeing what happened in the game.
by allen_texas_hog on Jan 15, 2012 4:10 PM CST reply actions
hog fans got their panties in a twist!
Say all you want OSU historically is a better athletic and academic university and well the U of A cannot hold a candle to OU football historically and academically they fall short there also so be proud of being good because of the SEC while OSU and OU make the Big 12 the best conference in America. Stupid morons from the Dirty South!
by Franchise72 on Jan 17, 2012 4:34 PM CST via iPhone app reply actions
I just have to ask this question?
Do you ever think the Hogs will ever be the national brand that the OU Sooners are or will ever make the historical significant accomplishments that OU has made in college football? You had a nice third place finish in the SEC and cannot win big games get used to it!
by Franchise72 on Jan 17, 2012 4:39 PM CST via iPhone app reply actions
To Coastal Razorback
You said OSU beat their biggest rival every ten years and to that I say yes OSU did and won the Big 12 title in the process and then the Fiesta Bowl. You know a conference title and BCS bowl game. Last time I checked Arkansas had not won a conference title since being in the defunct Southwest Conference and well you squndered your BCS bowl game shot to The Ohio State last year. That loss made Arkansas the only SEC school to lose to The Ohio State in a BCS bowl game. Oklahoma State finished above you in the final polls and one last parting shot Oklahoma State beat one of your biggest rivals Alabama since Arkansas has. What is it like to always have an Oklahoma school, either OU or OSU, above you in the final polls every year in the 2000’s? #hogsareeverybody’slittlebrother
by Franchise72 on Jan 18, 2012 8:31 AM CST via iPhone app reply actions
It hurts, Frannie. It hurts...soo...baaaddd...! (sobbing uncontrollably)
Oh my God…You’re right, Frannie. You’re right.
After reading your insightful, eloquent, respectful, and well-reasoned posts on this page, I have finally come to the realization that Oklahoma and Oklahoma State, collectively, are far superior than Arkansas (the university and its athletic programs) can ever hope to be. I hereby disassociate myself with the University of Arkansas, the Razorbacks, all athletic programs, and fan groups. As soon as I get home today I will make a bonfire of all my Hogs gear. It would just be embarassing to wear that stuff anymore. I wonder where I can get some Oklahoma and OSU stuff around here? Maybe Goodwill or Salvation Army…
Frannie, I want to thank you for removing the scales from my eyes. I don’t know why it took me so long to realize that Arkansas is just an inferior program and univeristy. Well done, Frannie. Well done.
by RazorHawk on Jan 18, 2012 11:19 AM CST up reply actions 1 recs
Oh Razorhawk...
You said it not me. My message was more addressed to those who believe everybody who plays in the SEC has been given the gift of football and the rest of the country plays football with a square ball. I hear a lot of these types on Bo Mattingly’s show. Do I think Arkansas had a good season and a quality victory over a good K-State team in the Cotton Bowl? Yes sir I do. However, I make the comparison to OSU and OU because I hear a lot of people through social media and other outlets always saying they want the Sooners and now the Cowboys. OU is like Alabama historically-a powerhouse program. Do the Hogs really want a home and home series with the Sooners? I really don’t think they do. To me, OSU is a very parallel program to Arkansas with similar achievements in the past 5-7 years and each are in similar positions in their respective conferences. I do think a series say like the Southwest Classic at Jerry World every year would be a great series at a neutral site for both programs. OSU would be a good replacement for aTm in that series and I wish the two schools could make that series happen. Good luck and it is way too long until college football kicks off for 2012.
by Franchise72 on Jan 19, 2012 8:54 PM CST via iPhone app reply actions
Frannie, at least now you're talking some sense.
This post is an improvement on your earlier comments. Dropping “Stupid morons from the Dirty South” in your comments will not exactly endear you to Arkansas Expats. I would recommend that in the future you address your talk radio and social media beefs on talk radio and social media.
I would say that either OSU or OU would be a great non-con for Arkansas. They are neighbors, so there’s a natural rivalry there, and it’s true that Oklahoma is known as a historical football powerhouse and has an edge in recruiting due to its lofty reputation (among other things), but win-loss results in recent years for the programs have been pretty comparable (since year two of the Petrino Era, that is).
However, the 9-game B12 conference schedule (which I assume they are keeping for next year), together with the fact that each school will probably only want to play one BCS-conference non-con team each year, makes this difficult. OSU has Arizona lined up for 2012, and OU has Notre Dame scheduled for the next two years. (ND not a BCS conference school, but still considered an elite independet despite mediocre results lately.) Maybe OSU in 2013? It would certainly be a fun matchup, and JerryWorld would be a fantastic venue.
However, since I have renounced my allegiance to Arkansas, this is all academic. Oklahoma-level academic that is – superior to anything those “stupid morons from the dirty south” could ever hope to comprehend. ;)
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