Music to listen to: Rusty Cage by Johnny Cash
Last Season: After the Bobby Petrino/John L. Smith head coaching debacle of 2012, Arkansas brought in former Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema to take over the Razorbacks’ program. Bielema was a consistent winner at Wisconsin, leading the Badgers to multiple double-digit win seasons and Rose Bowl appearances. Wisconsin became a borderline top-10 national program under Bielema.
The problem is that the SEC West alone may have three top-10 programs itself not including Arkansas.
The Razorbacks were a pass-heavy, spread attack with Petrino with the personnel to execute it. Unfortunately, Bielema’s offensive game plan goes completely against that, opting for a run-heavy, pro-style scheme. The results weren’t pretty as Arkansas went 3-9 overall and winless in the SEC.
Offense: The good news from last season is that the Razorbacks averaged 208.7 yards per game rushing, which was good enough for third in the SEC. Sophomore running back Alex Collins led all freshmen nationally with 1,026 yards rushing and junior Jonathan Williams had 900 yards on the ground himself. Both guys are All-SEC candidates and should be poised for another strong season.
The bad news about the Arkansas offense is everything else. The Razorbacks finished dead last in the SEC in passing yards per contest and 114th nationally. The team’s top returning receiver, sophomore Hunter Henry, only had 28 receptions for 409 yards and four touchdowns last year. While the Razorbacks’ offense won’t be mistaken for the run and shoot, there must be more production in the passing game.
Having a competent quarterback would help the cause but Arkansas doesn’t look to have that on the current roster. Junior Brandon Allen completed less than 50 percent of his passes last year and threw 10 interceptions. Improved accuracy should be expected from a run-heavy offense like Arkansas.
The two-deep offensive line only features one senior but its a respectable unit overall.
Defense: Arkansas’ defense was just as bad as the passing attack last year. The Razorbacks gave up more than 30 points per game including consecutive contests when South Carolina and Alabama EACH put up 52 points against them. Overall, Arkansas ranked 11th in the SEC against the run and pass separately.
Senior defensive end Trey Flowers had five sacks last season and is the only lineman returning starter on the front four. The linebackers are an average unit and senior Braylon Mitchell is the best of the bunch.
Seniors Tevin Mitchell and Alan Turner will start in the defensive secondary.
Schedule:
| 8/30 | at Auburn |
| 9/6 | Nicholls State |
| 9/13 | at Texas Tech |
| 9/20 | Northern Illinois |
| 9/27 | vs. Texas A&M (Arlington, Tex.) |
| 10/11 | Alabama |
| 10/18 | Georgia |
| 10/25 | UAB |
| 11/1 | at Mississippi State |
| 11/15 | LSU |
| 11/22 | Ole Miss |
| 11/29 | at Missouri |
Starting the season at defending SEC champions Auburn is a rough way to start the 2014 campaign. After a certain win against Nicholls State, the Razorbacks have to travel to a Texas Tech squad that won’t hesitate exploiting their poor pass defense.
Arkansas does get Alabama, Georgia and LSU at home.
First memory of Arkansas football:
Back in the fall of 1998, I was in the midst of my senior year of high school and applying to colleges. One of those schools was Vanderbilt out of the SEC. Of course, being a big sports fan, I started watching college football more intensely, particularly the SEC, in preparations for potentially heading to Vandy.
Quick research showed that the big rival was Tennessee. Naturally, I started to dislike the Vols. This was also the year they were on the way to a national championship. The conference game of the year became Arkansas going on the road to face Tennessee with both teams being undefeated. It was the national game of the week on CBS and I’m watching the game from my apartment in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Its a great contest and it looks like Arkansas is going to come out with the win, ending the Vols national title chances and I’m going to be a happy boy heading down to college in Nashville.
Than this happens…
Vols win that game, get national title and I head to Nashville having to deal with a happy Orange Nation. Still mad at Arkansas for losing this game.
Favorite alum:
When you’re the flagship state institute for a state like Arkansas, you’re going to produce a strong list of alumni. I’m going with Pat Summerall who had the best-ever sports broadcasting career for a former professional athlete. He’s known mostly for covering the NFL but Summerall worked the Masters, US Open for tennis, ABA, Stanley Cup finals, college basketball and other spots. Legend.
Others: Jimmy Dykes, Jerry Jones, John Daly, Steve Atwater, Dan Hampton, Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer.
Crush:
I was expecting more from this list but Veronica Campbell-Brown is a solid choice. Other: Joey Lauren-Adams
Overall outlook: In Arkansas’ last three games last season, it lost on the road to Ole Miss by 10, at home by seven in overtime to Mississippi State and allowed LSU to get a late touchdown-scoring drive, losing in Baton Rogue by only four points. That shows a marked improvement from the start of that campaign and something to carry into 2014.
Arkansas won’t go winless in the SEC again but a winning record will be too much to ask from this squad. The defense has to be improved under new coordinator Robb Smith but the lack of diversity on the offensive end will limit the win opportunities for Razorbacks. This team looks like a four-win squad with only one SEC victory in 2014.
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