Arkansas coach Chad Morris was glad to come away with a win Saturday in his first game as coach of the Razorbacks, but he knows there’s still a lot of work to get done.
Storey, Pettway, Harris talking about opening victory
Quarterback Ty Storey, wide receiver La’Michael Pettway and linebacker De’Jon Harris talked with the media after Arkansas’ 55-20 win over Eastern Illinois to open the season.
McClure, Jones, Calloway recapping Razorbacks win
Linebacker D’Vone McClure, wide receiver Jordan Jones and cornerback Chevin Calloway talked after the 55-20 win over Eastern Illinois about the defensive effort, big offensive plays.
Razorback Stadium lit up all in red for home opener
With the season-opener against Eastern Illinois just hours away, Razorback Stadium was completely lit up with a red glow and it drew a crowd of folks on a busy Friday night in Fayetteville.
Photos by Andy Hodges | HitThatLine.com
One man’s pick: Hogs take an easy one over Eastern Illinois
(Every week Peter Morgan and Andy Hodges will compete to see who picks the most games right. The disclaimer for both picks is if you use them for a friendly wager … you’re on your own and if you lose, well, you get what you pay for.)
Nostradamus. The man behind the credited predictions of the French Revolution, the Great Fire of London, and Arkansas Razorbacks Football.
Well, maybe not the latter, however, one must wonder what the reputed seer would have to say when it comes to the fresh 2018 NCAA football season.
Game by game, a man with a lesser name and lesser fame will attempt to do that which those who place bets in Vegas merely dream. So, with the start of the new campaign, let’s predict Hogs football, shall we?
First up is Eastern Illinois making their trek south to Razorbacks Stadium. Let’s be completely transparent: not much is truly known about any team before the season begins.
That’s why end of the season polls rarely look much like their pre-season equivalents with the exception of (you guessed it) Alabama always hanging around the top.
The offense for Arkansas looks to educate itself simply on what the spread can do with Cole Kelley at the helm for at least the first two series.
Mix in coach Chad Morris installing the new hurry-up system versus Bret Bielema’s slow-the-pace mentality, seeing how the players have and will transition shall be a determining factor not only for this game but for the remainder of the season as well.
There is something about the returning players on defense mixed with the wisdom of John Chavis that has my hopes up a little higher than they probably should be.
Fortunately, we are playing the Panthers of Eastern Illinois which will enable us to iron out any deficiencies. Unfortunately, we are playing the Panthers of Eastern Illinois which will not enable us to determine how good the defense will perform in the SEC.
My guess is that we have an improved defense compared to seasons past which will enable the offense to better find its way over the next year.
Special team. Flip a coin for now. I may have missed too many practices to accurately predict anything here, however, I am hopeful that this Saturday’s game does not come down to anything related to field goals, punting, or anything related to an onside kick.
I do not have enough antacids to support my well-being if so.
So here you have it, from a mere mortal who once prophesied that “MySpace” would change the way that people do business, these are Week One’s conjectures:
Inside, amongst the new northern end zone seats, the fans will be in somewhat strong force for the Labor Day Weekend matchup.
Those wearing red and ‘Calling the Hogs’ will watch the Razorbacks score on their first series, struggle on their second, and push through a less than stellar first half.
However, while Arkansas does not cover the spread, they do make the appropriate adjustments and make short work in the second half against Eastern Illinois. Arkansas 34 – EUI 10.
While I am at it, I might as well make guesswork for the rest of the SEC in some key early season contests: (Spoiler alert: watch out for some homeristic selections.)
• Coastal Carolina at South Carolina – Gamecocks by 28
• Ole Miss at Texas Tech – Red Raiders by 10
• Austin Peay at (3) Georgia – Bulldogs by 30
• (6) Washington at (9) Auburn – Tigers by 7
• (17) West Virginia at Tennessee [UPSET ALERT] – Vols by 3
• Central Michigan at Kentucky – Wildcats by 17
• UT Martin at Missouri – Tigers easily by 28
• SF Austin @ (18) Mississippi State – Bulldogs by 35
• Charleston Southern at Florida – Gators by 42
• Middle Tennessee at Vanderbilt – Vandy by 12
• Louisville at (1) Alabama – Crimson Tide by 22
• (8) Miami at (25) LSU – Hurricanes by 7
PICKS: Don’t compare Hogs opener with Aggies’ win
The Jimbo Fisher era opened Thursday night and Texas Aggies everywhere are ready to put the team in the College Football Playoff.
A whoop-de-do 59-7 win will do that.
The Chad Morris era opens Saturday for Arkansas and while it should be a convincing win for the Razorbacks, they won’t go through the Panthers with quite the ease A&M did through Northwestern State.
Eastern Illinois is a better program.
Kim Dameron, who I remember as a wide-eyed freshman back in 1979, hasn’t done a terrible job, but the Panthers are living in that 6-5 world of mediocrity.
Hog fans are finally getting an offense many have wanted for over a decade. Remember when many, including some in the media, were clamoring for Gus Malzahn’s offense about 15 years or so ago?
Frank Broyles made the off-the-cuff statement that offense wouldn’t work in the Southeastern Conference, but he wasn’t taking into account rules changes over that time frame that have basically made playing defense now slightly more physical than two-hand touch. The Aggies had two players kicked out in the first half for targeting Thursday night.
Still, A&M looked like a team more disciplined against Northwestern State. Their defense didn’t have much of a challenge, but did get burned once on a long pass to Jazz Ferguson, a 6-5 speedster that started at LSU.
Eastern Illinois would probably be favored by 10 points over the Aggies’ opening day opponent.
There’s not really a line on the Hogs-Panthers game. This is one of those games that SEC teams shouldn’t play, in my opinion. If Nick Saban has his way, there won’t be any non-Power 5 opponents on any SEC team’s schedule, but it’s not that way now.
The Razorbacks have better players than Eastern Illinois. Shoot, Morris and his staff had better players at SMU than the Panthers will stroll into newly-renovated Razorback Stadium with Saturday.
There’s not a line on this one at the sportsbooks I looked at Friday. That’s because there’s not much point in having a line on FCS teams when they play somebody in the SEC.
But the Hogs should score at least 50 in this game. They might hang 35 on the board before halftime.
Whatever the result is, it shouldn’t be close.
AROUND THE SEC
Washington vs. -2.5 Auburn (in Atlanta)
Gus Malzahn is favored in this opener, mainly because the Tigers will have virtually a home game in this one.
But the Huskies will come in as the preseason leader in the Pac 12.
Auburn will try and control the game with the run and a defense that has a front probably only slightly behind Clemson if you did a power ranking of that position.
That could be enough.
Auburn 28, Washington 24
LOUISVILLE vs. -24 ALABAMA (in Orlando)
Bobby Petrino said during the summer the Cardinals would win this game. There was no report of him flying through the handlebars or getting repeated blows to the head, so you can only assume that was talk to fire up the fan base.
If Louisville wins this game, the shock waves across the SEC and all of college football won’t quite reverberating for a while.
From what I’ve heard Tua Tagovalia will be the starting quarterback, mainly because he’s better than Jalen Hurts. It’s a delicate tap dance act Nick Saban has done with that issue through spring and summer.
And, yes, I’m aware it may be the first time an SEC starter who went 26-2 in games he started and finished, 27-2 if you want to give Hurts credit for the national championship game that Tagovalia finished back in January.
Somehow, Saban will have it figured out by the time the game starts.
Alabama 48, Louisville 17
-10 West Virginia vs. Tennessee (in Charlotte)
Nobody, including a lot of the Volunteers’ faithful, give Tennessee much of a chance in this one.
I talked with the noted Tennessee booster and historian, Bud Young from Crump, Tenn., and he held out little to no hope.
“Will Grier may throw for 500 yards in this game alone,” Young said in a dejected tone.
New coach Jeremy Pruitt inherits a team that was in total chaos last year. We’ll see how much of an impact his presence makes the first year.
But it likely won’t be enough.
West Virginia 35, Tennessee 14
Ole Miss vs. -2.5 Texas Tech (in Houston)
The Rebels will be wearing all white for the first time in school history. Yes, that includes white helmets, which will just look weird.
There will be little to no defense played in this game.
Ole Miss 38, Texas Tech 35
Miami -3.5 vs. LSU (in Arlington, Texas)
After listening for two days to talking heads on the SEC Network say that LSU is going to surprise some people, I’m inclined to agree … but not in the same way.
The Tigers are my pick to be the biggest collapse this season. Shoot, by the time they play Arkansas in November it won’t be THAT surprising if they have five losses and Ed Orgeron is either gone or going down in flames.
Miami 24, LSU 10
Everybody else in the SEC will win … and none of the games should really be close:
• South Carolina -29.5 over Coastal Carolina
• Georgia over Austin Peay
• Kentucky -17.5 over Western Michigan
• Missouri over Tennessee-Martin
• Mississippi State over Stephen F. Austin
• Florida over Charleston Southern
• Vanderbilt -3 over Middle Tennessee State
Bud Light Countdown: 1 day until Hogs kick off the season
1 day ? pic.twitter.com/rkrPpVifju
— Tye Richardson (@TyeSportsRadio) August 31, 2018
Always fun dominating in Death Valley.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: Friday
John and Tommy hit on Arkansas gameday, interview Raymond House III, plus Fenceman Friday!
Anderson talks about upcoming season, schedule
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas will play 21 times in Bud Walton Arena in 2018-19, including matchups against Indiana and Georgia Tech, coach Mike Anderson announced Thursday afternoon.
The public will get its first look at the 2018-19 edition of the Razorbacks on Oct. 19 at the annual Red-White Game. The squad will also play exhibition games on Oct. 26 and Nov. 2.
The Razorbacks will open their regular-season home slate by hosting UC Davis, Indiana, Montana State and UT Arlington as part of the Hardwood Showcase, with additional home non-conference games versus FIU, Western Kentucky, Georgia Tech, Texas State and Austin Peay. Arkansas will face UTSA on Dec. 15 in Little Rock’s Verizon Arena.
Arkansas, featuring four returning players and 10 newcomers, will look to make its fourth NCAA Tournament appearance in the last five years.
In doing so, the Razorbacks will be put to the test in their season opener as the squad travels to Fort Bliss — a United States Army post in El Paso, Texas — to face the Texas Longhorns in the ESPN Armed Forces Classic.
The Longhorns, like the Razorbacks, played in last season’s NCAA Tournament and posted a 19-12 record.
Arkansas and Texas are familiar foes with the Razorbacks leading the all-time series 87-67, including a 77-74 Arkansas win on Dec. 17, 2016 in Houston.
The test does not get easier when the Razorbacks return home for five straight games in Bud Walton Arena, four of which will be part of the Hardwood Showcase.
Arkansas will host defending Big West Conference champion UC Davis (Nov. 12), Indiana (Nov. 18), Montana State (Nov. 21) and UT Arlington (Nov. 23). The fifth game of that homestand will be on Dec. 1 as the Razorbacks face FIU.
The remaining home games in December include Western Kentucky (Dec. 8), Georgia Tech (Dec. 19), Texas State (Dec. 22) and Austin Peay (Dec. 28). Western Kentucky was 26-11 last season and had an RPI of 32.
Georgia Tech will be making its first trip to Fayetteville as the Razorbacks and Yellow Jackets have met twice in Atlanta and twice on a neutral court.
Other than Texas in the season opener, the Razorbacks will have three non-conference games away from Bud Walton Arena.
First, Arkansas will play the back-end of a home-and-home series with Colorado State in Fort Collins, Colo. Last season, the Razorbacks hosted the Rams and Arkansas claimed a 92-66 victory.
On Dec. 15, the Razorbacks will meet UTSA in Little Rock. The last of the non-conference games will be Jan. 26 versus Texas Tech in the Big 12/SEC Challenge.
Southeastern Conference play begins Jan. 5 at Texas A&M. The first home league game for the Razorbacks is set for Jan. 9 versus Florida.
No Place Like Home
• In the seven years of the Mike Anderson era, Arkansas has 110 home wins, which ties for fourth-most in the NCAA over the span.
• After facing Texas in the season opener, Arkansas will return home to host UC Davis in the first of four games of the Hardwood Showcase.
• The Razorbacks have won 43 straight home openers, including a 25-0 record in openers inside Bud Walton Arena.
• This is the 12th time Arkansas has played at least 18 regular-season home games in Bud Walton Arena and will be the ninth time in an 11-season span. The school record for regular-season home games is 21, set in 2009-10. Arkansas is 347-79 (.815) in the first 25 seasons of Bud Walton Arena. Arkansas has two clean slates in Bud Walton Arena (16-0 in 1993-94 and 15-0 in 1997-98) and has lost no more than two games 11 times, including a 15-2 mark last season.
Noting the Non-Conference
• Arkansas owns a 113-74 record versus its 2018-19 non-conference opponents.
• Of those combined 187 previous meetings, Arkansas and Texas have met 154 times with the Hogs owning an 87-67 advantage in the series.
• Arkansas will be facing Montana State and FIU for the first time.
• While Arkansas and Western Kentucky have met six previous times (Arkansas leads series, 4-2), it will be just the first meeting between the Razorback and Hilltoppers since the 1974-75 season. (WKU won, 74-63, on Dec. 7, 1974.)
• Arkansas is a combined 18-0 versus UT Arlington (7-0), UT San Antonio (5-0), Texas State (3-0) and Austin Peay (3-0).
• Eight of Arkansas’ 13 non-conference opponents posted winning records last season and six of the 13 participated in the postseason.
Rare Trips for Big 10 and ACC to Bud Walton Arena
• This year will mark just the 10th and 11th time a member of the Big 10 and/or ACC have come to Fayetteville.
• This will be the first trip to Fayetteville for both Indiana and Georgia Tech.
• A Big 10 team (Indiana) is coming to Fayetteville for just the fourth time. Arkansas is 3-0 versus a member of the Big 10 at home and 2-0 in Bud Walton Arena, including a 95-79 victory over 14th-ranked Minnesota last season. (Then #20 Michigan is the only other Big 10 member to come to Bud Walton Arena with the Hogs winning 66-64 on Jan. 21, 2012.) Overall, Arkansas has faced a member of the Big 10 on 34 previous occasions and trail in those games, 14-20. Of the 34 previous meetings with a Big 10 member, 24 have been at neutral sites (Arkansas trails 11-13).
• An ACC team (Georgia Tech) is coming to Fayetteville for just the seventh time and first time since Nov. 19, 2014 when Arkansas defeated Wake Forest, 83-53. Arkansas is 4-2 versus ACC members in games played in Fayetteville and 2-1 versus ACC members in games played in Bud Walton Arena. Overall, Arkansas has played a member of the ACC 39 times (Arkansas trails in such games 15-24) with 25 of those encounters coming at neutral sites (Arkansas trails 10-15).
On the Road for Season Opener
• Arkansas will open the season facing Texas in the ESPN Armed Forces Classic at Fort Bliss in El Paso. It will be the 11th time in school history the Razorbacks have opened the season at a neutral site.
• Arkansas is 9-1 in the previous 10 season openers at neutral sites.
• 1976-77 Won vs Air Force (Little Rock)
• 1980-81 Won vs Missouri (Great Alaska Shootout)
• 1983-84 Won vs Fordham (Great Alaska Shootout)
• 1985-86 Won vs Southern Illinois (Little Rock)
• 1986-87 Won vs Grambling (Pine Bluff)
• 1987-88 Won vs Chicago State (Pine Bluff)
• 1989-90 Won vs Samford (Pine Bluff)
• 1991-92 Won vs Minnesota (Maui Classic)
• 1994-95 Lost vs UMass (Springfield, Mass.)
• 2004-05 Won vs Winthrop (St. Thomas, Virgin Islands)
Bud Light Countdown: 2 days until Hogs kick off the season
2 days ? pic.twitter.com/4vrmCYrYGA
— Tye Richardson (@TyeSportsRadio) August 30, 2018
Down goes Johnny Football.
Photo Credit: USA TODAY Sports Images
