Razorback Fans Looking Backward, but Coaches Focused on Aggies

Texas A&M ranked in national polls, giving Hogs chance to possibly break into Top 25

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino during game with Auburn at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn, Ala. / Jake Crandall/ Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — While Arkansas fans and media are spending two days talking about some more lame- brain comments from Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, the coaches are not. At least they better not be.

Texas A&M is coming up in the windshield and the Razorbacks finally getting a merciful end to having to trek down to Arlington, Texas, for a game in Jerry Jones' AT&T Stadium to find a way to lose. That's been the case once the Hogs started it in 2009 with three straight wins ... exactly one win since 2011.

Nobody seems to want to pay much attention to that yet. Everybody is still hung up on Freeze's comments about beating Arkansas 9 times if they played 10 more games. Whatever.

The Razorbacks won the game, it's over and done. I'm more interested in how they are going to handle the Aggies, who are very different from everybody else they've played this year.

Most of the questions for Sam Pittman on Monday dealt with the status of the Hogs right now, who are sitting with the same 3-1 record as A&M. The only difference is the Aggies' one loss came to Notre Dame while Arkansas' loss was against Oklahoma State.

That's how the polls work. A close loss to Notre Dame nearly boosts a team into carrying the swagger of a win. The Razorbacks got three votes for the Top 25 last week and now they have a shot to possible make a leap beating the No. 25 team in the country Saturday.

Maybe the most intriguing aspect was Pittman talking about Arkansas being beat up going into the game with the Tigers. That's a problem because the Hogs don't have the quality of depth A&M has, stacking highly-ranked lineman on top of each other on both sides of the line.

"They’re really good on their front four," Pittman said. "They have a lot of depth there too. A lot of athleticism there. Have some returning guys at linebacker that made a lot of tackles a year ago and then their secondary is really good."

While some of that is the usual coach-speak, in this case the Aggies may just be that good on the defensive side. Only giving up 129 yards a game on the ground and 189 through the air are not bad numbers in these days. Offense gets the benefit of the rules these days.

The quick through for the Razorbacks' faithful is offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino can figure it out and put up yards on anybody. That's true at times, but his offenses have struggled in the past against the better defenses.

How good this A&M defense actually is remains to be seen. We've only got four games as a baseline and none of those games have a thing to do with what happens Saturday. For whatever reason Arkansas has struggled with this entire series that is finally coming to an end because rules changes have made it not a good alternative with both teams in the SEC.

Both teams want and need that game to be played on campus. For the Hogs, getting A&M and the Texas Longhorns here in alternating years are better financially and for recruiting. The biggest reason, though, is recruiting.

And in this day and age of an arms race in college football with the weapon of choice being money, it really makes no sense to play this game.

Folks also need to focus on it. Take the win last week and let the losers keep crying about it.

The game will kick off at 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. You can listen to the game online at HitThatLine.com in selected broadcast markets and on the radio 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.

HOGS FEED:

• Pittman hoping results help Razorbacks with in-state recruiting

• Three storylines for Hogs against Texas A&M in Arlington

• Former A&M coach Jimbo Fisher talks how Hogs helped Saban win title

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