June 19, 2013

The Good, The Bad and The Fugly — Louisiana-Monroe

September 10, 2012 by

Some random thoughts after the Razorbacks’ disastrous loss in Little Rock to Louisiana-Monroe.

The Good

  • (AP Photo/David Quinn) Good to see junior wide receiver Julian Horton and freshman Mekale McKay get the first touchdown receptions of their careers.  Horton’s 20-yard, acrobatic first quarter touchdown and McKay’s 13-yard grab to start the third quarter were the highlights of the evening.
  • While it certainly wasn’t ‘good’ for the Hogs, we need to give credit to ULM for outcoaching and outplaying the Razorbacks.  Quarterback Kolton Browning and the Warhawks were the better team on Saturday night and deserved to win.  But…

The Bad

  • …Where were the adjustments by the Razorback coaches?  Given the pressure ULM was bringing — pressure to the point where we couldn’t keep our quarterback from getting smacked in the mouth every play — where was the screen game?  Where was the blitz control and hot routes?  We saw none of that other than one failed screen pass by Brandon Allen in the fourth quarter.  Terrible.
  • The complete inability — or even an attempt — to control the clock in the second half.  After Allen led the Hogs on a 66-yard scoring drive to start the third quarter, the Hogs only mustered one first down the rest of the game.  ONE!

The Fugly

  • (AP Photo/David Quinn) On defense, the Hogs could not get off the field, while the offense repeatedly went 3-and-out in the last quarter and a half…against a Sun Belt team.  Total Plays: ULM 103, Arkansas 66.  Time of Possession: ULM 39:19, Arkansas 20:41.  Incomprehensible numbers for us to fathom.  One of the worst performances and arguably the worst loss in Razorback program history.  FUGGGGLY.

Of course, we can’t possibly mention everything that was “Good, Bad and Fugly.”  What did we leave out?

Walking on Sunshine also contributed to this post.

Filed Under: Arkansas Razorbacks, Football
  • GolfHog

    There are plenty of other issues but, for the loss, I think you got the two best; even with an unprepared and under performing team, mediocre coaching wins the game simply by calling a balanced game plan and working time of possession. Sitting there Saturday night I could not believe my eyes seeing Brandon Allen snap the ball with 23 seconds left on the play clock.
    I hate to say I told you so, but I made this exact comment last week and Sunshine talked me down. This defense calls out, screams, for a bit of ball control. We have TWO of the best running backs in the nation but refuse to open them a hole or stick with the running game. It’s what we should have been working on anyway with Alabama up next.
    One more. Down 7 to Alabama Tyler may need to take a shot or two. Against ULM, Tyler should have been coached to get down and protect himself. Obviously there is no one more important to this team. It’s simple common sense.
    How about one vote for poor Willy. His defense was never this bad.

  • OwassoHog

    For me, the Bad was lack of half time adjustment… we got NOTHING in this area.
    The Ugly which was as a result of the game… the post Bobby bashing by Chris Bahn and other writers/bloggers… just pitiful… current folks need to take ownership of this loss!

  • CarterWPS

    how come Knile Davis wasnt scoring like crazy and everything? He’s not living up to what he told everyone about being the Best RB in the SEC. Lattimore is showing him up.

  • HungryHog

    Knile didn’t run well because he would hesitate at the line of scrimmage every time he got the ball. Timid. Hasn’t seen action in over a year. Greg Childs deja vu.

    It’s just horrible all the way around. I am kind of tired of the “easy to blame the coaches, it looks like we didn’t recruit well.” These guys are on scholarship for an SEC school. We may not have the talent to stack up against the lines of Alabama and LSU, but anyone that receives a scholarship at the University of Arkansas should be able to stand up and smack a ULM player in the mouth.
    Those Warhawks wanted it. They were coached up. Our coaches were PITIFUL. I put this 100% on the coaches. We made horrible play calls on both sides of the ball. The players were making huge mistakes and not being corrected by their coaches. No halftime adjustment. No clock/game management. (basic stuff). The Bobby Petrino System does not work without Bobby Petrino.

    Having Grandpa over the team does not work. Somebody needs to own the team – we need a captain. We need a boss hog.

    My best idea for this weekend is to treat Kirby Smart very well. Someone deliver Mama Dean’s food to his hotel. We need him to fall in love with Northwest Arkansas.

    • pighead

      I think these coaches know that this is their final season with UofA and were are trying to get as much money as they can for their time – which includes betting against the team they are coaching; esp. the head coach who is in bankruptcy. The UofA athletic director is a nerd and expects everyone to be honest and open – even B Petrino – and he is getting what he deserves for being a naive idiot out of his comfort zone.

  • TexArk Razorback

    HEY, COACH,
    Are we still in the chase for the National Championship? After all of your media hype, stressing the Hogs’ ability and plan to win the National Championship, somehow, our Hogs must have forgotten about reality. What a contrast with Nick Sabin, who raises hell with the media for reporting that Alabama is better than average!
    After your stint at Arkansas, maybe you can become a financial adviser!
    Phil Johnson, Sr.,
    60+ Year Hog Fan

  • soupdhog

    I guess we’re back to reality. I really drank the kool aid this year. But after this loss, I’ve really taken a step back and tried to look at where we truly are.
    Most of us thought that with Smith, we just had a guy that could keep Bobby’s system going. In reality, we have a new QB coach, O coordinator, D coordinator and special teams coach. How is that keeping Bobby’s system intact? Even though Paul P is Bobby’s brother, it’s clearly evident he’s not the same.
    It’s a shame, but this really isn’t on the kids. It’s all on our new coaches. Moving Mitchell to WR seemed like a good idea, but Allen is not ready to step into Wilson’s shoes when he goes out. Coaches should have recognized that.
    Not running the ball in the second half was a horrible exhibition of play calling. Even if we don’t get a first down, you run a 4-5 minutes off the clock and give your D a breather. I disagree with some that are putting this on the defense – when your defense is on the field 75% of the game you can’t expect them to hold up. When they get 2 minutes to catch a breath while the offense throws 3 incompletions, you don’t give your D a chance.
    Our D held the most of the game. They were clearly out of gas in the 4th quarter and OT – just like they were against LSU last year.
    In my mind, this is all on the offense, particularly after Tyler went out.
    If Tyler is back for Bama, we may have a chance at home. It’s a long shot, but still a chance. I hope our fans can rally around these kids – they didn’t ask for this situation and it’s a lot for a bunch of 18-20 year olds to deal with. Giving them love and support may help more than anything else right now.

    • GolfHog

      It’s the great thing about college football Soup, every year is a new day, a new drama. You have to know the season starts with pretenders and contenders and shifts early on breaks, coaching, and confidence. After going 21-5 in two years with nice bowls we looked at the schedule and Tyler and Knile and said if we are ever to have a year, this must be our year. The cool aid tasted oh so good going down. There was no thought to the O-line or linebackers or safeties or corners. We even looked away when we lost our coach, a coach known for having his hand on every button, every position and decision. It will be interesting to see if we have any chance on Saturday. We will know alot more about what kind of team we really have.

  • Roadhog

    Good: None of those coaches will become the next head coach at Arkansas; their names won’t be mentioned as possibilities. Perhaps the Bobby Petrino loyalists will quit calling for his return.

    Great: Breeding’s 55-yard punt from his own end zone. (It was that kind of night.)

    Bad: The second half, coaching and playing, offense and defense, rushing and passing. (The worst half of football in Razorback history?)
    Fugly: The way you feel after the home team performs so miserably.

  • Roadhog

    The Unbelievable: On some of the other sites there are comments about how bad these coaches are and that we should bring back B. Petrino. Remember, Bobby Petrino hired every one of these coaches, even the clown JLS, some of them twice, at Arkansas, more than twice perhaps if you count his other stops. Please give that old dog a rest.

  • texhogforever

    I’m afraid Saturday night was an extinction event for Razorbacks football, All we can do is hope Jeff Long and the Razorback Foundation can come up with the right coach and pay package to get the program back on track. By the way, start Brandon Mitchell Saturday against Alabama. At 6’4, 230, he has a fighting chance if he runs the football and rolls the pocket to pass . . . a fighting chance to stay alive!!! Brandon Allen will simply get killed . . . .