May 23, 2013

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly — South Carolina

November 12, 2012 by

Some random thoughts after the Razorbacks’ loss on the road to South Carolina.

The Good

  • (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) If you can’t win games, you might as well settle for rewriting the record books.  After setting the single season receptions record last week, Cobi Hamilton now owns the bookend, single season yardage record (1,149).  Tyler Wilson now owns the career completions mark (539), and Zach Hocker the career kicker scoring record at 285 points.
  • Saturday in Columbia was full of a lot of ‘firsts’.  WR Keon Hatcher (first reception, first touchdown), WR Demetrius Wilson (first career touchdown), CB Tevin Mitchell (first career interception) and LB Otha Peters (first career start) will all remember Saturday forever.

The Bad

  • If you have a weakness on defense, Steve Spurrier will find and exploit it.  The ol’ ball coach continually worked the middle of the field with his tight ends, leaving freshman linebackers Peters and A.J. Turner in tough cover situations all day.
  • (AP Photo/Rainier Ehrhardt) As the long, painful, death march that is the 2012 season continues, the sloppy play gets worse every week.  Momentum changing turnovers and penalties cost the Hogs dearly all day – including a red zone fumble by Dennis Johnson, and a third quarter pick-6 by D.J. Swearinger that sealed the victory.

The Ugly

  • From Tom Murphy’s story in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette…

Asked if it would have been a good game to get freshman quarterback Brandon Allen some snaps, Paul Petrino replied, “I don’t know.  I kept Tyler in, so if you want to criticize me, criticize me.  I’m not going to change my answer.”

Situations like this is where you miss a head coach that has a lick of common sense.  Egregious mistake (again), and another opportunity lost for Allen.

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

Filed Under: Arkansas Razorbacks, Football Tagged With:
  • GolfHog

    You said it!! The Paul Petrino comment on Wilson really shows what a rudderless ship this is. The enabler sits on the sideline and lets these absentee coaches harm the program. Long should have stepped in after ULM. It just shows that Long is the John Pelphry of ADs. This year literally could not have been worse.
    We have several good choices in the coaching search but I have less and less hope that Long is the guy to get it done. Then it will take 4 years to correct the mistake after he is gone.

  • EArHog

    The last thing you want the players to think is that the coaches have given up on a game, or on the season. The coaches have to make the players believe that they are giving it all they’ve got – right up to the final horn if the coaches are going to ask the players not to give up until the final horn. I agree with CPP.

  • The Voice of Reason

    Golf, I’m curious – who do you think Long could have brought in for 3 months after the ULM game that could have done a better job?
    In terms of Long’s performance, I guess you forget that he hired Petrino (who we all loved before his lapses in judgement), and Mike Anderson.
    Under Long’s guidance we’ve been to a BCS bowl, have a Cotton Bowl ring, had a team in the College World Series, and still have an elite track and field program.
    What makes you think Long can’t hit another home run with our next football coach?

    • GolfHog

      John L. Smith and John Pelphry.

  • JimDoggg

    You guys and some of the posters here have this fixation on using Brandon Allen as QB. I’m telling you that Allen will either be gone or will not be the starting QB with the new coach (Of course, I could be wrong,and frequently am). Mitchell would be a better bet because of experience. One of the things a new administrative head does, whether in business, academics or in sports, is to get the program into his own mold. Cleaning house is the appropriate term. In academics when a new head comes in, those without tenure are toast, especially if they had a close relationhip with the old head. There are exceptions but the rule is out with the old in with the new. I really, at this point, don’t see what advantage that replacing Wilson would give the Hogs now or next year. Wilson is a leader and the team trusts him. If you think that this would be good for Allen, well say so, but I don’t see any advantage for Arkansas at this point. I would still like to see Tyler and Cobi run up their stats and they deserve it. Why don’t you also suggest using a backup punter for experience since Breeding won’t be here next year? Me, l still think that the Hogs have a chance against MSU and LSU (well, maybe not so good against LSU). At some point the Hogs should reduce mental and physical errors. I remember the miracle on Markham and the defeat of LSU in Baton Rouge when the Tigers went on to be National Champions. (Nutts finest hour – followed by one of his worst)

    Another thing, how come you guys aren’t giving J. Williams some love? This guy is the future at running back and has done well, but you guys have made him the invisible man. Heck, even the Demo-Zette has highlighted him.