Tye & Tommy on the QB comparison, CWS Game 2, What’s Your Beef and Brett Goode!
Goode thinking Jefferson facing much larger expectations than Franks
One of the things former Razorback Brett Goode will be watching this year is how KJ Jefferson handles expectations much higher than Feleipe Franks did last season.
Dawson: Pittman talking football with in-state recruits, not ‘other’ stuff
Hawgs Illustrated’s Dudley Dawson on Ruscin & Zach said Sam Pittman is connecting with Arkansas recruits which is a change in approach.
CBS’ Cobb on Musselman embracing recruiting grind others try to escape
With Penny Hardaway reportedly looking at the NBA because he doesn’t care for the grind of recruiting at Memphis, Eric Musselman enjoys it, says David Cobb of CBS Sports.
McDaniel on Kopps, other Razorbacks’ positions in draft
ESPN’s Kiley McDaniel talked on Halftime about where Arkansas players, recruits, could be picked in July’s major league draft.
Bud Light Seltzer Morning Rush Podcast: What’s the best show on ESPN Arkansas?
Tye & Tommy on CWS Game 1, creating parity in CFB, advice to student athletes and more!
’Horns not Hogs’ most important matchup from Texas in September
Arkansas fans need to drop the inferiority complex hatred for the Longhorns because they aren’t even the most important September matchup from Texas.
Two of the three will be in the Top 15 and the Longhorns aren’t the most important.
Somehow three teams from the state of Texas landed on the Razorbacks’ schedule this year and all are in the first month of the season.
Rice should be a way to start the season, smooth out some wrinkles and at least identify any problem areas.
Week two the Longhorns come to town, the game will be on the ESPN mother ship (as well as on HitThatLine.com) and the media will have the fans foaming at the mouth for the first really big night game without restrictions on tailgating or how many people can cram into Razorback Stadium.
They should be more focused on Texas A&M, who will be ranked higher when the two teams meet in AT&T Stadium on Sept. 25 where a lot more will be on the line.
Don’t start wailing about how important the Longhorns’ games are. I’ve been to more of them than 99% of the people reading this (I did miss the 1988 game in Austin when my son was born that day shortly after the game ended).
The Aggies are a bigger problem. Texas has won over 70% of the time against the Hogs by an average margin of 8.5 points per game. More importantly, they have better players.
On the other hand, A&M is a longtime matchup where the Hogs have won 57.6% of the time and have a 10-game edge in total wins.
None of those have come since the Aggies joined the SEC West in 2012. Arkansas hasn’t won a single game in the matchup since then. Don’t talk about almost because almost doesn’t matter.
In three regular-season matchups since going to the SEC in 1992, the Hogs have won once (2003 when they stunned Texas in Austin, 38-28). They caught the Longhorns in a couple of bowl games where neither the coaches, players or fan base were particularly interested in playing the game.
While the Hogs’ fan base has fallen to the level where many are just hoping the team can be competitive, Jimbo Fisher is throwing shade at Nick Saban, getting a humorous response from the Alabama coach.
All while Arkansas fans are more worried about the Longhorns.
They are hoping new coach Steve Sarkisian needs some time to get things turned around. Hog fans have become accustomed to coaches asking for time to do that in their first year.
The difference is Sarkisian inherited three straight Top 10 recruiting classes and his first signing (while he was offensive coordinator on Alabama’s national championship team) was No. 15 in the country.
Fisher has three straight recruiting classes in the Top 10 of the rankings while the Hogs have dealt with two head coaches and a world-wide health pandemic that has fouled up everything.
You can whine about recruiting rankings being meaningless and it’s true that doesn’t guarantee you of a single win, much less a championship.
Based on history, though, it does guarantee you won’t have many wins and zero championships if you don’t rank high.
Hogs’ schedule really has only 8 games in ‘getable’ category
Yeah, everybody knows Arkansas’ schedule is rated as the most difficult in the country again, mainly because they can’t schedule themselves.
As we sit around in June waiting on the SEC’s annual circus of propaganda that starts July 19, when you sit back and look at the list of games in total there are really only eight games you would put in Ruscin & Zach’s ‘Getable’ category.
That’s a trademark phrase Derek Ruscin and Zach Arns use on their show from 3-7 p.m. on ESPN Arkansas and while it has a plethora of applications, we’re limiting it to the Hogs’ football schedule.
• The games Arkansas won’t win unless the other team misses the bus to the game or there’s another panic attack over covid are pretty clear-cut:
Texas, Sept. 11: Fans won’t like hearing it but don’t be shocked if the Longhorns come in here and do an Alabama-type tap-dance in Razorback Stadium (close for a quarter, then a steady pulling away). The Longhorns have more talent and Steve Sarkisian wasn’t a bad coach before he fell off the wagon at Washington and USC.
Texas A&M managed to beat Arkansas since joining the SEC in 2012 and recently they have started pulling away. Jimbo Fisher has the Aggies right behind the top teams and could slip through the door.
Georgia gave Razorback fans some hope for a half last year in Razorback Stadium then pulled away. They may not allow any hope this year. If something changes on that the story will be more about what happened to the Bulldogs and Kirby Smart’s buyout than the Hogs suddenly getting better.
Alabama is going to, well, continue to be Alabama. The game is in Tuscaloosa this year and late in the season when Nick Saban starts positioning for the Auburn game the next week.
• The Hogs do have three games that should be wins even if they rest some starters and nobody is expecting Rice, Georgia Southern or Arkansas-Pine Bluff to be much of a challenge. Not blowing out those types of teams is why Chad Morris didn’t last two complete seasons.
• Two games are not written in ink on either side of the Getable list because nobody really knows what to think about Auburn or LSU. Both of those games should have been wins last year, but officials stole one (Auburn) and the Hogs blew one (LSU) or feelings might be different. Historically, though, both of these games are put in the Getable category for now.
• That leaves the usual suspects. Ole Miss, Mississippi State and Missouri are three games where the Hogs have to win (at a minimum) two out of three. Don’t expect a prediction because too many questions and not enough answers now on those teams just like the Hogs.
Arkansas is going to have to win the three Getable non-conference games, split the two games unknown and take two out of three to get six wins.
Winning one of the four not on the Getable list now will probably mean a good bowl trip, but don’t look for that answer here in June.
With eight Getable games, the Hogs have to win 75% of them to reach bowl eligibilty.
The path is pretty clear but the obstacles aren’t as obvious right now.
Burks’ combination of skills is what Steele saw to put him at top of WRs
Phil Steele was on The Morning Rush and outlined what he’s seen from Treylon Burks to name him to the preseason All-American team.
