No one expecting Razorbacks to down Bulldogs as season winds down

The football season that has turned into a nightmare for many Arkansas fans is coming to a conclusion and finding anyone looking for a win in Starkville on Saturday is difficult.

In the modern era that I define from 1970 forward, this is easily the worst season in program history. We’re not going to go into all the of the how’s, why’s and whatever … we have an entire offseason for that.

You get the feeling Chad Morris didn’t think coming in it was going to be like this in his first season. In my view, a lot of people didn’t realize the lack of buy-in from some players who waited until the season started to play a couple of games before quitting.

No, this team should not have lost to Colorado State, North Texas, Ole Miss or Vanderbilt. Those are the four games that baffled me. From watching Morris’ body language and his tone, he was, at times, everywhere from baffled to downright ticked off.

Win those four games and we’re sitting here at 6-4 and the mood is different. Consider they were within a touchdown of LSU and Texas A&M and, well, the fan base would be downright giddy right now.

But they didn’t win any of those, which leaves things right where they are.

As coaches have said over the years, you are what you are and this team is what it is.

They still have a shot at getting some positive momentum for 2019. For fans that may mean getting a win. It could mean, simply, steps forward in a season that hopefully will be viewed as the bottoming out of one era and the beginning of another.

The biggest problem is we won’t know that until we’re looking in the rearview mirror a few years down the road. Hindsight is usually 20-20.

Coaches have done their best to focus on the next game and only that each week since the wheels fell off. That’s what they always say they’re doing. They know the schedule, though.

Before Arkansas came into the SEC in 1992, the Hogs never met the Bulldogs. They did play the Aggies once (1916) and the Maroons (1939), losing both times. When the Mississippi legislature changed the nickname to Bulldogs in 1960, the two teams didn’t meet until 1992.

And it took the Hogs four years before getting a win. After that, Arkansas was 12-1 against State before Bobby Petrino lost in 2008, getting out-coached by Sylvester Croom and Woody McCorvey (nobody saw that coming).

The Razorbacks won four in a row before losing five of the next six. Bret Bielema found creative ways to loss to Dan Mullen’s teams, including having a chipshot field goal blocked (2015) and in overtime in 2013, 24-17 in a precursor of what was coming.

Now the Hogs are struggling through a two-win season while Mississippi State is sitting at a disappointing 6-4. Their fans were hoping for more this year with a new coach in Joe Moorhead, who is battling some of the same problems Morris is at Arkansas.

Moorhead’s offense is a passing offense. Nick Fitzgerald is the best running quarterback in the history of the SEC, but not that great as a passer. The result is an offense that was stymied by Kentucky and Florida.

They’ve gotten to 6-4 mainly with a defense that is the best in the league in some respects. They only allowed 20 points or more twice … to Kentucky and Alabama.

Exactly how the Hogs will generate any offense is maybe the best storyline to this game.

This game may be ugly if offense is your thing.

Mississippi State 13, Arkansas 9

With two weeks left in our picks contest, Peter Morgan is going to have to hope for a couple of wild weekends with upsets running rampant. My record is 69-14 while Peter is seven back at 62-21.

Easy Pickings

These games likely won’t be close: Alabama over The Citadel, Florida over Idaho, Kentucky over Middle Tennessee, Georgia over UMass, Auburn over Liberty, Texas A&M over Alabama-Birmingham, LSU over Rice and South Carolina over Chattanooga.

Any upsets in these games will be front-page news.

-6.5 Missouri at Tennessee

Jeremy Pruitt is actually having more success than a lot of first-year coaches and got a big win over Kentucky last week (although Georgia probably managed to beat the Wildcats twice).

The Tigers beat Florida on the road two weeks ago, then had to put together a comeback for the ages last week against Vanderbilt to get a win.

They may not need a comeback this week.

Missouri 31, Tennessee 24

Ole Miss at -3 Vanderbilt

In betting lines, the home team usually gets three points, so effectively this a pick ’em game in Nashville.

The Rebels are able to score points, but the defense usually rises to the occasion and allows as many as they can score.

The Commodores have a running game again, which could keep Ole Miss’ defense on the bench more than it wants to be. That tends to cause the Rebels to panic a little and leads to problems.

Going out on a limb and trying to help Peter out a little in the hole he’s in, I think the Rebels can figure out a way to win this one.

Ole Miss 42, Vanderbilt 38