Kentucky game offers realistic chance for Hogs to salvage season

So far, the only really positive thing Chad Morris has to hang his hat on is a narrow loss to Texas A&M two weeks ago.

Neither of Arkansas’ two wins against Portland State or Colorado State moved the needle, so a valiant effort against the above-average Aggies is it.

That can change Saturday night at Lexington, Kentucky. Beating one of the bottom feeders of the SEC isn’t necessarily something to hang your hat on, but it’s what that win could lead to is what Hog fans cling to.

The win would be Arkansas’ third. That means three more to become bowl eligible. Everyone can agree that playing in a bowl game would be a huge accomplishment for this team not to mention the extra practice time would be a huge plus for next season.

Arkansas is a long way away from that now, and would be virtually eliminated from that prospect if they lose. However, if you pencil in WKU as a win (we can, the team can’t), that means two more wins to get to six.

It doesn’t appear Arkansas has a prayer against Auburn, Alabama or LSU, but if they can survive the Tigers and Tide a home game against Mississippi State in three weeks is winnable.

The season-finale in Little Rock against Missouri is the other game some have tabbed as a possible Arkansas win. If the Hogs sit at five wins the week of that game, I might agree.

Missouri’s only loss came at Wyoming, and the schedule sets up favorably for them to rack up more wins with games against Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Kentucky coming up. The only real tests come Nov. 9 at Georgia and a home game against Florida Nov. 16.

The Tigers get the benefit of playing hapless Tennessee in its home finale the week before Arkansas.

That could lift the Tigers’ spirits, but with Mizzou not playing a bowl game, it’s hard to tell how the final two games may go if Georgia and Florida batter them.

What Arkansas is looking for is consistency. If they play as well as they did against Texas A&M, they can beat Kentucky.

They also have a shot of making things interesting against Auburn for an 11 a.m. kickoff that the Tigers will be trying to not look past as they play at LSU the next week.

What I’ll be looking for Saturday night is can Morris motivate this team to give the same kind of effort as they gave in Arlington two weeks ago?

The Razorbacks have the advantage of a bye week and should be prepared. “Should be” is the key term.

The verdict is still out on whether Morris and staff are capable of preparing for opponents and making in-game adjustments.

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The Texas A&M game was a big test. Coming off a horrible performance against San Jose State, Arkansas showed fight in that game.

Fans were left feeling good about the way Arkansas played, and how they competed. That was a direct result of coaching.

The question is can Arkansas do that again and again and will it lead to wins? Momentum is a powerful factor, and sometimes breaking through an obstacle such as a long SEC losing streak is important.

Maybe Arkansas just needs to win one SEC game and more will follow … like Mississippi State and Mizzou.

That is yet to be determined, but it’s clear the Kentucky game is a must-win if lofty goals are going to be achieved. An SEC road win would be a shot in the arm for this team and could be a harbinger of things to come.