SEC Round-Up: Dark days ahead for Arkansas football program
Identifying the darkest days of Arkansas football is no easy job. In six season from 1948-53 Arkansas managed only 22 victories, including 2-win seasons in ’50 and ’52. The Razorbacks managed only three wins in the 1992 season, which started with a 10-3 loss to The Citadel when a nose guard scored the only touchdown on a fumble return. They managed only four victories in 2012 under coach John L. Smith, who infamously called the Razorbacks the program of “the state of Alabama” while trying to rally support. Then, the next year coach Bret Bielema fell down during the “Hog Walk” prior to a 45-33 loss to Texas A&M. That pratfall proved an omen for the Bielema tenure. The Razorbacks were 29-34 in five seasons under him.
But the darkest day may have come on Sept. 15 when Arkansas was blown out by North Texas 44-17, and fell victim to a faked fair catch on a punt that was returned for a touchdown.
Most rational observers anticipated Arkansas would struggle in its first season under coach Chad Morris. But few, if any, would have expected the Hogs to start 1-3 with losses to North Texas and Colorado State. That was followed up by a 34-3 loss to Auburn. Yet, Morris was encouraged by what he saw from his team in that 31-point loss.
“There are a lot of areas we have to get better at, especially against a defensive front that they had,” Morris said earlier this week. "We came into it really challenging our guys, we have to run the football. I thought we did that.”
The Razorbacks rushed for 149 yards against Auburn. But 45 yards came on one run by former A&M back Rakeem Boyd. Arkansas averaged 2.8 yards on their other 37 carries.
Another reason for optimism is that Auburn was held to 91 rushing yards and just 225 overall. But that’s kind of deceptive, too. A short field doesn’t make for grandiose stats. Auburn only had the ball for 58 plays and 34 of them were snapped on Arkansas’ side of the 50-yard line. Auburn had a 48-yard punt return, a 40-yard fumble return, a 33-yard interception return and blocked a punt to set up scores. Arkansas also gave up a touchdown on a kickoff return.
But Morris prefers to focus on that fact that Auburn only had 91 rushing yards, North Texas only rushed for 95 and Colorado State managed just 40 on the ground. “It’s the first time since 2012 that we’ve held three straight opponents to less than 100 yards rushing,” he said. “I thought this was the most complete game that our defense has played this season.“
Morris is referencing Arkansas’ 4-8 campaign of 2012 to glean encouragement for this season. Has it really come to that?
Dark days indeed.
Who’s hot: The Kentucky Wildcats are riding high after last week’s 28-7 upset of Mississippi State. That win vaulted No. 17 Kentucky into the national rankings for the first time in 11 years. The Wildcats are also 2-0 in Southeastern Conference play for the first time since 1977. They’re looking to start 5-0 for the first time since 2007 on Saturday when they play host to South Carolina. Kentucky has won the last four in the series against the Gamecocks.
Who’s not: Arkansas has managed just two touchdowns in the last nine quarters. Both were scored in a 44-17 loss to North Texas. One of those was on a 68-yard run by Maleek Williams with less than a minute remaining in the game. The Razorbacks’ end zone issues began when they were held scoreless in the fourth quarter of a 34-27 loss at Colorado State. Last week they managed only a field goal in a loss to Auburn.
Keep an eye on: Kentucky junior running back Benny Snell has exceeded 100-yards rushing in three of four games. He’s third in the nation with 540 rushing yards on 88 attempts and has seven touchdowns. He’ll be facing South Carolina’s defense, which is ranked 11th in the SEC and allowed 271 rushing yards in a loss to Georgia. Snell has a pretty good history against South Carolina. Last year he rushed for 102 yards and two touchdowns against the Gamecocks, and as a freshman he rushed for 73 yards and a touchdown against them.
The pressure is on: First-year Mississippi State coach Joe Moorhead is beginning to catch heat after the Bulldogs offense accumulated just 201 yards in a 28-7 loss to Kentucky. His pass-oriented offense doesn’t appear to match the talent on hand. Quarterback Nick Fitzgerald has completed just over half his passes and is averaging just 180 yards. He’s also not shown to be the running threat he has been throughout his career. Although Moorhead should not be judged by the first five games of his tenure, if the Bulldogs struggle and lose to Florida (coached by former MSU coach Dan Mullen), the outcry may be deafening.
Best matchup: Behind quarterback Jordan Ta’amu and an excellent group of receivers, Ole Miss leads the SEC in passing offense. The Rebels face LSU’s secondary, which is considered one of the best in the SEC. However, the Tigers allowed 330 passing yards to Louisiana Tech last week. The secondary faces a tough task to redeem itself.
This week’s SEC games: Arkansas vs. Texas A&M in Arlington; Southern Miss at Auburn; Florida at Mississippi State; Tennessee at Georgia; South Carolina at Kentucky; Ole Miss at LSU; Tennessee State at Vanderbilt
