Going behind enemy lines before Hogs meet Colorado State

Pete Morgan
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Going behind enemy lines before Hogs meet Colorado State

Behind enemy lines … ever heard the expression?

Study to defeat. Know them better than they know themselves. Infiltrate and conquer.

Who am I kidding? I am a writer (in a very loose definition of the word) who gets the weekly privilege of visiting with those in the know regarding Arkansas’ next football victim (also a very loose definition of the word).

This week I was pleased to visit with Kelly Lyell from the Coloradoan. Lyell covers everything athletic within the friendly realm of Fort Collins.

We spent a little time reminiscing about Colorado State’s comeback upset while hosting Arkansas last season, our thoughts on this weekend’s game in Fayetteville and which Bronco would make a better coach McGrath in a “Wildcats” reboot — John Elway or Tim Tebow? [Elway has his own Nintendo game… I’m just saying.]

With that said, here are the high points:

HitThatLine: Colorado State was on the receiving end of a loss versus your tough in-state foe Colorado to open the season. In week two, the Rams made short-work of Western Illinois on the turf of Canvas Stadium. How do you see the Razorbacks comparing to those two teams?

Kelly Lyell: I don’t think Arkansas is as good as Colorado, but the Razorbacks are probably a lot closer to that level than they are to the level of Western Illinois, which is an FCS program.

HTL: Last season Arkansas was up 27–9 with 2:48 left in the third quarter. The Rams made a great comeback scoring the go-ahead and winning touchdown with eight-seconds left in the game.

Do you feel Colorado State can put up late game points in a hurry in the same fashion as they accomplished in the 2018 meeting?

KL: Other than that game, one of Colorado State’s biggest problems under Mike Bobo has been the ability to finish games. The Rams often start fast but frequently play with less energy and stumble in the second half.

That was the case in each of their first two games this season, too, so I do not expect the Rams to be able to mount a big comeback if they ball behind like that again.

HTL: The Rams have received praise for their development of wide receivers.

How big of an impact do you believe your corps of wideouts this year will have as the team travels to Fayetteville and for the remainder of the season?

KL: Receivers remain the strength of Colorado State’s offense, and they have a far better quarterback running the show this year in a healthy and confident Collin Hill than they did last year when they were playing a grad transfer using a watered-down version of Mike Bobo’s offense.

Warren Jackson has the potential to be as good, or better, than the receivers CSU has sent to the NFL in recent years (Rashard Higgins with the Cleveland Browns, Michael Gallup with the Dallas Cowboys, Preston Williams with the Miami Dolphins, and Bisi Johnson with the Minnesota Vikings).

They have another great young receiver in Dante Wright (who has scored four touchdowns in two games as a true freshman) playing along with others who could develop into something special.

CSU will not have Auburn transfer Nate Craig-Myers for this game, but expect him to be available for the rest of the season.

He had to sit out a full calendar year from his last game at Auburn, which was September 15, 2018.

HTL: Why will Colorado State win this Saturday?

KL: If the Rams win it will because their defense stepped up and created a couple of turnovers more than their offense committed, or, perhaps, they made a couple stops.

Their offense can trade scores with just about anyone, but the defense has not been able to play at the same level.

And turnovers have been a huge problem through two games, with the Rams at minus-5 for the season.

HTL: Why will Arkansas win this non-conference match-up at home?

KL: CSU’s defense, as I mentioned above, is not very good, so Arkansas should be able to move the ball and put up some points.

If Arkansas’ defense can get one or two more stops or turnovers than CSU’s defense, the Razorbacks will win.

HTL: Score prediction?

KL: Arkansas 28, CSU 21.

HTL: Bonus Question: Pick a favorite – Canvas Stadium or Sonny Lubick Field at Hughes Stadium?

KL:  Canvas Stadium, where the field is also named in honor of Sonny Lubick, by a longshot. Hughes was a great venue for many, many years for CSU, but it never made sense to have a stadium 3-4 miles from campus, up against the foothills.

It made for great tailgating, with everyone essentially a part of the same pregame party, but otherwise it left a lot to be desired as it aged.

We would like to once again thank Lyell for his time, and we wish his team the best of luck this Saturday as Arkansas hosts Colorado State at 3 p.m. You can watch the game on the SEC Network and listen to at HitThatLine.com.

Go HOGS!!!

Find me on ‘Twitter’: @petermorganwps

Fantasy Football Friday — w/ Sigmund Bloom of FootballGuys.com

Tye Richardson
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Fantasy Football Friday — w/ Sigmund Bloom of FootballGuys.com

Tye & Sigmund discuss advice on picking up/dropping players on the same team, Week 1 overreactions and more!

No need to forgive Petrino for pushing Arkansas football down

Nate Olson
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No need to forgive Petrino for pushing Arkansas football down

Hold on a minute before you cue “Reunited and it Feels so Good.”

Former Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino shed a few crocodile tears at the Little Rock Touchdown Club this week and all of a sudden some Razorbacks fans are ready to give him the key to the state.

No.

Have you forgotten what Arkansas football has become?

Last year 2-10, and utterly irrelevant. And now already questions from some about the ability of the new coach 14 games in. An uninspiring opening win against an FCS foe and another SEC loss.

This week, a narrow favorite to beat a Group of 5 school which only won three games last year (one of them against Arkansas).

That is low. Arkansas is not a perennial power, but until Petrino left the program in tatters, it was very respectable.

Petrino is at least partially responsible if not more than that for the downturn and former athletics director Jeff Long is culpable as well, hiring Wisconsin’s Bret Bielema to succeed Petrino. Bielema shares some of the burden, too.

But make no mistake, Petrino got the ball rolling on this mess when he had an affair with a staffer, gave her a promotion and showered her with cash and gifts and eventually lied about a motorcycle accident in which she was a passenger.

Read that sentence again. How many big-time coaches have pulled a stunt like this? I am really surprised there hasn’t been a book, 30-for-30 or major motion picture chronicling the events because they are so sensational and salacious.

No matter what you say, Long had no choice but to terminate Petrino. Then, he had to decide how to proceed and went with veteran assistant John L. Smith, who ran a decent team into the ground.

That dumpster fire season made it hard for Bielema to recover from. A couple of assistant coaching defections and some bad recruiting choices, and Hogs football was in deep despair.

We maybe didn’t know how bad until Morris took over last year, and we saw how atrocious the line was (normally a hallmark of Bielema teams) and how little athleticism was on the roster.

As far as Morris goes, there are red flags. You’d have to be blind not to see them, but he deserves a fighting chance.

He has been masterful on the recruiting trail, but the verdict is still out on his handling of the quarterback competition and his in-game adjustments. Both will be on display for evaluation Saturday against Colorado State.

But going back to Petrino. He created all of these situations, and it’s unforgiveable.

If an employee embezzled from a business owner and ruined the company, should the business owner welcome the employee back? If your spouse cheated on you and ruined your family in the process would you take them back?

That’s the degree of indiscretions Petrino committed. They were more than mistakes. It was calculated deception.

You can say bygones are bygones, but do you really care what he has to say now? How could you even think about letting him coach your team again?

Some of you have made those comments, though. Absolutely ridiculous.

Petrino acted like a jerk long before this incident. If half the stories I have heard from former players and staffers are true, it would make your head spin.

It sounds like players and recruits were getting tired of the Bobby Knight act, too. He was probably a few years from being fired because prized recruits such as receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (he had his own issues at Missouri) were scared off.

Even the John L. Smith year, Petrino may not have had the success some predicted because the defense was not as talented.

It’s a pattern that reared its head at Louisville when he was fired after last season. He had some decent years, and then started tapering off.

You’ll remember he used a similar tearful apology on national TV which helped him reignite his career at Western Kentucky.

He unceremoniously bolted from the Hilltoppers for a better job at Louisville, his former employer. Do you think he changed and became kinder and gentler?

He made sure to land another job and soon was back to bad behavior, which was chronicled at Louisville.

Why do you think he is sincere now? In one breath he is sorry, and the other he is mentioning he wants to coach again. Hint. Hint.

So what if he appeared at the Little Rock Touchdown Club for free? Petrino should be remembered for pushing Arkansas football to a downward spiral.

There are no amount of tears or apologies that can make up for that.

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Friday

Tye Richardson
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0
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Friday

John & Tommy discuss Starkel’s playbook knowledge, Fenceman Friday picks, plus Tyler Wilson!

Musselman gets what Hogs’ coaches for nearly 20 years haven’t

Andy Hodges
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Eric Musselman probably wasn’t taking an intentional shot, but the most important takeaway from his press conference Thursday wasn’t about a glorified practice at Barnhill Arena, but scheduling games.

And the goal of that, especially in the preseason.

“We really don’t want to play anybody that’s not a top team in their own conference when you talk about teams outside of Power 5 (conferences),” he said talking about the scheduling. “We’re trying to play people that will challenge us for SEC play.”

As he said later, he’s not trying to get to 22 wins. He’s done that before and it didn’t work out well.

For nearly 20 years now, that has appeared to be the operating philosophy of Razorback coaches and they simply haven’t been ready to make much of a tournament run come March.

Once again, he shows things are going to be different.

Musselman has been a head coach at the Power 5 level and he knows full well if you’re not playing one of the better teams, you’re not getting much more than a chance for the band to play and to sell some popcorn.

“We want to challenge ourselves,” he said. “Our philosophy is not to pile up wins. Our philosophy is how do we become better as the season progresses.”

Somebody finally seems to get the way the world of college basketball works these days. You don’t have to be in a Power 5 conference to make a run in March.

Musselman did that at Nevada. As Eddie Sutton and Nolan Richardson used to say back when the Hogs could play a second weekend in the NCAA, there aren’t any bad teams there so you better be ready.

It honestly has looked at times for nearly 20 years the Hogs waited until the postseason for a challenge out of the league. The early schedule was for piling up wins.

These days, the SEC schedule is tough and Musselman wants to be ready for that in addition to the postseason.

“We’re trying to play people that will challenge us for SEC play,” he said.

The premise for the press conference was announcing the Red-White game will be played at Barnhill Arena on October 5 at 3 p.m. The doors will open at 1:30 and admission is free.

It will basically be a scrimmage on a floor with tape for the boundaries and temporary goals.

“We’re not going to be doing tomahawk dunks,” he said.

Before scheduling the game, he reached out to Richardson about his idea.

“I wanted to make sure he thought it was a good idea … and he certainly did,” he said. “He talked about a lot of the things that he had done in the past from a marketing standpoint.

“We’re going to reach out to as many players as we can and invite them back. Without question that’s something we’re going to start doing as early as next week.”

It appears Musselman gets “it.”

In every sport, the coaches that understand “it” is selling their program and what they’re doing to fans seem to have success.

Sutton and Richardson understood “it.” Three others since those two built a wildly successful program didn’t get it.

Which, ultimately, is why the last three aren’t here and Musselman is.

And it appears he actually gets “it.”

Musselman at Barnhill giving early preview of Razorbacks

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas coach Eric Musselman held a press conference at Barnhill Arena on Thursday to announce the Red-White game there and take an early overview as start of practices nears.

???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — w/ Chuck Barrett

Tye Richardson
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???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — w/ Chuck Barrett

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Thursday

Tye Richardson
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0
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Thursday

John & Tommy discuss basketball coming back to Barnhill, the plan for Nick Starkel, plus Richard Davenport!

Starkel obvious choice at quarterback, Morris finally agrees

Andy Hodges
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Starkel obvious choice at quarterback, Morris finally agrees

Since the start of fall practices in August the good ol’ eye test was obvious that Nick Starkel had a bigger arm than any of the other quarterbacks on the roster.

Maybe the biggest arm since Ryan Mallet?

Whether Chad Morris and offensive coordinator Joe Craddock had pre-determined Ben Hicks was going to be the starter because of his SMU background with them likely won’t be known for awhile.

But apparently it doesn’t matter now. Morris made the move most of the fans were wanting since August replacing Hicks with Starkel in the second half against Ole Miss and announcing the obvious that he would be the new starter.

“It was the right decision,” Morris said in the SEC teleconference Wednesday.

What he said during that call is either a game of hide-and-seek or he doesn’t feel John Stephen Jones or K.J. Jefferson could step in if something happens to Starkel.

“As I shared with him this week, it’s a tough league and he’s got to be ready,” Morris said. “If his opportunity hits again, he’s got to be ready for it. I shared with him what we were doing and he appreciated the candid conversation that we had. That goes back to the relationship that I’ve had with Ben.”

That sounds like Hicks is the backup going forward. That’s fine and the logical call, but you wonder if the others are only last-chance scenarios (and you would have to think it’s Jones in that even as he was on the travel roster at Ole Miss).

It’s a decision that will have ramifications down the line, but really the only choice Morris had.

“We saw last week in the second half that there was a lot more consistency,” he said about Starkel. There was a lot more of a groove and a rhythm. So I expect to see that this week as well and moving forward with Nick.”

Morris stated a lot of what everybody suspected about Starkel.

“He definitely provides an arm talent that stretches sideline to sideline and vertical as well,” he said. “Just from his overall preparation, he’s been the same guy as he was when he wasn’t (the starter).

“He’s still up there watching film. He’s gotten a lot more input. That’s what we really like is to see him respond the way he has.”

Starkel actually fits Morris’ offense better than anyone, where making decisions, hitting throws, able to throw deep and occasionally avoiding a negative-yardage play with his legs are the requirements.

That’s no secret. Morris (and Craddock) have said it. He wants to be a ball-control offense taking deep shots down the field and do it all at a break-neck pace.

While it’s popular among internet trolls and the Lunatic Fringe to keep asking about the tempo, nobody’s going to try and go fast if every single player doesn’t understand completely what he’s trying to do.

That’s when you end up with a jumbled mess.

Last year went down the tubes with the second-half collapse in the mountains against Colorado State. The team collapsed and it ended up costing them the next week and even having a chance against Auburn.

Morris thinks this year is different.

“Our guys have really responded well this week,” he said. “We’ve had two really good practices. I anticipate a really good one today. I just like where our mindset is right now and how we had to handle some adversity last Saturday night.

“These guys came back here on Sunday and responded.”

He didn’t see that last year on a team that basically had virtually no real leaders. It’s why there’s over 50 freshmen on the roster now.

Now it appears Morris is going all in on Starkel, including taking his input on the game plan for the Rams.

“We always communicate with the starter and ask him what he liked and what he saw,” he said before Wednesday’s practice. “As far as the install of the game plan, we put in it’s what he’s comfortable with. Not necessarily what we’re comfortable with or what I’m comfortable with.

“It’s what he can do and execute. He’s been very active and very much a part of it.”

For many fans, it’s a case of finally.

Now it has to work out on the field.

Morris with updates prior to Saturday’s matchup with Colorado State

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas coach Chad Morris met with the media before Wednesday’s practice and gave an update on injuries, final thoughts before facing the Rams on Saturday afternoon.

???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — w/ Clay Henry

Tye Richardson
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???? Halftime Pod presented by Jeff’s Clubhouse — w/ Clay Henry

Phil & Tye talk about Nick Starkel, Clay shares a story about him talking with Richard Nixon and more!

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