Phil & Tye on what to take out of the loss, if there is a new outlook, plus Connor O’Gara!
Razorbacks will face Kentucky in prime time on SEC Network next week
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas’ return to football next week will be a night kickoff at Lexington against Kentucky.
The game is set for a 6:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Oct. 12, at Kroger Field in Lexington, Kentucky. The game will be broadcast on ESPN Arkansas 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home. You can also listen to the game at HitThatLine.com
The game will be televised on the SEC Network and can be streamed on the ESPN app.
It will be first time the two programs have met since 2012, as Arkansas and Kentucky haven’t squared off in Lexington since 2008.
The Wildcats lead the all-time series, 4-3, with the two teams first playing in Little Rock in 1998.
It will be the third night game for the Razorbacks in 2019 with both teams off this week.
Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this report.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Monday
John & Tommy recap the Texas A&M loss, bring in Clay Henry, plus the Best and Worst of the Weekend!
Morris hasn’t figured out how to win these close games in SEC
The saying in the Southeast Conference is “it just means more” and Chad Morris is finding out they ain’t kidding using that … which makes it a little tougher to win.
He hasn’t gotten a league win yet.
Maybe one of his better chances fall to the turf at AT&T Stadium on Saturday afternoon as tight end C.J. O’Grady crouched holding his head in both hands out of frustration.
“It was the little things,” Morris said later.
For a lot of fans who felt O’Grady’s frustration, they are beginning to wonder how many of these little things are going to create a big pile that’s probably going to not be pleasant to be around. The psychotic internet trolls who seem to revel in Hog fans’ misery are jubilant.
Oh, don’t get your hopes up (or worry if you’re on the other side), Morris isn’t going to get fired. He’s got until at least through next season before that happens, regardless of how this season plays out.
Part of it is financial. Paying two coaches a lot of money to NOT coach in Fayetteville is not going to happen. The other part is firing Morris now makes it virtually impossible to find much of anybody to come in, regardless how much anyone is willing to pay.
Stop with the Stoops’ talk. He ain’t coming, just like Gus Malzahn was never coming back to Fayetteville to coach the Razorbacks.
Morris knows all of this.
It may have been a little over-optimistic to think he was going to get the mess created by several people over the last decade was going to get fixed in a year … or even two.
Yes, there have been some inexplicable losses that should have been wins. You know the games I’m talking about and no need to relive those moments.
“That’s on us as coaches,” he said Saturday. “We’ve got to continue to keep coaching hard and continue to put these young men in situations to be successful.”
The problem with youth is they sometimes do things that, well, can’t really be explained. With a roster of about 72 freshmen and sophomores at last reckoning, goofy things are going to happen by players who simply screw up.
Yes, you can win starting a couple of freshmen surrounded by juniors and seniors. Throw in a smattering of junior college newcomers and you’ve got a combination of even more first-year players in the program.
Morris walked into a situation with the Hogs unlike any other coach in the SEC West has walked into since Arkansas came into the league … with the notable exception of Lou Holtz and what he inherited at South Carolina in 1999.
At least Holtz inherited a team that was 1-10 the year before and he got the Gamecocks to 1-21 before an 8-4 breakout season. Of course, there was a three-year NCAA probation after Holtz left, but Steve Spurrier was set up for success.
Morris inherited a decade that featured a combination of inadequate recruiting combined with poor player development. That’s a bad combination and no matter how good you are, that is going to take some time to get turned around.
But, sooner or later, the frustration over a lack of wins is going to boil over. It already has for some fans.
Whether you agree or not, Morris gets it.
“Losing is not acceptable,” he said again Saturday. “There are no moral losses. We’ve got to find a way to win when you get down to the end like this.”
In a league that has changed almost completely in the last five years and seen a gap widen between a few select programs and everybody else, just staying in place is nothing like it was when this mess began developing.
Now it’s Morris who’s got to figure out a way to somehow turn it into wins.
The sooner the better for most folks.
Hogs were ready for this game, but not getting win bothers Morris
Chad Morris wasn’t taking the moral victory out of Arkansas’ 31-27 loss to the No. 23 Texas Aggies on Saturday that a lot of people will get out of it.
He clearly is wanting a win.
“Losing is not acceptable,” he said after a late drive fizzled at the end. “There are no moral losses. We’ve got to find a way.”
This one is going to sting for fans. Despite what only a handful may claim in hindsight, nobody gave the Razorbacks much of a chance, although everybody kept putting money on the Aggies, which is how the line climbed to 23½ by Saturday morning.
Morris, though, wasn’t making any excuses after this one when he could have mentioned losing starting quarterback Nick Starkel in the first half.
Starkel was 12-of-17 against his former team for 109 yards and one interception (the receiver on a screen pass was tackled and the ball hit the defender … don’t ask me why there was no flag).
Enter Ben Hicks, the often-maligned starter for the first two games of the season.
“He was very prepared,” Morris said.. “He’s had a chance over the last couple of weeks to step back and prepare himself, knowing that the opportunity was going to come again. He gave us a chance.
“He put some good balls on the money, and that was good to see. That’s what you ask of your backup when he comes in.”
There will be no controversy after Starkel apparently bruised his arm on the interception and didn’t return.
“Nick’s our starter,” Morris said. “He had an arm contusion and lost strength … couldn’t grip the ball.”
With an off week coming up before going on the road to Kentucky, it will be interesting to see the response coming off a very close loss.
How close? For the second year in a row the Hogs were throwing near the goal-line at the end with a chance to win this game.
It wasn’t the prettiest of drives, either.
“We gave ourselves a chance,” Morris said. “We overcame a lot of adversity on that fourth-down drive. We had to convert a fourth down and we did. We covered a guy up, we had a shift and a motion and not getting set.”
Arkansas only got two possessions in the fourth quarter. The defense was worn out by then and simply couldn’t make a play on third down.
In a league that has evolved over the last decade into one where you have to score points to win a game, the offense simply couldn’t make up for the defense.
Not that they didn’t try. There was just that one turnover, but neither team was oing to let the other one run all day, either.
The Hogs out-gained the Aggies on the ground, 98-89, and overall yards (395-340).
It was the response Morris was looking for, but they still didn’t get a win.
“This was a pivotal week for our football team,” Morris said. “We all knew the performance last week was unacceptable. How we responded was the only thing that matters.”
“They did exactly what I asked them to do and that was to respond,” Morris said. “They responded every day last week. We had one of our best weeks of practices that we’ve had, the intensity level, the energy level.
“It led me to believe that these guys were going to play extremely hard today, and that’s what they did.”
Last week’s effort in the loss to San Jose State left enough things wrong for the blame to spread around to everybody.
This week, well, they lost to a team nobody gave them a shot of being able to have even a chance of beating.
It’s the last part of that Morris is bothered by.
“We have to find a way to win a game like this,” Morris said. “And we will.”
Looking back at Arkansas’ 31-27 loss to Texas A&M on Saturday
PHOTOS BY TED McCLENNING | HITTHATLINE.COM
KNWA VIDEO: Morris following close loss to Texas A&M
VIDEO COURTESY OF KNWA
Arkansas coach Chad Morris with the media following the 31-27 loss to the Aggies on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
KNWA VIDEO: Harris on yet another ‘heartbreaking loss’
VIDEO COURTESY OF KNWA
Arkansas linebacker De’Jon Harris talked after 31-27 loss to Texas A&M about another “heartbreaking loss” for the Razorbacks.
KNWA VIDEO: O’Grady on final play at end against Aggies
VIDEO COURTESY OF KNWA
Razorbacks tight end C.J. O’Grady was the intended target on the final offensive play against Texas A&M and he talked later about how it developed.
KNWA VIDEO: Hicks on final incompletion to give receiver ‘a shot’
VIDEO COURTESY OF KNWA
Razorbacks quarterback Ben Hicks talked after the loss to Texas A&M about the Hogs’ final offensive play and how he was trying to get ball to receiver to give them chance to make a play.
KNWA VIDEO: Hogs’ Curl on improved performance Saturday
VIDEO COURTESY OF KNWA
Razorbacks defensive back Kamren Curl talked about playing better against Texas A&M, despite coming up a little short on the scoreboard.
