Gameday Extra

9.11.2021 Here are some selected comments from the message boards at wholehogsports.com. THOUGHTS ON ARKANSAS' SEASON-OPENING VICTORY OVER RICE LAST SATURDAY …. Hogmodo: Lots of teachable moments in a 21-point win. Offense looked deliberately vanilla to me, which I expect was intentional. … Looked like a lot of rust being shaken off in bucket loads with the starting QB and the two best WR's struggling in the first half. … Defense showed good depth particularly impressive in the defensive line. If we can keep our linebackers from getting ejected, the defense looked like it can play four strong quarters. So, we have a bunch of things to be fixed but almost all of them looked fixable and we came out of the game almost injury free SwineFusion: Encouraged by our run defense. Texas is going to lean heavily on Robinson at RB and if we can keep him from going off we have a much better chance. ClayHenry: The injury free thought is pretty important. The key to surviving in the SEC is to dodge important injuries. No one has enough depth if the top players go down. To keep the same bunch together in the offensive and defensive lines is huge. I can recall Danny Ford telling me once that the good teams are the ones that have the same offensive line at the end of the season that they had at the start. blackhogdown: I would've have like to see how fast the offense could have gone in the second half but the Rice players wouldn't allow that with the cramps on every play. dilibe357: The defense looked okay, but I still don't think we have a good pass rush. Our best defenses put pressure on quarterback. … Same thing concerns me on our O-line. There was not a lot of dominance there … Ok I'll give maybe first couple of series of nerves to KJ Jefferson. … I bet his 128 yards was lowest of any SEC QB… Overall I am disappointed and had hopes that we could win six games. guynhawaii: I love coach Sam Pittman's leadership. He's very intelligent but subtle. He's careful not to throw anyone under the bus. He's always striving to build up everyone's confidence but at the same time instruct, teach and learn from mistakes. I have great confidence he knows what he's doing as well as Coach Briles. There is a reason and strategy for every play call and what they say in public. Don't underestimate CSP and his staff. holdenhogfield: I was not thrilled with our first game, and our head coach clearly is not either. I agree that the pass rush did not excite us or scare any SEC opponents, ditto the OL play. WynneHog: First game of the year and the sky is falling.,. Smith rushed for over 100 yards. Average close to that and that adds up to over 1000 yards on the season. The defense didn't get much pressure on the QB but absolutely took over in the second half. Jalen Catalon is a beast. Are we great? Probably not. Will we be competitive and something to watch that we haven't had in years? Yes! vaham: …We are in a major rebuilding program here. Most are picking us to win five or six games this year. I want to win more, of course, but we are digging out of a massive hole. I am pleased with most everything Coach Pittman has done since his hire. dfwtexhog: After the game on Saturday, not sure yet which Arkansas team to expect through the remainder of this season. The first half of so many mistakes, penalties, dropped passes, blocked punt, fumbled kickoff return, and inability to execute, especially on third downs & fourth down, looked like a repeat of Chad Morris teams. Was our success in the 2nd half due to so many Rice players out with leg cramps or were we that much better? Hopefully just 1st game jitters & that six wins this season is doable. hogsrus: Going to be another long season, at least until basketball rolls out… twobitboar: I don't generally let my happiness depend on a college football team. I'm from Arkansas and I love the Hogs. I want to win but I'm not letting it determine my happiness. MEMORIES FROM PAST ARKANSAS-TEXAS GAMES … Logjam: Best in-person memory Matt Jones owning them in 2003. southpaw: Jan. 1, 2000. UA's great defense led by Kenoy Kennedy, David Barrett, Randy Garner mauls UT 27-6 in the Cotton Bowl. 2003 - Matt Jones and Cedric Cobbs run wild in a victory over the Horns in Austin. LDhog: 1979 in Little Rock we beat Texas 17-14. We rocked the stadium long after the final whistle blew. Me and my buddy Bubba were on the pre-game playing the fight song on our Kazoos. Still have the Kazoo but Bubba has moved to heaven. coloradohog: Oct. 1964. AR 14, TX 13. One of the greatest wins ever for the hogs! The following year in Fayetteville (27-24 Arkansas win), "Bobby Crocket slept here" signs showed up all over the state that night and I was there! Oh yes, those games meant a whole, whole, whole lot. Then, my senior year, Dec. 6, 1969. One of the biggest games ever in college football. The whole week was a blur. School was hopeless by Thursda of that week. Everyday the Gazette had pages and pages on the game and who would be there starting with POTUS. Of course, it was stolen by the Texas SWC refs. nlrbuzzard: 1979 game. Got engaged to Mrs. Buzzard the night before the game, and we were already so warped that we both agreed the only thing that could make things better would be to beat Texas the next day. Big tailgate on the golf course the next day, and then sat in our old seats in the south end zone for the game. Scavengerhog: Can't say the outcome was my favorite, but the Dec '69 game was probably my most memorable. So much publicity and debate over which team had the better quarterback. Montgomery, as I recall, was hands-down winner on that score. I was just a kid and was so upset at the end. neastarkie: I attended the '69 game. I still carry scars. I got drenched, but loved the '71 game where we beat the crap out of them. Also attended the '79 game. lLke everyone else, stood in the stands for 30 minutes after it ended. RAZORBACK FANS PREDICT SATURDAY'S GAME AGAINST TEXAS …. sdhog: I think we lose this game. Hope not but just don't think we're there yet. Weak pass rush, a little iffy in the secondary, horrible passing game with weak pass protection. Hogs 17, Horns 28. I'll be there and hope for the best… hawgjabend: Agree. UT wins, 48-14. Ain't gonna be pretty. Desperately hope I'm wrong. gentryrzbk: I sure hope we were vanilla against Rice. I sure hope KJ shakes off the rust. Nothing in the Rice game gave me confidence. Arkansas 27, Texas 21. hogsrus: If I double the infamous 15-14 score, Hogs 30-28. wizardofhogz: Don't forget,you have to not only double it, but flip it around or we lose, 30 to 28. LDhog: '79 repeat. Hogs 17-14. Kevin Scanlon circles the field giving the downward Horn sign with KJ Jefferson. Why not? SWHog: Love my Hogs, but just don't see an upset. (Not so) special teams play, Sarkisian play calling, and a very heavy dose of (Texas RB) Robinson are just too much. Horns 31, Hogs 21. hawgring: Sadly Horns 24 and Hogs 20. stillgreghog: Head says: Texas 45, Hogs 13. Heart says: Hogs 34, Texas 17 neastarkie: Heart: Hogs, 31-21. Head: Horns, 35-24. swinebeforepearls: Hogs all the way, 30-24. jeremy: Eating Rice always leaves me still hungry, but nothing fills me up like a good ol' medium rare ribeye. I bet Sam feels the same way. Hogs 31-17. georgiahawg: Defensive battle for most of the game. Little kicks a 55-yard field goal to win it with 4 seconds on the clock. Hogs 17, Horns 16. generalhog: Arkansas, 38-37. Arkansas wins on a field goal with 7 seconds left in the game. For me personally, I win no matter what because it's the first Razorback game my oldest son will get to go with me. The memories with my son make me a winner no matter what! youdaman: Hogs 30-27.I think we will see a different game plan this week which will allow us to play four quarters instead of the two this week. Texas' young QB is affected by the crowd and throws 2-3 picks. oklahog: The boys in Vegas tend to have a good read on things. They have the Horns by six. Here's hoping that UA can improve more in week two than the Horns: UA 27, UT 24. white25: Ark 15, Tx 14. Hell yes, I still remember. But I am flipping the number on this one. bakedhog19741: As many of you know, and Jeremy likes to point out I always pick against Arkansas, if I pick them they always struggle, so with that in mind: Texas … Nope can't do it, can't pick Texas. Just can't. lovemyhogsforever: Horns dominate, 42-3. planohog: Hogs blow the dust off and Coach Pitt makes corrections and the war is on!!! A game of heavy blows and the Hogs realize they have a FG kicker with a last second field goal for the win!! Crowd is exhausted but the Hogs prevail!!! Makes up for the 2004 Matt Jones fumble!!! Hogs 38, Horns 37. hogindaslough: I don't think the Hogs are as bad as some gloomers think, and I don't think Texas is as good as all the hype. Typical, Texas beats a former directional school and they are now crowned almost National Champions again. I expect Texas will win, deja vu back to the old SWC days when we always lost this game in heartbreaking fashion as we welcome Texas to the SEC. bballhawg: SEC welcome equals Hogs 31, Horns 28 in OT. lilhawg: Been living, crying and almost dying listening and watching our games against Texas since the '50's. I just don't feel confident about this game after that first half last week. Can we win? Sure, but will we? Horns 31 Hogs 27. soflahogfan: The Hogs are 3-2 this century against the Shorthorns and we beat them our last meeting so no reason to doubt we can win this one at home with a great crowd advantage. Hogs 31, Horns 24. bluegrassrazorback: I just don't know how to call this game. This I think we know If it's a TD away or TD and FG away from a Razorback victory in the beginning of the fourth quarter, Arkansas's New Fighting Razorbacks will find a way to win. armyhog: Hogs Win! I don't know how or what the score will be but I can't pick anyone to beat our Hogs! I hate the Texas Longhorns! BEST OF THE WEB can have his way with that secondary. Card played sparingly as one of Sam Ehlinger's backups last season. He is considered a dual threat and was a two-time All-State performer at Lake Travis, one of the premier high school programs in the state of Texas. THE PLAY CALLERS This is always a game within the game. Pittman praised Texas coach Steve Sarkisian as a master play caller this week. Sarkisian will match wits with Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom. Both Sarkisian and Odom seemed to take vanilla approaches in their respective openers. Sarkisian, the 2020 Broyles Award winner, was outstanding in finding the right matchups while leading Alabama to the national title last season. The Arkansas play caller is offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, with some experience playing Texas from his time as an offensive assistant at Baylor. He began his playing career with the Longhorns in 2001-02 before transferring to play for his father at Houston. He'll go against Texas defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski, who was the architect of Chris Petersen's defenses at Washington and Boise State. He coached 16 seasons at Boise State before following Petersen to Washington in 2014. In the middle of two stints at Boise State, he served as defensive coordinator at Montana State for six seasons. He has coached the secondary, linebackers and defensive line in a sterling career. That Sarkisian could hire Kwiatkowski was a major accomplishment. It's the first time he'd ventured out of the West where he has had much success against passing teams, especially Mike Leach at Washington State. Texas is paying Kwiatkowski $1.7 million and gave him a three- year deal. THE STARS The best players for Arkansas have to play their best. That wasn't always the case last week against Rice. Wide receiver Treylon Burks, held out of most practices in August camp with a heel injury, dropped two passes against the Owls and rarely seemed in rhythm in one of his worst games since his freshman season. Pittman said Burks has looked solid in practice this week, although the junior from Warren is in a no-contact green jersey. The Hogs didn't get anything from their returning All-America linebacker, either, but for a far different reason. Grant Morgan was ejected in the first quarter for a targeting call. He'll return for the Texas game. Catalon starred against Rice, making 11 tackles and intercepting two passes. Catalon chose the Hogs in an intense recruiting battle with Texas. The Mansfield, Texas, product grew up following the Longhorns. The Hogs need a big game from pass rush specialist Tre Williams, the defensive end who arrived this summer after leaving Missouri via the transfer portal. Williams made five tackles against Rice, but did not have a sack and had only one quarterback hurry. Most of the hype this week is about the Texas running back Robinson, but the Hogs have a good one in Trelon Smith. He made 102 yards on 22 carries against Rice. Smith was not recruited by Texas as a prep star in Houston. He signed with Arizona State, then transferred to Arkansas. It's a big game for Smith. CLEAN AND MEAN The Hogs have been plagued by the targeting call over the last two seasons. Linebacker Hayden Henry sat the first half of the Rice game because of a targeting penalty in the second half of the Alabama game to end last season. Morgan has served his time after the first-half penalty against Rice, but linebacker Bumper Pool will sit the first half against Texas after a targeting call in the fourth quarter last week. Pool made 14 tackles before the ejection. The Hogs must play cleaner against the Longhorns. They committed 13 penalties against Rice. Texas was flagged just seven times in its opener. Can the Hogs play clean while still maintaining an aggressive hitting style advocated by Pittman and Odom? It may be the key to the game. SPECIAL TEAMS Texas has lots of weapons in the kicking game, including kicker/punter Cameron Dicker. He averaged 51.5 yards on his only two punts last week. Xavier Worthy had one punt return for 18 yards and is a threat. D'Shawn Jamison is also dangerous as a kickoff return man. The Hogs didn't do badly in special teams in the first week, but one glaring mistake overshadows all the solid steps for coordinator Scott Fountain's units. Punter Reid Bauer had a punt blocked because of a missed block on the outside. Texas probably has an advantage here because of superior team speed. THIRD DOWN This has been a problem in most games with Briles calling the plays. The Hogs just don't do well on third down. They converted only three last week against Rice, which puts the Hogs at 27.3%, 103rd best in the nation. Texas converted 66.7% of its third downs last week, second best in the nation. That's an incredible statistic with a redshirt freshman at quarterback. Pittman praised the poise of Card, noting there were some nice scrambles and QB runs early in the game that helped the Longhorns move the chains. PHYSICALITY It's the single element that Pittman prides himself on as a coach. Will his team battle in a physical manner? It's clear the Hogs have that attribute, almost to a fault. Freshman wide receiver Ketron Jackson got a holding penalty last week that negated a 68-yard touchdown run by Jefferson. However, no one seems to be faulting Jackson, not even the head coach. Pittman almost suggested that it was just unlucky timing because the tape showed Jackson "had his hands inside." Fellow wide receiver Tyson Morris praised his young teammate. "Ketron is going to be great," Morris said. "He's going to be a great player. He got in and he played physical, man. He was one of the most physical guys we had out on the edge on Saturday. "I want to give a big shoutout to Ketron for being as physical and as confident as he was." So can Jackson, a product of Royce City, Texas, and the Hogs hold up in a physical slugfest with the Longhorns? That might be the single biggest key in the game. Keys n Continued from Page 1 www.innisfreeseniorliving.com "Treating you like family" NOBODY'S PRICES OR CARE CAN COMPARE IN NWA! Innisfree Senior Living We are cheering on our College Team this season! 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