Arkansas Razorbacks: Road to Redemption

arkansassports360.com

Last weeks 52-0 loss in Fayetteville was the first shut out there since the 60's. Tyler Wilson did not play because he was still recovering from concussion like symptoms. But Tyler did make a splash not because of his play but because of his talk after the game. As you can tell from the picture it was not a happy talk. Tyler said "It wasn't pretty to me to sit on the sideline and watch as a player. Sucks I can't be out there and do anything about it. Do I feel that we, at times, gave up out there? Yeah. Absolutely," He also said "As a leader it sucks to see people not do their jobs and things go wrong." Tyler was fired up and upset at the way the players played. He wasn't the only one as Razorback Nation was also very upset. Midway through the second quarter the game was only 7-0 Alabama. But everything went south after that. The Hogs did have a chance to score but missed on field goal that banged off the upright. Just when Hog fans thought things couldn't get any worse, John L Smith did what he does best and said something stupid that the media is now running with and making the entire Razorback Nation look dumb. JLS said in his press conference to get your chin up and SMILE. That press conference video has now gone viral and plenty of parody videos are already popping up.

This afternoon ESPN's Outside the Lines did their show on Arkansas. They called it #ArkansasMess . They basically talked about who was responsible and what could be done to fix the situation. There are plenty of opinions on who and what do to. Most people agree that Bobby Petrino has some type of blame in all this. The one thing that could get this train back on track is winning.

Razorback Nation got some great news today when Tyler Wilson was cleared to return. Tyler is by far the leader of this team and I dare say the organization right now. His return has already breathed some life into the fan base. Rutgers is a winnable game especially with Tyler at the helm. Tyler is the conductor of the train that is the Arkansas Razorbacks. The Razorbacks are arguably the laughing stock of college football. From top 10 program week one to a program in shambles now. The remaining games on the schedule besides LSU and maybe South Carolina are fairly winnable games. It all starts this weekend with Rutgers. The Hogs must take the rest of the season week to week in hopes of building up some wins and momentum to build the Road to Redemption.

Razorback Nation: United We Stand, Divided We Fall

Arkansas News Bureau

Arkansas fans woke up Sunday morning thinking they had a nightmare but unfortunately it was a reality. The number 8 ranked Arkansas Razorbacks lost to an unranked Louisiana Monroe WarHawk team Saturday night. The Hogs were up 28-7 before allowing the WarHawks to come back and tie the game up to send it to overtime. After the Hogs kicked a field goal they gave up a touchdown to end up losing the game 34-31. Also in the game Tyler Wilson was knocked out of the game with what appears to be a concussion type injury. The university is not really saying what is wrong with him or a timetable for return. Also injured in the game was cornerback Tevin Mitchell. Mitchell was carted off the field after colliding with teammate Alonzo Highsmith. He appears to be moving and doing better. Hopefully he will make a full recovery regardless if he play football again or not.  The last major injury from the game came from running back/fullback Kody Walker who ended up getting a lower leg injury and its being said that he is out for the season. Things went from bad to worse by lunch time on Sunday. The new AP poll came out and the Razorbacks dropped from number 8 to out of the AP poll. This was the second largest drop in the history of the poll.

Razorback fans are understandably upset today. The Hogs were a 30 point favorite over ULM. Their were high expectations for this team this season. Obviously the end goals of the season have changed but its time for the fans to get behind this team and support them. Twitter, Facebook, and other social media sites were littered with fans very upset about the loss and blaming everyone from Jeff Long to John L Smith to the players to even Bobby Petrino. Some fans are trying to sell their tickets to this weekends big match up against Alabama. I hope some fans buy those tickets because those selling them don't deserve to go. I would rather go and watch MY team get beat 100 than be hypocritical about my fandom.

If you were a fan on Saturday then you need to be a fan today. Its ok to be upset, mad, even ticked off but its not ok to throw in the towel on the team. If you don't want to be a fan anymore that's fine go out and be a fan of LSU or someone else but don't talk about the Hogs anymore like your a fan.

Its times like these that the Razorback Nation has to come together and remain strong. United We Stand, Divided We Fall!

2012 Arkansas Razorbacks Season Preview and Predictions

www.arkansasrazorbacks.com

There is just 15 days till the Razorbacks kickoff against Jacksonville State in Fayetteville. This past off-season has been one of the wildest in recent memory. Former Coach Bobby Petrino was involved in a motorcycle wreck that led to the discovery of infidelity and illegal hiring practices. He was let go mostly due to the illegal hiring of the women that he had the infidelity with. He also lied to his boss Athletic Director Jeff Long. With the timing of the incident there weren't many coaches available to take over the talented Razorbacks. Jeff Long reached out to former assistant coach John L. Smith. Smith had just left the Hogs to take over the Head Coach job at his alma mater Weber State. Smith knows the system and knows the players and the other coaches. He is the perfect fit for a rent-a-coach. Smith was given a 10 month contract. Most including myself don't think there is a thing he can do to remain the Head Coach of the Hogs including winning a National Championship. Also during the spring there were some issues with players. Andrew Peterson, Maudrecus Humphrey, and Marquel Wade were arrested and later removed from the team. But there is good news on the season. Knile Davis is back and says he is back to full strength. Tyler Wilson also returned to the team rather than make a run for the NFL. Paul Petrino also returned to the Hogs to take over for Garrick McGee who left to become the UAB Head Coach. Right before the Cotton Bowl two new defensive coaches were brought in after Willie Robinson was not retained. Taver Johnson and Paul Haynes both previously at Ohio State showed the upgrade they will bring during the Cotton Bowl.  This years Razorback team is one of the most talent from top to bottom in a long time.

Arkansas Razorback Schedule
9-1 Jacksonville State----------------------------------------------------------------W
9-8 Louisiana-Monroe @WarMemorialStadium in Little Rock------------W
9-15 Alabama--------------------------------------------------------------------------W
9-22 Rutgers---------------------------------------------------------------------------W
9-29 @Texas A&M-------------------------------------------------------------------W
10-6 @Auburn------------------------------------------------------------------------W
10-13 Kentucky----------------------------------------------------------------------W
10-27 Ole Miss @WarMemorialStadium in Little Rock------------------W
11-3 Tulsa (Homecoming)-------------------------------------------------------W
11-10 @South Carolina----------------------------------------------------------W
11-17 @Mississippi State--------------------------------------------------------W
11-23 LSU--------------------------------------------------------------------------W

I am drinking the kool-aid as they say. This team is very talented and very motivated. The schedule sets them up for lots of success. The only losses I could see possible happening would be to Alabama or LSU. Both of those teams did lose a lot last year and LSU just lost their special team beast the Honey Badger. With the games being at home I have to give the edge to the Razorbacks. Texas A&M at College Station could be a tough task. Miss State is always tough at home. South Carolina wont be an easy win but should be a competitive game.

This should be a very special year for the Hogs. Some National Media pundits have mentioned thier prediction for the National Championship game would be the Hogs vs Southern Cal. As a die-hard Razorback fan that sounds good to me. I could really care less who the Hogs played if they were to win a SEC and National Title. Recruiting is ahead of schedule at this point and that is a good thing considering the coaching situation. Even if the Hogs stumble a little this year they are positioning themselves to be a major player in the years to come.

How you do you see the season turning out?

2012: Year of the Hog

The stars seem to be aligning for the Arkansas Razorbacks to make a run at a SEC title and National Championship. Knile Davis has decided to stay at Arkansas at least one more year to give his all to Razorback Nation. Knile could have left for the NFL and started his career but choose to return to see how he could help the Hogs. Another piece of the puzzle decided to stay at Arkansas as well. Tyler Wilson will return to lead the Hogs. Colbi Hamilton and Chris Gragg also decided to stay. The offensive line should only improve. The defense showed promise in the short time with new defensive coordinator Paul Haynes. The Hogs are losing a lot at the wide out spot. All world receiver Joe Adams, Greg Childs, and Jaruis Wright all are gone to the NFL. Even with all those losses the Razorbacks have the players ready to step up in their place. Hogs are also chasing a major recruit in DGB. He is a guy that would be able to come in and play immediately as a freshman in the SEC. Even if DGB doesn't choose the Hogs they still have the weapons compete for the SEC and National Titles. 2012 should be the Year of the Hog. I am going to start a twitter campaign using the hash tag #2012YearoftheHog. If you agree use the hashtag to get the word out.

No Knile, No Problem

When Knile Davis went down with his injury everyone in attendance was breathless. Knile is a Heisman worthy running back. He means a lot to the Razorbacks. What people need to understand is the season is not lost now that Knile is lost for the season. Knile was not the starter at the beginning of the season last year. He burst on the season after Dennis Johnson got injured. Dennis Johnson is back from injury and he and Ronnie Wingo will battle for that starting spot. The offensive line will have 3 games to get some experience and gel before going to Alabama for the first test of the season. Knile will be missed as a locker room presence. However his talent wont be missed much. Wingo and Johnson are very talented and one of those guys will step up and provide that run game relief that Tyler Wilson will need to succeed this year. Not many people expect a 1000 yard rusher but the run game should still be good. The Razorbacks are very talented this year and one player going down doesn't change the fact that the Hogs are loaded and poised to still have a great season.

New Mexico at Arkansas(War Memorial) Predicition

According to EA Sports this is how the game will turn out.

Final Score: Hogs  41 New Mexico 7
Hogs Rank after game: 15
Total Offense: 481
Passing Yards: 316
Rushing Yards: 165
Total Yards: 553
Player of the Game: Tyler Wilson 16-25, 270 Yards, 3 TD'S

My prediction:
This is another glorified scrimmage game. Offense will just be vanilla as they work on getting a few more plays in but will keep it simple not to give too much away to Alabama. Should be a very easy win with the talent the Hogs have. Backups should get some good playing time in this game as well. The fans will be nuts for this game since its in Little Rock and the atmosphere there is always crazy. 

My score:
Hogs 45 New Mexico 0