Desperation Can't Cause Hogs to Worry More About Losing

Needing to break five-game streak, Razorbacks have to keep focus on winning

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas fans are expecting a big win against Mississippi State on Saturday. There's enough talk of "hope," though, to make you wonder if Sam Pittman and the team is more concerned with not losing as opposed to just going out and playing to win.

Being 2-5 and needing to win four of the last five games can cause that sort of thing to happen. It's usually bad and the result is often disappointing. It's that nagging sound of "hope" that gives cause for concern. Hope isn't a plan for winning, it's trying to avoid defeat.

Pittman is confident this week, but then he is every week. At least he is when cameras and microphones are around. What he would like to see is the Hogs play up to their potential instead of down to the level of competition.

That's not a slam at the Bulldogs. They have simply been trying to figure things out with a new coach, a new offense and not a lot of success after the shocking death of Mike Leach last December. They have quarterback Will Rogers' status up in the air along with some other things.

What State will do is bust people in the mouth. It's something that hasn't changed in about a century in Starkville. They have always viewed every game as a fistfight as much as a competition. The Hogs will probably come out of this one a little sore.

That's a problem for coaches to deal with. Fans are just hungry for a win. Pittman has been trying to sell it as a standing-room only crowd, which probably isn't going to happen. The attendance numbers they announce are tickets sold and there are people who buy tickets that never show up and no idea on how many are sold everywhere on the popular secondary markets. Don't pay much attention to those.

The bottom line is getting a win. That probably won't be as easy as a lot of fans are strutting around saying. The Bulldogs are 3-3 on the year and one of those games is over a Power 5 opponent (okay, it's Arizona, but the Pac 12 is still a Power Five league, and a salty one at that this year, and they are going to the Big 12 next year).

All the Hogs have is a win over Kent State and an FCS school. State was blown out against LSU and Alabama while the Hogs kept it close. One thing clear about the SEC, though, is you can't handicap college football the old way much anymore.

This week usually has nothing to do with last week. That should lead to giving the fans enough hope to match that of what we've heard from players and Pittman this week. Kickoff will be at 11 a.m. on ESPN and fuboTV.

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