Former Hog Kicker Zach Hocker joins Tye and Tommy on The Morning Rush, to tell some of his favorite stories during his time at Arkansas! Check out the conversation now!
‘Pig Trail Nation’s Carroll says no reason for SEC to make quick decision
While a lot of the knee-jerk media apparently keeps trying to tell people there can’t be a college football season, Jason Carroll of Pig Trail Nation doesn’t think there’s any need to rush.
“What if the numbers start turning around like they did in the Northeast?” Carroll on Tuesday afternoon told Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas.
It’s not a particularly popular opinion. But it is the correct decision to be made, despite everyone apparently making the most dire predictions for whatever reasons.
“If you are a football player you know at any point in time you know at any point in time one play could be the end of your career because of the health reasons,” Carroll said. “You go into a football game or a practice … look at Rawleigh Williams a few years ago … you never know when your moment is going to end.
“How do you approach that differently as a football player than what you approach this with? The only difference is that affects you and this can potentially affect everybody else.”
That is the sticking point for most people. How you view personal accountability is probably how your view of the whole thing is shaped.
It is the problem with playing games in the spring, which is not really any sort of possibility from a health and logistics standpoint.
“They are not going to ever put an athlete in the situation healthwise where you’re playing 20 games, or 24 games or 22 games in a 10-11-month span,” he said. “Everybody says that’s not good for the health of that athlete. That’s why I don’t think a spring season is going to work.
“The approach they’re taking is the correct approach.”
Which is correct. There really is absolutely no reason to make a decision in the middle of July, despite the advice of some media folks who are now experts in medicine.
“The national guys, some of the local guys that want to complain about what the SEC is doing, I think, are out of bounds,” Carroll said. “You should want somebody to be as positive as they can be about trying to do something instead of everything negative.”
Really, all you have to do is look at the numbers correctly. If you test positive for the virus in Arkansas right now you have a 98.9% chance of surviving regardless of age or health. There will be some that have ongoing issues.
But more people die from some common medical procedures than from the virus.
“A lot of those national guys that are criticizing the leagues are guys that want to politicize it or do whatever,” Carroll said. “I honestly think they should be playing.”
Which is a view at least a couple of us agree with.
The numbers say they should if you read the numbers correctly.
Boyd, Burks lead six Razorbacks named to Steele’s preseason SEC teams
FAYETTEVILLE — Six Arkansas players were named to the Phil Steele Football 2020 Preseason SEC Teams, including a pair of multi-year honorees.
• Senior running back Rakeem Boyd landed on the second team offense/
• Sophomore receiver Treylon Burks earned third team honors as a punt returner/
• Senior center Ty Clary (offense) on the fourth team.
• Junior linebacker Bumper Pool (defense) on the fourth team.
• Senior receiver De’Vion Warren (kick returner) on the fourth team.
• Senior Jordan Silver (long snapper) on the fourth team.
Last year Boyd, Silver and Warren were recognized on the outlet’s fourth team.
Boyd, from Houston, Texas, was the team’s leading rusher for the second consecutive season, totaling 1,133 yards on 184 carries, scoring eight times in 2019.
He ranked fourth in the SEC and 27th nationally with an average of 94.4 rushing yards per game and ninth in the conference with 6.2 yards per carry. He ran for 100+ yards in five games, posting a season-high 185 yards against Western Kentucky on Nov. 9, his most rushing yards as a Razorback.
His five 100+ yard performances brought him to a total of eight over two years, making him one of 16 Arkansas running backs in school history to do so. Boyd also hauled in 160 yards through the air on 19 catches in 2019.
Burks, a native from Warren, played in 11 games, starting nine as a freshman for the Razorbacks at wide receiver in 2019. He was used in every aspect of the offense — receiving, rushing, throwing, as well as a returner on special teams.
Burks was the team’s main punt returner, fielding 12 punts for 130 yards, averaging 10.8 yards per return, while also taking back 10 kickoffs for 226 yards for an average of 22.6 yards per return.
He hauled in 29 passes for 475 yards, leading the team in receiving yards, averaging 16.4 yards per catch and 43.2 yards per game, both second among conference freshmen. He finished the year second on the team in all-purpose yards with 866.
Clary, a hometown kid from Fayetteville, started all 12 games at center in 2019, appearing in 767 total plays, the most of any Arkansas player.
He played every offensive snap in five of the first six games, as well as the season finale, missing just one snap in two other games.
Clary did not allow a sack in 443 pass protection plays, with only two quarterback hits last year. He blocked for an offense that scored 28 times and racked up 4,081 total yards, including 2,315 passing yards, 1,766 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns both through the air & on the ground.
Pool, from Lucas, Texas, started all 12 games in 2019 at the WILL linebacker spot, while also seeing time on Arkansas’ various special teams units.
He finished second on the team in tackles with 94, a career-high mark. He tallied 38 solo stops, 6.5 for loss, with half-a-sack, breaking up five passes and getting credit for a quarterback hurry.
Pool set a career-high in TFLs with 1.5 at Kentucky (Oct. 12), while posting a career-best 13 stops vs. Mississippi State (Nov. 2). He finished the year with three tackling grades over 81.0 from Pro Football Focus, with a season-best 83.5 against Western Kentucky (Nov. 9).
Silver, a native of Branson, Missouri, played in all 12 games for the Razorbacks last season, serving as the team’s long snapper on field goal/extra point players, as well as punts.
He totaled 112 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus, on special teams. He also recovered one fumble on a muffed punt against Mississippi State on Nov. 2, his first fumble recovery of his career.
Warren, from Monroe, Louisiana, appeared in nine games for the Razorbacks in 2019, seeing time as a regular on both offense and on Arkansas’ special teams units.
He returned a team-high 16 kickoffs for 326 yards, averaging 20.4 yards per turn. His longest of the year came on a 37-yard return at Ole Miss on Sept. 7, coming a yard shy of it the following week against Colorado State with a 36-yard play.
Warren finished the year with nine of his 16 returns going for 20+ yards. He also caught four passes for 19 yards, while also rushing five times for 51 yards, providing a threat every time he touched the ball.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast — Recap of SEC meeting, Gov. Hutchinson joins and more!
Tye & Tommy on the SEC meeting yesterday, Gov. Hutchinson joins, plus Would You Rather Tuesday!
Democrat-Gazette’s Murphy waiting to see how numbers go next couple of weeks
Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette is concerned Tuesday morning talking with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft (The Morning Rush) on ESPN Arkansas about the rising case numbers seriously affecting seasons across college football.
Hutchinson on football possibilities, Chavis coaching at middle school
HawgBeat.com’s Andrew Hutchinson talked Tuesday afternoon with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas about grim possibilities for football, Isaiah Joe and former defensive coordinator John Chavis an assistant coach at a middle school.
Gov. Asa Hutchinson joins The Morning Rush
Gov. Asa Hutchinson joins the Morning Rush to discuss the current outlook of COVID-19 in Arkansas, what needs to happen in order for sports to return, and much more! Check it out now!
Do players have voice in determining if they are willing to accept risk playing?
Apparently Mike Irwin of Pig Trail Nation looks at the same numbers from the Center for Disease Control and other places that I keep seeing every day.
“I’ve taken a position on this … I believe they should play,” Irwin on Monday afternoon told Derek Ruscin and Zach Arns (Ruscin & Zach) on EsPN Arkansas. “You get shamed by people when you say that but there are people that haven’t read nearly as much about this, for instance as I have.”
It’s out there and the number everyone (including Gov. Asa Hutchinson) keeps looking at is the overall number of positive cases. That’s going to continue to go up.
“Anytime I see any kind of article written on covid-19 I read about it,” Irwin said. “I’ve been doing that for four months. I know, for instance, if you are a healthy 25-and-under individual with no pre-existing conditions your chances of getting sick from covid are virtually zero.”
That’s not death, by the way. Just getting sick. The only number that I can guarantee you we WOULD know in all of college athletics would be if any athlete died or even been in serious condition at a hospital.
You can bet your last nickel we would have heard about it. While positive results have been either not disclosed at places like Arkansas, others have either put on social media they were positive or someone close to the players have disclosed it.
“As the teams came together and started their strength and conditioning workouts, some of these schools have an uptick in these guys testing positive,” Irwin said. “I’m not aware of anybody that went to the hospital. Sam Pittman said a couple of weeks ago the guys that have tested positive have been quarantined for 10 days, then they’re back.”
The coaches are a totally separate issue. They may have to re-adjust their style and avoid getting close to players and, if they are potentially at risk, completely change the way they do things, wear a mask and stand a few yards away from players.
“All of these workouts are outdoors anyway, or at least most of them,” Irwin said. “From the CDC, most infections occur indoors. Most of the people getting this, from what I read, are folks going to bars and nightclubs.
“That’s where you sit around and talk to somebody for 20 minutes in an indoor setting and if you’re not wearing a mask that’s how you get it. There are other ways to get it but that’s how a lot of this is happening.”
These kids can get this information, too. They know the numbers and that’s why they’re maybe a little less cautious than some people like.
“I don’t think they’re as goofy as some people suggest,” Irwin said. “They’ve read this information, too, and they know just getting it doesn’t mean anything to that age group.”
Jason Carroll, the chief cook and bottle-washer at Pig Trail Nation has raised the question on social media wondering if anybody is asking the players.
In a day and age where college athletes want more of a say in what goes on, it’s an interesting question.
“Maybe they are behind the scenes,” Irwin said. “But I don’t know. I think their feelings ought to at least be a factor. It might not be a final decision but I hope these AD’s, college presidents, chancellors and everybody involved at least talk to the athletes and ask them what they think.”
For high school athletes, the final decision should be with the parents. Most are probably aware the odds of kids in that age group dying or getting seriously sick are almost zero. If they have a family member at-risk, that’s a decision only they are qualified to answer.
At the collegiate level, the players are over 18 years of age and the final choice, ultimately, should be up to them. They are the ones at risk.
Based on “the science” everybody likes to quote, the overwhelming majority of everybody involved is not in a high-risk category. That includes coaches and officials, who are all grown-ups and should be capable of judging their level of risk.
Let’s be honest, I don’t know a lot of officials and very few coaches that would come close to falling into the at-risk category. Yes, there will be exceptions but it will be very rare.
In Arkansas, based on “the science,” if you test positive at any age in any condition, the odds of living are 98.9% as of the numbers released Monday afternoon.
Before you start, I know five people (including family and one-life long friend) that have died from covid-19. Yes, it can be a serious illness but is overwhelmingly not, based on the numbers.
One long-time friend was on a ventilator for 21 days, had less than a 5% chance of living (the doctors wanted to pull the plug but the family refused to give up hope) and was on vacation in Arkansas a few weeks ago. He is progressing well through re-hab. Over 100 people I know have tested positive and the over-whelming majority had flu worse than covid-19.
Death is tragic and I have never wished even enemies to get a cold, much less something like this virus. But it’s out there and provably not going away.
The survivability odds of healthy under-25-year-olds is somewhere over 99.99% in Arkansas. They face more risk driving to practice than dying from covid-19.
A vaccine likely isn’t going to be the preventative people hope. “The science” and the medical experts are saying the most successful in history are only 60% effective and the initial one could be as low as 35% effective.
For players below the collegiate level that’s a decision their parents will make as to what risks are acceptable for their situation. I can’t know or care more for their family than they do, but the numbers say the players won’t die or even get seriously sick.
At the collegiate level, it’s a choice that ultimately should have input from the players and we have no idea if that’s something anybody is considering. They are either adults or they aren’t.
They probably know the numbers and the risk.
And should have a voice.
No decision from AD’s in day-long meeting at SEC offices in Birmingham
While rumors were flying hot and heavy all weekend of the Southeastern Conference’s athletics directors announcing an adjustment to the football schedule nothing was announced.
“We had a productive meeting on Monday and engaged in discussions on a number of important issues that will contribute to critical decisions to be made in the weeks ahead,” said commissioner Greg Sankey said in a press release. “The ability to personally interact over the course of an entire day contributed to the productivity of the meeting.”
Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek issued a statement after the meetings:
“Today’s meeting was another productive step as we work collaboratively to face the many challenges related to this pandemic. The purposeful way in which the SEC has approached these complex issues has enabled us to review the most updated data as we focus on the health, safety and well-being of our student-athletes, coaches, staff members and fans. As a self-sustaining athletics program at the University of Arkansas, we have an obligation to explore ways to mitigate the financial impact of those decisions, including our ability to continue to fully support the academic, athletic and personal development of our 465 student-athletes. Now more than ever, I am appreciative of the leadership of Commissioner Greg Sankey and UA Chancellor Joe Steinmetz.”
The meeting lasted until the late afternoon in a large conference room with others participating at various times by video conference.
It was the first in-person meeting of the Conference athletics directors since the SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament in Nashville in March.
The athletics directors have met multiple times per week via videoconference since the discontinuation of athletic competition in March due to the pandemic.
Sankey made it clear the league isn’t ready to do anything quickly.
“It is clear that current circumstances related to covid-19 must improve and we will continue to closely monitor developments around the virus on a daily basis,” Sankey said. “In the coming weeks we will continue to meet regularly with campus leaders via videoconferences and gather relevant information while guided by medical advisors.
“We believe that late July will provide the best clarity for making the important decisions ahead of us.”
The athletic directors heard a report from members of the SEC’s Return to Activity and Medical Guidance Task Force and discussed issues relevant to the current pre-season calendar and the approaching fall seasons of competition, including an update on current testing procedures.
Among the topics discussed were possible scheduling options for holding athletic competition in the fall of 2020.
Also, among the topics discussed were game management best practices for ensuring a healthy environment at athletics events for student-athletes, coaches, officials, staff and fans.
Information from the SEC and Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.
Longtime media veteran on Halftime about ongoing pandemic, football
Democrat-Gazette sports editor Wally Hall advised taking experts’ advice about football’s return Monday with Phil Elson, Matt Jenkins and Matt Travis (Halftime) on ESPN Arkansas.
