FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Despite what many of the fans think there are still way more questions with this Arkansas team than answers right now.
About the only thing to judge is what their technique has been in practice. If you think the first two games against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State were more than that, then we’re going to just have to disagree.
Maybe Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green can carve up SEC defenses the way he did in what amounted to little more than scrimmages with tackling to the ground. That remains to be seen.
We’ll all find out Saturday night at Ole Miss against the Rebels that just might be be better than a lot of folks think.
Sure, there will be big plays on both sides of the ball. Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin is either being straight up about his team, but there’s always this sneaky suspicion he’s just not being as optimistic as some folks want.
In over 50 years of getting paid to write and talk about football at every level one thing I’ve found is the truth is usually the opposite of what they say about their teams. At least until there’s a score at the end and we all know.
That’s if they play a team good enough to be seriously competitive. The Hogs haven’t played anyone with anywhere near the talent or depth they have.
Arkansas fans are taking what Ole Miss quarterback Austin Simmons did in the first two games and assuming it will continue. Kiffin’s quarterbacks usually get better every week.
It even happened with former quarterback Jaxson Dart who is making headlines in the NFL with the New York Giants.
The Razorbacks’ defense still has a lot of questions to me. Too many big plays against Alabama A&M and the Red Wolves makes me wonder what’s going to happen in the SEC.
Every team in the SEC has better players and more of them than either one of those two teams.
Do the Hogs? It’s hard for me to argue with Pete Morgan on his pick about this one because I just think the Rebels are better.
They can prove me wrong. They have before. Several times.
Ole Miss 45, Arkansas 31
Be certain to listen to the game Saturday at 6 p.m. on HitThatLine.com and on the air at ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs, and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
Random Thoughts
If Arkansas upsets Ole Miss, I will purchase and wear a Rebels visor as a token of gratitude for Lane Kiffin not taking the Arkansas job.
SEC Picks for Week 3
No, I didn’t compare Pete to Chad Morris, I simply said making judgements too early can lead to a serious problem. It’s not unusual for teams to look at the final score and get the wrong idea.
It’s better to just make these picks in the same order as Pete and it reduces the amount of things he has to do for comparisons on how far behind he usually is, but there probable won’t be a lot of movement this week.
Wisconsin at (19) Alabama – Just like when LSU lost a game to Florida State a couple of years ago in the opener, then bounced back to have a good year, that might end up being the best thing for Alabama. Since they aren’t on the Hogs’ schedule this year doe anybody care? Crimson Tide by 8.
(13) Oklahoma at Temple – A lot of people keep expecting the Sooners to be exactly like they have been, but there were a lot of things to clear out with the culture that Brent Venables inherited. Just because Lincoln Riley had some success, it was heading down and needed a cleanup. Now that he’s calling the defensive plays, they are suddenly looking a lot better but their big test will be against Texas. Sooners by 13.
South Alabama at (24) Auburn – Good Grief Game 1. The Tigers may not be great but they are considerably better than the Jaguars Auburn by 41.
Louisiana Lafayette at (25) Missouri – Good Grief Game 2. To be honest, I know absolutely nothing about thes former directional school down south but I know they don’t have the players to stay with the Tigers. Missouri by 30.
(6) Georgia at (15) Tennessee – Somehow, I think the Bulldogs are due for a little drop-off (but they will finish in the discussion for the playoffs) but the Volunteers may have gotten better by subtraction. Nico Iamaleava hitting the eject button in Knoxville may have improved Josh Heupel’s overall team. It’s too early to go out on a limb this early. Bulldogs by 1.
UTEP at (7) Texas – Good Grief Game 3. This is one that falls into my category that if you want to improve, quit allowing teams to schedule these games. Longhorns by 49.
Alcorn State at Mississippi State – Good Grief Game 4. Mississippi State may be a lot better than anybody thought. They did beat the No. 12 team in the country last week, even though they needed a Hail Mary at the end to pull it off. Nobody was expecting them to be in a position where that would have mattered a week ago. Bulldogs by 40.
Eastern Michigan at Kentucky – Good Grief Game 5. The Wildcats are always hovering around mediocre for Mark Stoops, but that seems to be good enough for Kentucky. Hogs basketball coach John Calipari could probably verify basketball doesn’t get the same courtesy. Kentucky by 30.
(16) Texas A&M at (8) Notre Dame – Arkansas fans desperately want to see something that gives them a ray of hope for their game in two weeks. Unfortunately, they probably should be more interested in getting a preview of what they are going to face against the Aggies in October. Irish by 5.
Florida at (3) LSU – LSU might be the best team in the country. Florida is hoping last week was something they cannot ignore. Tye Richardson will probably be saying next week on the radio Billy Napier is going to be gone and Kiffin is headed for Gainesville, Fla., at the end of the year because he has a home in Florida. Considering Fayetteville is closer to Dallas than Gainesville is to Boca Raton where his house is for sale for $3.95 million. Tigers by 4.
Vanderbilt at (11) South Carolina – Don’t be shocked if this isn’t one of the more competitive games. Still, though the Gamecocks are better. South Carolina by 11.
