Football
PETE’S PICKS: A fairly easy route to win for Hogs
After showing some offense from new group of receivers, Hogs should be able to keep rolling this week.
I remember one cool fall evening sitting on the porch taking in the sunset with my Dad, letting the drifting leaves do all the talking. He always enjoys moments like this.
Our tranquility was interrupted by two dim headlights pulling up the driveway. “I wonder who that is, Dad?”
“It’s David,” came the reply.
We had not seen David in a while. He looked rough. He carried himself low. And the normal bounce in his step was gone.
My Dad summed it up in one short statement: “Man, you look beat.”
As it turns out, David had been going through a down period in his life. Instantly having sympathy while hearing him describe the initial piece of what started his bad turn only turned to pity as I heard piece-after-piece regarding the dominoes which subsequently fell.
He was down. He was out. He needed hope.
I have never sat down and visited with Arkansas coach Sam Pittman. We have never shared a meal, gone bowling, nor shot the breeze while enjoying “some old cold beer.” What little I know of Sam definitely reminds me of my father. Both can easily be described with one adjective: “Arkansas.”
If you are thinking, “Arkansas is not an adjective,” then you should get to know the two men mentioned above. Well, not David so much, but that brings a later instance to mind.
It was not much more than two-weeks later when the phone rang. Dad answered. I heard the pause while the voice on the other end of the line made their initial greetings and request, followed by my Dad replying with a “David who? Oh no, I have not seen him in a long time.” That was followed with another pause, a farewell, and the phone beeping indicating the call was over. We had cordless phones back then, Junior.
My usual tendency to mind my own business was overridden with curiosity. “Dad, did you just tell them you had not seen David in a long time?”
“Yes.”
“But why?”
“Son, that man who called claimed to be from a car financing company, and he offered me money in exchange for telling him where they could find David.”
“Why did you not take the offer, Dad?”
“Three reasons. For one, no one offers that much money to track down someone who defaulted on a car loan. Secondly, I could not see David’s car the other evening, but those lights were way too dim for even a remotely new automobile. And lastly, when a man is down, you may not be responsible for being the one to bring him back up, but you damn sure do not have to be the one who puts your foot on his throat.”
Thanks for the life lesson, Dad.
Which brings me back to Pittman. His Hogs host Kent State this weekend in Fayetteville. And if you happen to be enough of a fan to pay attention to games outside of our state, you may be aware the Golden Flashes received more than an annihilation last week against UCF. This brings most to conclude the game Saturday should return the same results in favor of the Razorbacks. I have even spoken with gamblers who are salivating at the -37.5-point spread. It should be a lock, right?
Wait a minute, my friend. Like I mentioned previously, I do not know Sam Pittman well enough to determine his mindset; however, I do have a strong inclination he, like my Father, has just enough “Arkansas” in him to not put the hammer down on David once we get comfortably ahead. Again, for clarity, will he? I do not know. Do I think he would? No.
Kent State should be an easy win as students and parents make their way into Donald W Reynolds Razorback Stadium for Parent’s Weekend on ‘The Hill’. Trying to write different reasons why would be futile, as it boils down to one thing: Arkansas is far superior to the Golden Flashes.
I hate to sound arrogant, but the question is solely this: by how much will we win?
That said, I have a job to do, and I take this responsibility very seriously.
Why Kent State will Win
… Enough of that. They won’t.
Why Arkansas will Win
Arkansas’s offense is showing some unexpected production with their wide-receivers. If quarterback KJ Jefferson can be fluid with the ball, then he should have no trouble picking apart our opponent’s secondary.
Kent State gave up 389 rushing yards against UCF. Arkansas does need to polish up their offensive line and increase production from its performance last week, so there may be an attempt by the Razorback coaches to place a lot of carries on the running backs to see even better blocking areas needing improvement.
Our defense is not that bad. Granted, we have not been tested this season, but in one outing (against and FCS team), our secondary looked better than many had considered possible. Unfortunately, even after this Saturday, we will not have a good measuring stick to fully predict how our season will be defensively. Arkansas, 51 – 10
Random Thoughts
Sam will hold back. Let’s just hope we do not have a David versus Goliath situation. The crowd will not be huge for the game, but it will be decent. Little Rock could have done better showing up, but with the opponent and the heat wave, I understand.
TRIVIA QUESTION: Sam Pittman attended Grove High School. During his senior year, he won the state Class 3A event in what track and field event.
Sam Pittman STILL has a lot to prove for himself and his coaching staff as well. He may turn up the jukebox early just to prove a point.
To my loving Mom, who has done so much for me throughout life. Please do not reach out to coach Pittman and ask him to be my friend. Also, I will get you your $10 soon. (Andy’s Note: Pete bribed Andy Hodges to add him on X, not like he doesn’t have the phone number, fully knowing he never checks social media)
TRIVIA ANSWER: The shot put. And, in case you were wondering, I was not there for that either.
I am loving football season. Hopefully God Blesses us with some fall temperatures soon.
Be certain to listen to the game Saturday at 3 p.m. via 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.
SEC Picks for Week 2
Andy says I have to pick all the games or he will claim a pick-em’ victory on the season early. Game on …
Vanderbilt at Wake Forest – I simply would not bet a dollar either way. Deamon Deacons by 4.
Ball State at (1) Georgia – Okay, here is another easy pick for the young season. Bulldogs by 40.
Eastern Kentucky at Kentucky – The Colonels lose big to the state’s flagship program. No, not Louisville. Wildcats by 28.
(20) Ole Miss at (24) Tulane – I bet the staff at Oxford never saw this match-up being a problem when they scheduled it. Ole Miss can win this on the road if Lane Kiffin does not get in his own way. Rebels by 8.
(23) Texas A&M at Miami – An early season road trip could test the cohesiveness between head coach Jimbo Fisher and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino. Aggies by 10, which is a late entry and Andy threatened to call it a loss because I forgot it.
Kent State at Arkansas – Back-to-back cupcakes for the Hogs to open the season for the first time in a long time… by our recent standards I mean.Razorbacks by 41.
Austin Peay at (9) Tennessee – Do the Governors of Austin Peay enjoy being the redheaded step-child of an SEC team each year, or do they just appreciate the paycheck? Vols by 38.
(11) Texas at (3) Alabama – GAME OF THE WEEK: Texas fans still believe they should have one last year, and they also feel they are the better team with the better program. Well, I am not certain they have ever said the last part, but you would easily believe it if someone told you they did. That is what Texas is usually, a lot of ego and even more talk… and some more ego. Oddly enough, one of the most interesting topics in the world of sports right now is how Bama has exiled the Texas band along with the other Longhorns fans to the upper-deck of Bryant-Denny Stadium. In short, regarding the game itself, Nick Saban is not done yet. Tide by 14.
Middle Tennessee State University at Missouri – I hope the Tigers get so excited about the win they pour Gatorade on head coach Eli Drinkwitz. This does not make any sense, but neither does half the remarks which come out of Eli’s mouth. Tigers by 21.
Grambling at (14) LSU – I am surprised the Tigers of LSU are still ranked so highly. Too high in my opinion after a bad representation of the SEC last week against FSU. They get a little better outcome this week. LSU by 24.
McNeese at Florida – I almost left this one off the list. It definitely is a “must watch” game for sure. Gators by 44.
Arizona at Mississippi State – My old buddy Gray may be watching this game. He may even be traveling to it. I think Arizona could win this game if it were in Tuscon. It is not. Bulldogs by 17.
Furman at South Carolina – I put more stock in Shane Beamer than I should have last week. North Carolina is either better than I expected, or USC is nowhere near as good as their potential had predicted. Furman will be a cakewalk for the Gamecocks, though. USC by 32.
Auburn at California – My dog told me (through his actions) Auburn will win. I trust my dog. He’s a good boy, and he watches a lot of Pac-12 games some reason. Tigers by 10.
Soller Opposites
We would like to welcome back Eric, our gambling guru, to the table. Each week he provides insight on a top game and gives you his advice on what wager to make. It is up to you, though… Should you trust the master bettor, or should you do the opposite?
NEBRASKA @ Colorado -3, o/u 58.5.
The first few weeks of the college football season are exciting for fans and a “feeling out” time for bettors. However, with a lackluster schedule of quality games last week, that feeling just wasn’t there.
Colorado comes off a 21 point upset win over TCU. That line was inflated because of the number of unknowns with the Buffs’ roster and concerns about weak line play. Coach Sanders stunned a lot of people (including me) with their tempo and disciplined play (6 flags over Texas Christian’s double-digit total).
Nebraska ran the ball heavily and successfully (over 5 ypc), but didn’t perform well in the red zone. I expect a repeat game plan as the Huskers hope to stymy Sanders’s exciting offensive scheme.
I was curious how the totals would be impacted by the new timing rules, but the totals held relatively true to the predictions out of the desert. Nebraska will effectively use this rule to eat up the clock and limit the Buffs possessions, so I’m taking the total under of 58-1/2.
I’ve searched every sportsbook available, but cannot find a line for the number of times “Coach Prime” is said by Fox’s TV game crew, but if you find that line somewhere, take anything over 77 times.
Back to WCU at Arkansas; check in during the game for all the highlights and updates from Saturday’s contest. And here’s to my Nebraska friends having a great victory as well. You deserve it.
And thank you to my family who knows I will be by their side no matter what comes our way.
Find me on ‘X’: @PeterMorganWPS
Go HOGS!!!
