Bad News for Hog Fans: No One to Blame for Mess
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Considering the way things are going lately in college football, Arkansas winning by 40 points at BYU shouldn't be shocking.
Yes, that's after paying attention to what's happening with this team.
Then again, everybody has been ready to fire Jimbo Fisher at Texas A&M. Nobody gave them a shot on the road at Alabama.
The Aggies nearly won, taking end zone shots in the waning moments.
By the old school of handicapping, A&M's narrow win over the Hogs a couple of weeks ago in Arlington followed by the Crimson Tide coming into Fayetteville for a huge win should have spelled doom for the Aggies.
Welcome to the new world of college football where name, image, likeness combined with scholarship limitations and everything else may be creating some parity.
Razorback fans desperately want to blame somebody. If there's a lack of effort from the players it hasn't become that apparent. Sam Pittman and the coaching staff didn't forget how to coach.
That gives fans a dilemma. Usually after a loss, it's Razorback tradition to blame the quarterback, coach and athletic director, in that order. Your guess is as good as mine why Hunter Yurachek could be to blame, but somebody will.
Coaches don't want the players to draw the ire of the fans. The little darlings are too sensitive these days for us to critique.
The bottom line is the ones Pittman and his staff have to put on the field right now simply aren't as good as the guys they are playing.
Most of that is due to a combination of injuries and part of the lingering problems after a decade of sub-part recruiting.
It is what it is. The good fortune the Hogs had last season usually tends to balance out over the years. Seldom does it change overnight these days.
Everybody has good players and that is the biggest problem Arkansas has run into this year.
Now Pittman has to figure out some way to patch a ship that is taking on water at an alarming rate.
He said in the post-mortem after a 40-17 loss to Mississippi State how badly this team needs a bye week. That will probably come up again Monday looking ahead to this week's road trip.
They will get a bye after the trip to Utah, but could be looking at having to run the table after that to equal last year's 8-4 regular season record.
Right now, projecting down the road is a fool's mission. Even Missouri is playing decently now and Auburn has more talent but can't get out of it's own way.
Get ready for a fun second half of the season.
And if you really get frustrated, basketball kicks things off with the Red-White game Sunday.
HOGS FEED:
MISSING KJ JEFFERSON WASN'T THE PROBLEM ON SATURDAY
EVEN LANE KIFFIN'S DOG IS GETTING AN NIL DEAL
WHEN IT COMES TO MISSISSIPPI STATE, ARKANSAS HAS ASSAULTED THE RECORD BOOKS, JUST NOT IN A GOOD WAY
DIVINE BOVINE CAUSE OF HARASSMENT FOR A&M, HEADACHE FOR HOGS
RECAP FIRST HALF OF THE SEASON THROUGH COMEDIC SKITS OF SEC SHORTS
HOGS, BULLDOGS ENGAGED IN VERBAL CHESS MATCH ABOUT SATURDAY
SEC ROUNDUP: IS BILL O'BRIEN NEXT TO BE RELEASED FROM NICK SABAN'S COACHING REHAB CLINIC?
NOT TO JUDGE, BUT AT LEAST THIS FIASCO HAD A PURPOSE
WHY RAZORBACKS COULD GET A BOOST AGAINST AUBURN BEFORE HALLOWEEN
PITTMAN PROTECTIVE OF INFO REGARDING JEFFERSON'S HEALTH STATUS
SEC SHORTS MISSES OPPORTUNITY TO INCLUDE ALABAMA THIS WEEK
HOGS PILING UP THREE-GAME LOSING STREAKS COULD GET RISKY
• Want to join in on the discussion? Click here to become a member of the allHOGS message board community today!
• Follow allHOGS on Twitter and Facebook.
• View and subscribe to the allHogs YouTube Channel