Arkansas started this season offensively trying to follow Chad Morris’ credo of getting in the left lane, popping the clutch and putting the hammer down.
Only problem was the thing stalled.
The Razorbacks’ offense finally got started against Texas A&M after settling on a driver with Ty Storey named the quarterback and, of all things, getting rolling against No. 1 Alabama.
Granted, it was the equivalent of running a Corvette at the Indy 500, but it was still running much better than the previous three weeks. That more resembled running a Corvette that had dropped a couple of cylinders.
Against Ole Miss this week, it better be in the left lane with the hammer down and pretty much view the brake as an optional add-on.
That’s because the Rebels have big-play ability with a group of three wideouts in A.J. Brown, D.K. Metcalf and DeMarkus Lodge who are all big and tend to make a lot of big plays.
“They’re as good as anybody in the SEC,” Morris said Wednesday. “They have two, possibly even three, first-round receivers. They’re that talented.”
He knows that’s going to be a tall order for a Hogs’ secondary that has given up an average of 271 yards passing per game this season. While the Hogs have out-rushed their opponents (barely), they have been seriously short in the passing game.
“It’s going to force us to have to cover not just sideline to sideline, but we also have to cover end zone to end zone with these guys,” Morris said.
It will be a defensive effort for the ages if Arkansas is able to shut down Ole Miss’ offense. There’s not much chance of that happening.
Which is why the Razorbacks’ offensive performance is going to be the key to this game.
Remember the game against Houston in 1989? Yeah, that’s the game when Quinn Grovey became a legend, winning a shootout against the Cougars, who had Andre Ware at quarterback in his Heisman Trophy-winning season.
Arkansas won that game — which was a true shootout — by continuing to pile up yards and points. The Razorbacks won because, well, Houston blinked. You can’t do that in a shootout.
That Houston game, by the way, was played at War Memorial Stadium. There’s been more than a couple of shootouts there over the years.
Ole Miss’ defense may be the best chance for the Hogs’ offense to break out. Especially the running game. With a slew of running backs healthy for this game (and we’re assuming Devwah Whaley will be back), the best way to defense the Rebels’ high-flying offense is keep them on the bench.
If Whaley is back, the Hogs could be rotating three or four running backs. Rakeem Boyd has risen to the top of that group, Whaley has the experience while Chase Hayden and T.J. Hammonds add new dimension to the running game with their speed.
Against Alabama and LSU, the Rebels gave up 522 yards on the ground combined. Just for fun, the Crimson Tide and the Tigers combined for 598 yards through the air, too.
Ole Miss is giving up an average of 307 yards a game through the air and slightly over 195 yards on the ground.
Now, remember, among their six games this year, the Rebels have only played Alabama and LSU in the SEC while piling up offensive numbers against the likes of Louisiana-Monroe, Kent State and Southern Illinois.
What’s interesting is the amount of offense their defense has given up to those same teams.
The crystal clear statistic that jumps out is that Ole Miss’ defense gives up chunks of yardage in the air and on the ground. Now they have three key member of their secondary out for the season, so there’s inexperience back there, too.
The bottom line to this week’s game?
It’s pretty simple, actually. The Rebels have an offense that is very, very good at times. They also have a defense that is very, very bad at times.
It sets up a game where the first team’s offense that blinks may be in trouble.
So we’ll likely find out if the Hogs’ offense is ready to stay in the left lane with the hammer down.
Or stall again.
