Arkansas football: Alabama game will be a barometer of how far Hogs have come
Few, if any, expect Arkansas to have any reasonable shot at upsetting Alabama on Saturday.
It has been a great season for Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks, but no one has been able to contain the Crimson Tide. Despite the drastic improvements for Arkansas this year, No. 1 Bama (9-0), who have won by an average margin of 30.9 points this season, come in as 32-point favorites.
That said, I wouldn’t be surprised if the Hogs managed to stay within the spread at least.
Arkansas (3-6) has shown a fight that has helped them to stay in most of their games this season. Even when the Razorbacks are missing players, as they could be again Saturday, they keep it at least interesting.
Only twice have they lost by more than 3 touchdowns this season, to Georgia and Florida. They went into halftime with a lead against the Bulldogs.
Alabama has potential to be the 3rd team that hands Arkansas a 3-touchdown loss. I would actually be shocked if that weren’t the result. But I also expect the Hogs to have good moments, as they have in all their games this season.
Typically. this matchup is dreaded for Arkansas (they aren’t alone there). The Razorbacks haven’t won against Alabama since 2006, and it usually isn’t close. But this is a chance to turn a new leaf in the Pittman era.
If Arkansas can come out on Senior Day and stay close for a quarter or so, it will be a testament to both how far they have come and where they are going.
That won’t be simple, though.
The Razorbacks defense has been a pleasant surprise this season. It is forcing an SEC-leading 1.9 turnovers per game and has also seen its yards and points allowed per game improve.
It runs into a Heisman candidate in Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, however.
Jones could be the best quarterback the Razorbacks have faced all year. It’s between him and Florida’s Kyle Trask. Jones has already thrown for more than 3,000 yards as well as 27 touchdowns to only 3 interceptions. He has topped 400 yards 3 times.
The Tide also have the SEC’s best running back in Najee Harris, who already has more than 1,000 yards and 20 touchdowns.
The Hogs might have to try to contain those 2 without linebacker Grant Morgan, one of the SEC’s leading tacklers. He was injured against Missouri this past week, and Pittman had no update on his status as of Tuesday.
Pittman also had no update on whether Feleipe Franks would be available. KJ Jefferson started for Franks, who is dealing with a rib injury, against Missouri. Jefferson looked good in his place, throwing for 274 yards and 3 touchdowns while rushing for another. If he starts again, though, he will be facing much tougher competition.
Regardless of the result Saturday, this season has been a step in the right direction for Arkansas. They can only hope to build on that as Pittman recruits his own players and the talent builds over time.
The Razorbacks likely won’t win, but they won’t roll over as they have in past years. They’ll make a couple of plays as they have in all their games this year. That’s the difference between this year and last.
If Arkansas can come out and play a respectable game, it will be a barometer for how far they have come.
49-14 Bama
I think that’s close, if not a little worse. Arky defense has gone south and looked like last year. Could be a blood bath unless Saban pulls the starters earlier than usual to get ready for the championship game. I mean, go from your own 25 to their 15 with dink passes..all in 34 seconds. That’s just embarrassing.
Probably like 35-7 at half. Could a 70-10 game if Saban wanted it to be.
“go from your own 25 to their 15 with dink passes..all in 34 seconds. ”
The Mizzou game? Not really dink passes, well executed sideline routes, and only 4 of them, but Arky was already RIDICULOUSLY LUCKY to be ahead at that point.
Dink passes is exactly what it was. Sideline passing underneath the Odom designed coverage with no corrections or adjustments. Getting out of bounds or first downs to whittle the field.
Alabama 38, Missouri 19 in Drinkwitz’s first game with a roster he’s never seen play live before and a class of freshman he’s never seen play at all. WITH SHAWN ROBINSON AT QUARTERBACK. Less than a 3 score game. Arkansas could upset Alabama this weekend…. that’s how much both Missouri and Arkansas have improved.
It was a blowout. Missouri scored late to try to make it look respectable and you know that
A 19 point spread is a three score game…
Your posts are always stupid.
A ridiculous take on this game. They will get clocked by Bama like every else but that won’t diminish or change the great job Coach Pittman has done.
Unclenutz…Agreed Pittman has done a great job in reviving a dysfunctional program. SEC Coach of the year ?
What a really poor article asking Arkansas to show something against Bama to gauge how far they’ve come. Because of lack of depth on defense this Arkansas unit that started out great this year is just flatly worn out. Can you imagine a DL wanting a break and you don’t have enough faith in the backups to send them in? Your LB’s only have one sub that can be relied on and your secondary relying on a CB who looks like a lost HS player?
This game will be over in the first quarter and as much as I hate Saban he will start substituting early to save his starters for the SECCG. Yes Arkansas is better this year and moving in the right direction but the unjustified scheduling this year by the SEC adding Georgia and Florida to Arkansas’ schedule has finally taken its toll.
“imagine a DL wanting a break and you don’t have enough faith in the backups”
At least you have backups, Mizzou may have to move an OLinemen from an already thin unit to play D line for the UGA game. Nothing bad happens to any team except you, right?
At least Arkansas isn’t the squad faking injuries after first downs. I counted 5 times your tigers did just that. Trash
At least Mizzou’s coach isn’t whining and crying like a baby trying to deflect blame for a loss from his crappy defense.
The NCAA needs to address the “injury-faking” soon. It has become so commonplace. That Mizzou player pointed a finger at himself and was given the go ahead & dropped to the turf.
Tonytiger talks about others whining and crying while spending his time whining and crying and making excuses.
Despite losing two games due to weird stuff / referees and then fading down the stretch because of injuries, I think Pittman has changed the Arkansas culture.
The Alabama game will not be a measuring stick of how the program has changed, regardless of how it goes.
It’s nice to see Arkansas and Missouri going after each other, but…after this season the Razorbacks can stand tall in the SEC West as two of their losses came on extremely questionable calls and they are without a doubt a team on the rise. Doesn’t matter that they won’t be Bama. What matters is that they make Bama earn it. Give em hell Hogs!
Sometimes I think SDS finds their writers at the high school. There are some really bad writers here who don’t have a grip on college football. Like this article..what a lazy take. Then there is the guy who’s wife must have slept with Gary Danielson because he writes the same article each week. The main writer who covers UGA obviously is a woman who has no clue. Are these writers working Pro Bono? Seems like it
Arky and Pittman have shown progress regardless of the outcome of the Bama game.
I don’t think this game is a barometer of anything, except maybe the Hogs’ willingness to keep playing hard after they fall way behind.
Even without Waddle, the Tide doesn’t look like the same team that only beat Mizzou by 19 and Ole Miss by 15. Saban has his guys focused on what they do best and peaking at the right time. Ask Auburn and LSU.
Against a thin and exposed Arkansas defense, I look for the Tide to roll up five touchdowns and a field goal by halftime. What happens after that just depends on how much Saban wants to rest (or risk) his starters.
I’m not really looking to see how well the defense plays against Bama’s O, even great defenses wouldn’t slow them down. I would like to see if the offense can move at all against the Bama defense. If they can put up 20+ points I’d say it’s safe to assume they have taken a huge step forward.
It’s not fair to Arkansas to post articles like this. They have improved this season and the outcome of this game won’t impact that.
I agree, Bama way too good this year. It’s hilarious that the Mizz trolls are in here, afraid someone will say something bad about their team and their Gus Malzahnesque fake injuries without being able to say no your coach is a whiner…. waaaaaaaaaa
I think if there is a barometer of how much Arkansas has improved since back-to-back 0-8 seasons, it was Auburn.
After three years of combined 137-33 losses, the Razorbacks were a bad call away from escaping a 30-28 loss to the Tigers. Pretty far removed from a 51-10 whipping a year ago.