Arkansas Razorbacks: Road to Redemption

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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.

2012 Arkansas Razorbacks Season Preview and Predictions

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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?