Did Oklahoma State See Enough to Lose Sleep Over Hogs’ Win?
Razorbacks’ 70-0 win may have showed promise to fans, but Cowboys have their own problems first
Nobody, except Sam Pittman and his staff, was as interested in seeing what the supposedly rebuilt Razorbacks looked like in their season debut than Mike Gundy.
What Pittman and Gundy both saw was akin to a dad taking his misbehaving son to the proverbial woodshed. 70-0, a shutout Pittman coveted. The UA offense orchestrated by new (or should we say former) offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino scored on all 10 possessions. No team had done that in their opener in 20 years.
For the Hogs, it was a glorified practice.
But they got to wear uniforms, square off against someone else, and go through game-day preparations.
Too bad they had to play in Little Rock, at outdated War Memorial Stadium in front of a small “announced” crowd of 42,756. The real number of fans might’ve filled half of Razorback Stadium, which seats 76,412. Little Rock’s quaint but historic venue can hold 54,120.
What everyone saw, including me on the ESPNU national telecast, was an Arkansas team with potential. Enough potential to make Gundy, the Oklahoma State coach who faces Arkansas in eight days, lose a bit of sleep next week.
No. 17-ranked Oklahoma State is about a 9-point favorite to send the Hogs home unhappy on September 7. We’ll find out along with a national TV audience, courtesy of ABC, at 11 a.m. Central Time.
Can the Hogs pull off what nobody outside of the Arkansas program expects next week? Unlikely. Oklahoma State is talented across the board, with lots of experience.
They’ve got a great running back who led the country in rushing and was second in touchdowns last year and a seventh-year(!) quarterback who knows how to win.
The entire starting offensive line is back, but if stalwart UA defensive end Landon Jackson — a future NFL starter — and his mates can cause some havoc and contain the running game, this one could come down to the wire.
It means nothing, but Arkansas has won five straight in the series between the schools. Last time they played was 1980, when the phrase dual-threat quarterback had never been heard. Well, the Hogs have one of those, and I saw enough last night to think he might be the answer.
