Mississippi tried hard to put up a good fight. If quarterback Brent Schaeffer had hit a few more of those open receivers, they might have made it a bit more interesting for the Hogs.
As it was, the Razorbacks jumped on Ole Miss early and kept the throttle down through most of the first half before becoming content with the lead. Except for two plays in the second half, which accounted for 105 yards and two touchdowns, the Hogs were happy to just let Mississippi stuff the run.
This team now has the personality that Houston Dale likes. Attacking on defense, physical on offense. Grind at you, but with big play potential on any snap.
The variety Gus has brought to the offense was very much on display in the first half. The Hogs totaled 28 plays for 168 yards and two touchdowns on their first three possessions. 20 runs, eight passes, time of possession 12 minutes and 12 seconds. The next drive, right before halftime, totaled eight plays and was recorded at 2:34 in the official stats.
First half – 35 plays, 25 runs, 10 passes. 113 yards running, 79 yards passing.
Why were we able to seemingly dominate Mississippi when we played Alabama even and they gave Alabama all they wanted just last week?
Some things stand out. The defense is getting early stops. Tackling is much better. Linebacker play is now solid. Defensive line is playing well. Good pressure. The offense is scoring early. Drives are being finished instead of stalling on incomplete passes around midfield. The passing game is possession focused.
When you get two or three scores ahead early in the game, it is just a better situation.
We definitely took our foot off the throttle. I thought the offense was pretty boring from the middle of the second quarter on. It didn’t really need to do much to preserve the win and so it didn’t bother. The Hogs longest possession in the second half was 2:14. Truthfully, without the two big plays, we did nothing on offense in the second half. The second half running game was pretty ineffective. 28 yards running. 26 passing (without counting the 105 yards on two plays).
Was that because Mississippi was stopping us or because we were coasting? I don’t know.
I do know that the win looked good scrolling across the TV screen. That’s a nice thing to see. This team is doing way better than any of us probably expected a few weeks ago.