Razorback Fans Shouldn't be Too Quick to Blame Secondary

Considering quarterbacks have time to eat a hot dog, somebody will probably be open for a couple of reasons

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Landon Jackson gets to Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart as he releases the ball in a 63-31 loss on Nov. 2, 2024, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Walt Beazley-Arkansas Communications

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's hard to find a single person that is not a card-carrying member of the Razorbacks Lunatic Fringe predicting an Arkansas win over Texas on Saturday. Maybe even worse is finding an awful lot of talking about it.

In a nutshell, Mike Irwin of Pig Trail Nation just laid it out there for all these people pointing back to the 40-21 win over the Longhorns in 2021 to justify projecting a Hogs' win. Really, that's like people who think the way college football worked a decade ago still functions in this day and age.

Other than the uniforms, you'd be hard-pressed to find a single thing about that disorganized Texas team that stumbled out ahead of the Razorback fans rushing the field after the win.

Now we'll hear from the Arkansas players Tuesday night, which will provide a plan of hope going into this game. Don't ask the media what they think from this week beause we don't get to see any of the practices. They could be having a card game on the practice field and we wouldn't know.

About the only ray of hope the Hogs' faithful has is that the Longhorns come in and try to sleepwalk through a win. That may be the only way Arkansas can find a way to win and that's not a good plan of attack going into the game.

Oh, it will be a fairly large crowd that will be excited at the start because old-timers have told them they are supposed to hate Texas. Some of us have said for over 40 yearsmany of the fans hate Texas more than they love the Hogs.

Lou Holtz said it back in 1977, his first year coaching the Razorbacks. He wanted folks to worry about some of the other teams they had to face in the old SWC, which at that time was one of the three best conferences in all of college football. The speed was unreal in the league then.

Moving the game to mid-November from the traditional mid-October it was for decades hasn't given Arkansas any breaks. All that's probably happened is the Longhorns will come in with a lot more on the line now.

Texas is playing for seeding and positioning in the College Football Playoff. The Razorbacks are simply trying to find a way to play a bowl game somewhere other than Birmingham or Memphis in late December.

Right now, the Longhorns are favored by about two touchdowns. Maybe the best bet for Razorback fans is to beat the spread and quit worrrying about the secondary. That's not nearly the problem folks like to complain about.

This Arkansas team hasn't been able to get to opposing quarterbacks after the UAPB opener. That didn't help the Hogs at all because the cheerleaders could have gotten pressure on the Golden Lions' passer in that game.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive coordinator Travis Williams during the fourth quarter against the Ole Miss Rebels at Razorback Stadium. / Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

What that means, simply, is the defensive backs are in an impossible situation. No secondary can cover wide receivers all afternoon if the quarterback has plenty of time. Go back to playing in the back yard. If the quarterback has no pass rush somebody will get open sooner or later. The defensive backs will either run out of gas or lose interest.

Considering the way Ole Miss' offensive line gave Jaxson Dart enough time to order takeout and get the order, folks should be concerned. Outside of Landon Jackson, the Hogs have some good guys that are playing as hard as they can, but they just can't overcome better players.

If that turns out to be the case Saturday, it will be a long, long afternoon for Razorback fans. But don't be too quick to blame the defensive backs.

HOGS FEED:

• Razorback listed as first-round pick in latest ESPN mock draft

• Three programs emerge as leaders for top-10 prospect

• Razorback kicking safety blanket evaporates, flips to SEC rival

• Razorbacks’ nightmare: Hogs’ secondary taking on Texas offense 

• Pittman trying to use Longhorn rivalry to Razorbacks' advantage

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