Razorbacks Do Exactly What They Should in UAPB Opener

Petrino answers prayers from Hogs' fans for big offense, but exactly how well it continues remains question

Arkansas Razorbacks tight end Ty Washington hauls in a pass in the end zone from Taylen Green in a 70-0 win over UAPB on Thursday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark. / Ted McClenning-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas did what they was expected by a lot of folks in a 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday night. Spare me the talk of running up the score.

It was Lou Holtz back in 1977 that said it was perfectly acceptable to run up the score on a team as long as you did it in the first half. The Razorbacks did all that and more putting 49 on the board in the first two quarters.

I felt bad for former Warren Lumberjack star (and Hogs' analyst) Alonzo Hampton, who simply was out-manned with the Golden Lions. He probably didn't expect Arkansas to be running out of bounds with anything or taking a knee. That would be more offensive.

By the same token, don't expect an offensive output of 70 points and nearly 700 yards in every game. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino probably saw this coming when he said last week the Razorbacks should just send a donation to UAPB to play somebody they can get a positive out of playing.

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino during the second half against the Pine Bluff Golden Lions at War Memorial Stadium. Arkansas won 70-0. / Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

This win was more what I expected — a scrimmage with bands and a few hardy fans. We can't talk some other time more about a crowd somewhere in the neighborhood of what the annual high school matchup between Bryant and Benton in the same stadium every year draws. They even cut a third of the playing time in the second half off the game to provide a merciful end.

Don't holler about the Razorbacks running up any scores. It was 49-0 at halftime. Sam Pittman and Petrino weren't telling people they wanted to see play run out of bounds. They had backups the Hogs needed to see in a game-type situation and they played just about everybody in a uniform.

A lot of the attention from fans was Petrino's return to Little Rock. He had coached games with a ton of big plays and memorable wins in that stadium. He had apologized to the fans at the Little Rock Touchdown Club for the embarrassing exit in the spring of 2012. Time has healed those wounds. Hanging 70 points on anybody helped.

"Ten tries and 10 touchdowns, that's that's hard to do," Pittman said later. "I don't care who you play. I'm really happy for him and told the team, It's the first time in history that that's happened, and it happened when Bobby came back. The legend is going to continue to grow. Good for him, he deserves it."

Just don't get too carried away with it. Oklahoma State is next, on the road, and the Golden Lions simply didn't have the players to compete. The Hogs did exactly what they needed to do Thursday night, which was win the game convincingly, show a high-powered offense and pitch a shutout.

It's doubtful any of the 11 games left on the schedule will be that easy. Fans can enjoy this one, just don't expect it to happen that often because they've probably seen better players every day in practice. That won't happen often this year, either.

HOGS FEED:

• Hogs' Green runs circles around UAPB after slow first play

• First impressions everything as Razorbacks roll in Little Rock

• Grading Razorbacks offensive depth chart heading into season

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