2-minute drill: Hogs need to avoid letdown against Northern Illinois
By Drew Laing
Published:
No one would blame Arkansas for looking ahead.
With a big win behind them and another huge game next week against Texas A&M, it would be easy to forget about the NIU game today. As Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast my friend.”
The Huskies own the nation’s longest road winning streak at 17 consecutive games. They’ve enjoyed double-digit win seasons since 2010 and even appeared in the 2012 Orange Bowl. This is no ordinary mid-major squad.
With a mobile quarterback in Drew Hare, a prolific receiver in Da’Ron Brown and a big, physical running game, NIU certainly has the talent on offense to score some points. If Arkansas offense doesn’t take care of business, it’s not crazy to think NIU can keep things close against an Arkansas defense that we’re not quite sure what to think about yet.
Regarding the Hogs, a strong performance today would say a lot about how far they’ve come in one season. A sign of a good team is being able to take care of business in these kinds of games sandwiched between two big games. Not only would the substantial progress continue for Bret Bielema’s squad, but it would certainly prove how strong mentally the Hogs are this season.
Today’s matchup against Northern Illinois doesn’t have the same name recognition as other Arkansas games, but it’s still just as important for the Hogs moving forward in their quest back to SEC relevance.
Drew Laing will be providing analysis and insight on Florida, Georgia, Missouri and South Carolina.
