CLAY HENRY: Hogs must find their running game

My worst three fears were realized Saturday night.

One and two were in the Arkansas game, a 34-10 LSU victory. The strengths the Razorbacks had come to count on in a 4-2 start did not hold up against the Tigers.

The third fear took place early in the fourth quarter of Georgia’s 30-15 win over No. 1 Texas. The SEC turned spineless the first time it had a chance to stick it to the arrogant Longhorn fans.

Back to the Hogs, the strong suit in year five of coach Sam Pittman’s era had been defense and the ability to run the ball. Those two things had led to superior time of possession, most notably in an upset two weeks ago against Tennessee.

That went up in smoke as LSU’s powerful lines dominated on both sides of the ball. LSU held the ball for 38:53 of the game’s 60 minutes. It was 13:04 to 1:56 in the fourth quarter.

The Hogs had averaged 199 rushing yards — fourth best in the SEC — in their first six games. They made only 38 on 19 rushes against the Tigers. That’s a paltry 2.0 per try.

If you want to point to one area that spells death in college football, it’s the inability to control the line of scrimmage in the run game.

We should have seen it coming. The strength of the UA run game all year has been the bruising slashes of 235-pound Ja’Quinden Jackson, the Utah transfer with the big heart. He’s just one big bruise at this point in the season. A sore ankle gave out after five carries for 26 yards against the Tigers.

Jackson had made 566 on 99 carries with 10 touchdowns in his first six games. He limped to the locker room after an 8-yard carry that did not feature any hard hits by the Tigers. Literally, he just gave out.

Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green throws a pass against the LSU Tigers as offensive lineman Fernando Carmona protects | Nilsen Roman-HitThatLine.com

Not only did the Tigers not have to worry about stopping Jackson, quarterback Taylen Green was not his usual run threat. After leaving the Tennessee game with a bruised knee on a cheap shot, Green passed up running opportunities against the Tigers.

Green had made 326 yards on 81 carries in his first six games. That includes 175 yards in losses.

Against LSU, Green carried six times for minus 10 yards. He was sacked three times. He was well enough to play, but he clearly wasn’t going to expose his knee with a heavy diet of scrambles. Play caller Bobby Petrino likely reduced the number of his favorite run-pass option calls, Green’s strength.

Travis Williams, the UA defensive play-caller, could not get stops despite seven illegal procedure penalties against the Tigers. The Razorbacks committed penalties that gave up five first downs, a killer against any foe.

The other killer, for the third straight SEC game, the Hogs did not force any turnovers. They committed two that led to 11 points for the Tigers.

Arkansas did not put LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier under any pressure. That’s not altogether a surprise. The Tigers had given up only two sacks all season. The LSU plan against a soft defensive look that seemed to work against the Vols was to drop the ball on short hitches or outs.

LSU did not have a lost yardage play until they ran out the clock at the end of the game. The Tigers consistently faced third and short.

Pittman said Williams did call some zero coverage (with blitzes), but they were not numerous and did not get home. Pittman said defensive end Landon Jackson, often double teamed, did get home with some speed rushes, but it was a step late.

Razorbacks defensive lineman Landon Jackson rushes against LSU | Nilsen Roman-HitThatline.com

There were some tough pills to swallow on the night. Watching the SEC’s two marquee night games side by side on big screens, there was a striking contrast in the way targeting was called.

Georgia lost a player to targeting on a hit that seemed to be in the facemask area. Meanwhile, just a few minutes earlier, a targeting call (made by four officials) was waved off against LSU’s hit to the facemask area to UA receiver Tyrone Broden.

But that paled in comparison to what transpired in the Georgia game after a pass interference penalty was flagged against the Longhorns. It was reversed some 15 minutes later after crews picked up debris hurled from almost all sections of the Texas crowd.

That play is not reviewable, although it turned out that it was just rehashed by the on-field crew of officials, not by anyone in Birmingham.

I’ve long called Texas fans arrogant and malcontents. They proved that in their first big SEC game. Except for the reversed pass interference call, the Longhorns did not appear capable of competing with the Bulldogs.

I’m still unable to comprehend why that SEC crew didn’t flag Texas fans for a penalty. If that doesn’t fit the description of unsportsmanlike conduct, I’ve never seen it.

Does anyone think Arkansas fans would have been flagged for a penalty if they had hurled hundreds of bottles onto the field after the targeting penalty against LSU had been overturned?

I know what they are saying in Austin today. There’s nothing to see here. Move on. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey should do more than issue a scolding. There should be a significant fine.

No one should be surprised at the behavior of Longhorn fans. They were just doing their best to uphold their reputation. It took them all of two SEC games to show their true colors. It’s not really burnt orange, but more shades of puke.

Sorry if it took almost 1,000 words to get to how I really feel about the Longhorns, but there had to be commentary about the loss to LSU first.

That leaves the trip to Starkville to preview. It’s an important game for Pittman. He’s got to figure out a way to make the strengths of weeks one through six the strength of week eight. The Hogs must control the clock against Mississippi State.

Razorbacks running back Rashod Dubinion against the LSU Tigers | Nilsen Roman-HitThatLine.com

The running game must be resurrected. It seems unlikely that Jackson will be a significant force. Can Green torment a State defense that has been porous most of the season? Is he healthy enough to want to run? Is Braylen Russell ready to assume a bigger role? Can Rashod Dubinion be trusted after losing a fumble on what looked to be a routine tackle against LSU?

Just as crucial, can the Hogs win the turnover battle the same way they did on their last trip east? They feasted on Auburn mistakes in their first SEC victory.

MSU’s defense has been a leaky vessel. It might be just what the doctor ordered for the Razorbacks to inch closer to bowl eligibility. The Hogs should be licking their chops, but I fear another dose of uneven work by SEC officials.