The Good

• Where would this team be without the play of running back Michael Smith?  The 5-foot-7 junior had 182 all-purpose yards on Saturday and showed a toughness and determination that impressed everyone.  After the game, Paul Petrino said Smith is giving “everything he’s got,” while Urban Meyer made a point of calling Smith “a heck of a player” in his post-game interview.
• For three quarters, the defense and tackling were better.  Simplifying the scheme looks to have helped the Hog defense execute faster.
• Along those lines, Wendel Davis was back at middle linebacker and tallied 11 tackles on Saturday.  Moving Davis allowed Jerry Franklin to slide over to outside linebacker…a position he looks more comfortable playing.
• The hurry-up drive right before halftime was going great…until the interception.  Still, the mere ability to execute a decent two-minute offense is something we’ve begged for on this site for years.  (And the catch made by Joe Adams during that drive was spectacular.)

The Bad

• The key drive of the game was after the Hogs intercepted Tim Tebow late in the third quarter.  After an ill-advised deep ball attempt to London Crawford on first down, two passes were completed short of the first down yardage.  As hard as the defense had played up to that point, they really needed the offensive players and coaches to produce more than a quick three-and-out.
• The Razorbacks are still looking for that elusive first quarter score.  They trail their opponents 41-0 collectively this season after one period of play.

The Ugly

• This team is not good enough on either side of the ball to overcome being penalized as much as they were on Saturday.  And speaking of not scoring in the opening quarter (see above), if you look at the Hogs’ first quarter drives on Saturday, they both stalled out after false start penalties.
• Unlike the rest of the team, special teams took a step back on Saturday.  In particular, the short kickoffs, blocked field goal and muffed punt.  (Luckily, a kickoff returned by Florida for a touchdown was called back after kicker Jeremy Davis took a block in the back ‘for the team.’)  After five games, Arkansas has not played a team this season that hasn’t had a superior special teams unit.

Walking on Sunshine also contributed to this post.

The Good

• Casey was the man.  He played a part in all four scores and set a career high with 318 passing yards.  We don’t win that game without him.
• Some of the freshman defensive players can really hit and hit hard.  Linebacker Jelani Smith completely blew up WIU running back Herb Donaldson and forced a fumble that stalled the Leathernecks first possession.
• As Bobby Petrino might say, the field looked ‘tight.’  The classic logo at midfield is just the right size and is flanked nicely by the SEC logos.

The Bad

• The protection breakdowns in the offensive line, an assumed strength of this team, was surprising and disappointing.  The sacks and negative plays allowed doomed several first half drives.
• As feared, the defensive front showed no signs of being able to stop the run.  Granted, Herb Donaldson was as good as advertised (35 carries for 157).  But still, we got pushed around pretty good.
• Several kickoffs by Jeremy Davis barely made it to the 20-yard line.  We need to try Tejada kicking off ASAP.
• Pile up those red pants on the 50-yard line and burn the damn things!  We’ve had enough of them in 2008.

The Ugly

• Elton Ford’s fumble on the opening kickoff immediately took the crowd out of the game.  It also set a tone of tentativeness by the Hogs that lasted well into the second quarter.
• I lost count of the dropped passes and dropped interceptions.  I know the humidity was really high, but it sure didn’t seem to affect the Leathernecks as much as the home team.
• When the going got tough, London Crawford took it to the house…just not the end zone.  The oft-injured receiver got his ‘bell rung’ on a fourth quarter kickoff return and was later carted off the field as a precaution.  Coach Petrino couldn’t specify on Sunday when he thought Crawford would be able to return to practice.