Razorbacks fall to third-ranked Gamecocks at home
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas stayed square with third-ranked South Carolina for the majority of the match Sunday night.
However, two Gamecocks goals in a span of two minutes near the end of the first half was the undoing for Arkansas as it fell, 2-0.
The Gamecocks (12-1-0, 5-0-0 SEC) had won nine-straight matches coming into Sunday and were able to make it 10 in a row on the backs of goals from Savannah McCaskill and Bianca Galassini in the 40th and 42nd minutes, respectively.
Arkansas (7-7-1, 2-3-1 SEC) was fresh off its shutout victory over Auburn last Thursday and had five of its seven wins coming at home this year.
Unfortunately, the Razorbacks only managed three shots on goal with 11 shots in total, its’ fifth-straight match with 13 shots or less.
“We’re not here to hang with good teams,” Arkansas coach Colby Hale said. “That’s the frustrating thing. I thought for 60 or 70 minutes, we were the better team tonight. We were every bit up to the challenge.
“But, 60 to 70 minutes is not going to be good enough to beat South Carolina. In those last 20 minutes, we didn’t perform very well. After the first goal, we told ourselves we had to get to half down 1-nil and we didn’t.”
Senior Jessi Hartzler led all Razorbacks with three shots in the match. Freshman Nayeli Perez followed up with two shots of her own in 51 minutes of play.
In the net, redshirt junior Jordan Harris made her seventh-straight start and totaled two saves. Unfortunately, the loss drops her record to 4-3-1 on the year.
One of Arkansas’ best opportunities came in the 30th minute with the match still scoreless.
After a South Carolina turnover near midfield, Hartzler sent a long kick into the middle of the box where sophomore Kayla McKeon was there to corral the ball and put a good boot toward the net.
However, Gamecock keeper Mika Krzeczowski was there for the diving save to her right to keep it at 0-0.
South Carolina 1, Arkansas 0 – 40th Minute
With just under six minutes remaining, the Gamecocks were able to develop a play down the right side of the field on a counterattack, which led to their first goal of the match. Breukelen Woodard got a cross in to McCaskill, who beat her defender with one touch of the right foot to send the ball past Harris into the right side of the net. It was McCaskill’s fifth goal of the year.
South Carolina 2, Arkansas 0 – 42nd Minute
Two minutes later, South Carolina, again, caught Arkansas in the run of play starting with Luciana Zullo down the left side. As Zullo dribbled into the box, she took a right-footed shot that was blocked by Arkansas’ back line.
However, Galassini was there for the rebound and the put-back goal to put her team up 2-0. It was Galassini’s third goal of the year.
In the second half, Arkansas controlled possession more and got a few looks that might have cut the lead in half. Five of its 11 shots came in the second period and it also won three of its four corners in the final 45 minutes.
In the 57th minute, Perez made a great run down the left side of the field before crossing a ball into Taylor Malham. Malham was able to stay on-sides and seemed to have beaten the Gamecock back line.
She one-timed a shot from eight yards out, but Krzeczowski was there, once again, for one of her three saves in the game.
“In the second half I thought we were going to get one,” Hale said. “If we had gotten one, I thought the game would have changed. We need to grow from this, but there are so many positives to take. We are not a moral victory team and we are not here to hang with anyone. I don’t care who they are. We’re here to win and we weren’t able to do that tonight.”
Up Next
Arkansas has only one match next week as it goes back on the road to face LSU in Baton Rouge, Louisiana on Thursday, Oct. 12. First kick is scheduled for 7 p.m. and will be televised on SEC Network+.
Valle cracks top five in five-set loss at LSU
BATON ROUGE, La. — Arkansas saved four match points in the fifth set Sunday afternoon before LSU came away with the 3-2 victory at the Pete Maravich Assembly Center in Baton Rouge.
Pilar Victoria and Hailey Dirrigl registered 21 and 17 kills, respectively, to pace the offense while junior libero Okiana Valle used 16 digs to move into the program’s top five for all-time digs.
FINAL
LSU 3, Arkansas 2 | Box Score
Attendance: 996 | Time: 2:34
Pete Maravich Assembly Center (Baton Rouge, La.)
#RazorStats
- Leaders at LSU
- Kills: Pilar Victoria – 21
- Digs: Krista Kolbinskie, Okiana Valle – 16
- Blocks: Kelly O’Brien, Pilar Victoria – 6.0
The Razorbacks return to Barnhill Arena for their next match, a Friday, Oct. 13, matchup against South Carolina.
First serve is scheduled for 7 p.m. Arkansas — 6-1 on its home floor this season — owns a 24-12 advantage in the program’s all-time series with the Gamecocks including wins in 12 of the 17 matches played in Fayetteville.
With the setback, the Razorbacks drop to 12-6 overall with a 2-4 mark in SEC play. Sunday’s match was the team’s eighth five setter of the season—4-4 in those matches—and the fifth in the last seven meetings between the two programs. Four of Arkansas’ six losses this season have been decided in the five sets.
In the final frame, the score was tied at 3-3 when LSU (13-4, 4-2 SEC) scored three straight and five of the next six to lead 8-4 as the teams switched sides of the court.
The Tigers maintained its advantage, pushing its lead to as many as six points at 14-8. Arkansas responded with a 4-0 run that featured two Victoria kills and a tandem block by Victoria and Kelly O’Brien.
However, LSU secured the victory with a kill down the line on the next rally.
Arkansas lost the opening set and the score was tied 18-all in the second set before the Razorbacks won seven of the final 10 points in the second to even the match.
The team used a similar push in the third — seven of nine — to end that set to take a 2-1 match lead.
In a back-and-forth fourth set, the Razorbacks had two match points after back-to-back kills by Dirrigl but LSU rallied take five of the next six points to send the match to five.
To go along with her offensive effort, Victoria registered 14 digs to complete the 25th double-double of her Arkansas career. The redshirt senior also tied career highs with six total blocks and three service aces.
For Dirrigl, Sunday’s matched marked her fourth-consecutive outing with double-digit kills. In two matches this weekend, the freshman attacker averaged 3.20 kills per set with a .358 hitting percentage.
With her sixth dig of the match, Valle moved past Jasmine Norton (2009-12) on the program’s career list and currently ranks fifth in program history with 1,141 digs, just two behind Kim Storey (1995-98) in fourth place.
Krista Kolbinskie also picked up 16 digs in the match, tying her career high. Fellow senior and team co-captain Kori Ortiz had nine digs against the Tigers to move onto Arkansas’ career top-20 list.
O’Brien finished Sunday’s match with seven kills — and a .545 hitting percentage — which equals her career high. She tallied six total blocks, and now has at least six blocks in four of the Razorbacks’ last seven matches. Freshman Elizabeth Pamphile had five blocks of her own.
Hogs, Crimson Tide kickoff set for 6:15 p.m. on ESPN
Bret Bielema will look to improve on his 27-29 overall record (10-24 SEC) in Tuscaloosa on Saturday against No. 1 Alabama on ESPN in a 6:15 p.m. game.
The announcement had been delayed as it was one of three games under consideration for the 2:30 p.m. game on CBS, but they went with No. 10 Auburn at LSU.
The rest of Saturday’s television lineup will include:
11 a.m.: BYU at Mississippi State, SEC Network
11 a.m.: South Carolina at Tennessee, ESPN
2:30 p.m.: No. 10 Auburn at LSU, CBS
2:30 p.m.: Vanderbilt at Ole Miss, SEC Network
6 p.m.: Texas A&M at Florida, ESPN2
6:15 p.m.: Arkansas at No. 1 Alabama, ESPN
6:30 p.m.: Missouri at No. 4 Georgia, SEC Network
Alabama (6-0, 3-0 SEC) is coming off a 27-19 win at Texas A&M on Saturday. The Crimson Tide have won 10 straight games in the series against Arkansas.
Things I think I know: Week Six
Well….now what?
Does anyone know how to extinguish a dumpster fire?
One of the top questions that kept coming up Saturday after another Razorback embarrassment was “how did we get here?”
To me, it’s pretty simple.
- You hired the wrong head coach.
- He replaced good assistant coaches with bad ones.
Isn’t it clear how we got here? I continue to wonder when things will change.
The Bielema era is now beyond repair, but do the people in charge know that?
The program is in such a clumsy and awkward spot right now. Jeff Long has been silent for the most part during this horrendous first half of the season, leaving fans to believe he is resigned to the fact he has a bottom feeder football program on his fans and that is perfectly fine as long as the skyboxes and new north end zone suites sell.
However, if Long says anything now, it would come off as insincere and probably cause more problems then ease anyone’s minds. There is nothing anyone in charge can say that will make every feel like it’s going to be OK.
Bielema has zero cred with any fans at all, so what can he say to give us all some hope? Anything he says now will be met with an sigh and an eye roll while most in Razorback Nation plan out what they are going to do with the rest of their Saturdays this fall.
Kurt Anderson has done nothing but destroy the offensive line since he got here. When he got this job, are we sure he actually worked for the Buffalo Bills or has just heard of the Buffalo Bills?
They have missed in recruiting on at least 10 offensive linemen. TEN! There is nobody better on a scout team or hiding anywhere else in that locker room. We are getting the best available. Turns out, Pittman was a genius.
That 3rd quarter in the South Carolina game was the type of quarter that happens to a first year coach in a rebuilding year with a young quarterback. Under no circumstances should that happen to a coach and a quarterback in year five.
As long as the players keep staying out of trouble and making good grades though, nothing is going to change here.
I think Kurt Voigt from the AP put it best Saturday. I can’t see Bielema coming back next year but I can’t see them paying the $15 million to get rid of him either.
Welcome to football purgatory on the hill.
Elsewhere in college football…
- The U is back
- Michigan is insanely good on defense. The Wolverines committed five turnovers and still almost beat Michigan State.
- Jim Harbaugh is a massively overrated tool. He is Brady Hoke with better public relations skills.
- OU always chokes. Every year the Sooners vomit on themselves in a game in which they are favored by over 20. This year, Iowa State did the job IN NORMAN! I do not believe Lincoln Riley is going to work out in Norman.
- Ed Orgeron is still terrible and LSU made a mistake to hire him. A.D. Joe Alleva is going to get canned and then Coach O will go too. Sound familiar?
- I think Arkansas’ defense played OK against South Carolina.
- Nick Saban says positive media attention is “rat poison” and I, obviously, agree with that. Nobody gets better by being told how great they are all the time.
- There is nothing wrong with planting a flag on an opponents field if you win the game. You know how you can stop the visitors from planting flags on your home turf? Win!
KNWA VIDEO: Williams talks about return to South Carolina
Arkansas running back David Williams met with the media following the Hogs’ 48-22 loss to South Carolina.
KNWA VIDEO: Kelley talks about stepping in for Allen
Arkansas backup quarterback Cole Kelley talks about having to step in for Austin Allen against South Carolina.
KNWA VIDEO: Ramirez on defensive problems in loss
Hogs safety Santos Ramirez talks about the Hogs’ defensive issues in loss to South Carolina.
Have Long, Bielema made Hogs ‘Uncommonly Bad?’
Bret Bielema is out of excuses.
So is Jeff Long.
At this point, there is no way he can sugarcoat the 48-22 beatdown by South Carolina on Saturday.
The final score was nowhere near as close as the final score indicated.
There is no explanation, which he didn’t even attempt after the game on the Razorback radio broadcast when Chuck Barrett asked him if the Gamecocks won the “trench warfare.”
“Yeah,” was all he said. “Yeah.”
The interview ended at that point.
Bielema was not happy, but in reality he has no one to blame but himself.
Maybe in all of the excuse-making he did after losses to TCU and Texas A&M, he actually has started to believe his own excuses.
He did say on the radio that was “about as bad of a third quarter as I’ve ever been a part of.”
In reality, though, the problems started at the end of the first half when Arkansas gave up a touchdown with four seconds left that made it 17-10 at the break.
“We could never gain any momentum after that,” Bielema said later.
In that third quarter, the Hogs generated a whopping 50 yards of offense. Worse than that, they were obviously in a generous mood, handing the Gamecocks 14 points on a pass interception and an Austin Allen fumble.
South Carolina out-scored the Hogs 17-0 in the third and, for all intents and purposes, it was over.
Don’t get me wrong. Allen made some decisions that weren’t as bad as pretty much the only option available at the time, given the circumstances.
He wasn’t getting a lot of help from an offensive line that has often resembled recess at preschool. They gave up seven sacks in the game and, since the Gamecocks got 24 points off turnovers, they were directly responsible for the blowout.
The defense got schooled by an offensive line that was in worse shape than Arkansas’, at least in terms of players injured and sitting out.
So, to summarize, in two SEC games this year the Hogs have been beaten by a team playing 18 freshmen (Texas A&M) and a team with a beat-up offensive line manned by backups (South Carolina).
That’s what happens when you replace one of the top offensive line coaches in the country with the NFL equivalent of a grad assistant.
Now Bielema has a chance to accomplish something not even John L. Smith accomplished or what he managed in his first season.
With Alabama and Auburn looming the next two weeks, this Arkansas defense could very likely give up 150 points over the course of three SEC games. If Ole Miss’ offense bothers to show up it could be 200 points over four games.
That’s how bad things have gotten.
There are no more excuses to be made. Long has none left in his arsenal, either.
The bottom line is Long is ultimately responsible for this mess. He’s the one who didn’t do enough research to find out how flimsy Bielema’s three Rose Bowl teams at Wisconsin were.
Not a single outright title in the regular season and won Big 10 championship game with an 8-4 third-place team that got to the title game because the two teams above the Badgers were in NCAA jail.
And, maybe more importantly, Wisconsin is winning at a higher percentage since he left.
Bielema’s buyout can be handled. We’ve been told there are boosters who unquestionably can pay it ready to do just that.
Bielema is now only slightly ahead of the Danny Ford era in overall winning percentage, but far below that tenure in SEC winning percentage.
Five years was all he got and he won an SEC West division title.
What more does Long want?
Of course, he’s got issues of his own. He obviously had a credit card mentality when he gave Bielema a ridiculously high buyout after a very mediocre season in 2014. For the record, I said at the time it was stupid.
We hear from Long how great things are going with the stadium expansion (despite former Sen. David Pryor’s protestations). We also hear questions from people about how much of what Long says is the truth.
It’s pretty much a fact that he has screwed over many, many longtime boosters and effectively dismissed them as not being relevant. I know too many who have said the same things that don’t know each other that have the same story.
Long has signed off on several things that fly in the face of Razorback tradition, not the least of which is trying to replace “Go Hogs!” with “Woo Pig!” which just doesn’t have the same ring to it.
But, his biggest marketing gaffe of all has proven to be very, very true.
The Razorbacks have, indeed, become #uncommon to what that program has been for the last 60 years.
Long, by hiring Bielema among other things, has made it Uncommonly Bad.
KNWA VIDEO: Bielema after loss to SC
Video courtesy of KNWA.
KNWA VIDEO: Ragnow: ‘Guys need to own up’
Ragnow talks about guys needing to “own up” to mistakes after loss to Gamecocks on Saturday.
