Injuries Causing Scrimmage Problems Excuse Opening Other Doors

Fans hoping injured players out of first scrimmage why a scary problem Sam Pittman noted late has to get fixed

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman walks to a different position group during a fall camp practice on the outdoor practice field in Fayetteville, Ark. / Andy Hodges-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Let's not read too much into Thursday's first scrimmage of summer camp. That includes an observation from Arkansas coach Sam Pittman that could cause downright panic among some in the Lunatic Fringe.

"We got to figure out on offense how to finish the game," Pittman said. "On defense, we got to figure out how to start the game, because we weren’t very good defensively at the beginning."

To no one's real surprise, if that happens starting in 20 days, it's going to be a long year. Talk about a bad combination and that may be one of the biggest. It's how you end up losing a game that's tied 24-24 at halftime.

For the Razorbacks, that's also a problem with all the questions surrounding the kicking game. Yes, they had a good scrimmage, but the bad wasn't playing or the place wasn't packed with fans and no TV was there. The world is full of All-American practice players.

But it does point back to a problem the Hogs have wrestled with forever on the depth. It's not particularly positive if the backups have that problem, too. Whether you want to believe it or not, the starters won't play every down. That just doesn't happen these days.

It's a problem, even if the second-teamers were on the field at the time. A lot of them were because several of the key starters were out with injuries. They can't just throw up their hands and quit if key people are injured once the season starts.

That will happen at some point, too. Just look at the numbers and recent history. Championship teams are nearly always the deepest ones because somebody goes down with an injury.

For a fan base as apathetic right now as I've seen in a long time, they simply aren't getting that worked up over it. While it's impossible to read much into it what the media has seen thus far in practices, everything is a pure guess.

The final scrimmage is going to be against UAPB in Little Rock on Aug. 29. Counting as a game on the schedule is just a benefit, plus the band and fans will be there. That's not a knock against the Golden Lions, but they are simply going to be out-manned

It is less than a month before we do get to find out something. Going to Oklahoma State on Sept. 7 will reveal an awful lot. The Cowboys are going to have a home crowd that's putting a lot into it and it's a chance to win a game over an SEC team. Plus they are ranked right now.

Pittman says he's confident in this team, but he probably can't afford to say anything else. Coaches don't throw their teams under the bus anymore the way Lou Holtz and some others did. Everybody would quit.

The Razorbacks have to show the scrimmage results were simply a practice that didn't go particularly well. If the defense can't start well or the offense can't finish, there could be a problem. It's a bigger problem than a lot of people would like to admit.

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