The proverbial fork in the road -- the road being Arkansas' season -- is tonight's game.

Arkansas' season can turn onto one of two paths. Win tonight, and all goals remain. Ten wins? Still possible. Southeastern Conference Western Division title? Still possible. New Year's Day bowl game? Still possible.

But lose tonight, and the Razorbacks face an uphill climb the remainder of the season as losers of two of their first three games.

Simply put, Arkansas may need every ounce of offense it can muster against No. 21 Kentucky. This has the makings of being one of those crazy shootouts, one of those insane games that ends with a winner because that team had the ball last.

As always, the Hogs must ride their Heisman-hopeful horse, Darren McFadden. They must utilize Felix Jones. And they must get downfield production, at least once in a while, from quarterback Casey Dick.

No Lousy Start

Arkansas cannot afford to spot Kentucky 21 points in the first quarter like the Razorbacks did last Saturday at Alabama. The Razorbacks must show urgency, starting with the opening kickoff. They can't take a quarter to settle in. Win the first quarter, Arkansas coach Houston Nutt said, and winning the game becomes easier. "I told them the very first five minutes are so critical," Nutt said. "You're at home, and there's no reason not to be ready to go." Center Jonathan Luigs echoed his coach's remarks, stating the first quarter at Alabama was a disaster. "It snowballed real fast," Luigs said. "We just weren't ready. We'll be ready (today). We know how important the first quarter is. We know how important our first drive will be."

D-Mac and Felix

As usual, Arkansas' fate rests on the output of arguably the top running back tandem in the country. McFadden and Jones should have productive games. They have run for 571 yards in their first two games, and Kentucky's run defense is no better than Troy and Alabama. Like most of Arkansas' opponents, Kentucky will look to stop McFadden first. Kentucky coach Rich Brooks said game planning for McFadden was difficult. "They use him in so many different ways that it does create problems. It's not like you can prepare to line up and stop him in the I-formation, because he's going to be in different places and will give you different looks. There are so many different packages that they use him in."

Defensive Line

It's a tough call between this unit and the Arkansas secondary for most underachieving group so far this season. Some new starters will try and turn that around tonight. Three of the four players who will start tonight on the defensive line were not starters at the start of the season. Senior Marcus Harrison has moved into a starting end spot. Senior tackle Fred Bledsoe, starting for suspended Ernest Mitchell, finally gets a chance to fulfill some of the hype he brought with him as a freshman. And Antwain Robinson will make his second straight start at the other end position. The line must pressure Kentucky quarterback Andre' Woodson, must disrupt the backfield like it hasn't yet done on a consistent basis this season.

Michael Grant

Arkansas' coaches didn't particularly want to make this move. They didn't want to move Grant back to cornerback, where he played as a freshman and sophomore. But they had no choice. Jerell Norton struggled all night at Alabama, and they figured that Grant didn't serve the team's best interests at free safety. Kevin Woods slides into the starting spot at free safety, and Norton becomes the team's nickel and dime back. But the most intrigue surrounds whether Grant shows much rust at cornerback. "Grant is fast," Herring said. "He's a little rusty on his technique, but he can make a mistake and recover." Grant's play will be especially important in the red zone, where Kentucky is a perfect 16-for-16 this season with 14 touchdowns.

Special Teams

In a game like this, where points could fly onto the scoreboard at a furious pace, special teams play is crucial. "That's why we work on all aspects of our special teams all week," Arkansas special teams coach James Shibest said. "Arkansas needs big returns from Jones on kickoffs. The Hogs need no fumbles on punt returns from Peyton Hillis. They need to keep Kentucky's Rafael Little from breaking off long punt returns. And Arkansas must keep getting consistent production from punter Jeremy Davis and kicker Alex Tejada. The true freshman kicker from Springdale is 9-of-10 on extra points and 5-of-5 on field goals. Davis ranks second in the SEC and 23rd nationally in punting with a 43.9-yard average.

The Countermeasures

Kentucky is not just a basketball school any longer. Rich Brooks' bunch proved this last Saturday with a dramatic victory over then-No. 9 and in-state rival Louisville. The Wildcats can make another statement tonight with something that has eluded the program in recent years.

A signature road win.

The Wildcats, undefeated in three games, are built to be in every game they play. Their offense is second to none in terms of talent. They have a quarterback with an NFL body, an NFL arm and an NFL future. They have an elusive little running back. They have three consistent wide receivers, and a large tight end with great hands.

Defensively, though, Kentucky must overachieve tonight. The Wildcats have shown they have troubles stopping the run. So Arkansas isn't the type of team Kentucky likes to game plan for, considering the challenges presented to them by Darren McFadden and Felix Jones.

Andre Woodson

Next April, Woodson could become the first quarterback selected in the NFL Draft. His game screams NFL. He's 6-foot-5. He's 230 pounds. He's athletic. If NFL quarterbacks were genetically engineered, they'd look like Woodson. Oh, and he's deadly accurate with his throws, as well. He completed 63 percent of his passes last season as a junior. "He's so smart back there," Arkansas cornerback Matterral Richardson said. "He won't force it. If you give him time, he'll pick you apart." Woodson had the biggest game of his Kentucky career last Saturday in the upset of Louisville. He completed 30 of his 44 passes, tossed for 275 yards and threw four touchdowns. And tonight, he could set the NCAA record for consecutive passes without an interception.

Rafael Little

Kentucky isn't a one-dimensional team. Far from it. Little is as key to the offense's success as Woodson. The Wildcats use him in one- and two-back formations, and Little has shown the ability to pop a lengthy gain at any time. The 5-10, 195-pounder ranks 13th nationally in rushing and has gained at least 100 yards in each of Kentucky's first three games. But Little may affect this game more on special teams. Little was named a first-team all-SEC pick as a sophomore by the Associated Press as a punt returner. Subsequently, Arkansas spent more time than usual this week on its punt covering. Alabama's Javier Arenas burned the Razorbacks on a crucial 58-yard return in last Saturday's third quarter.

Defensive Line

Kentucky's four starters up front don't have much experience, or much success to draw from. The Wildcats start one senior, one junior and two sophomore on the defensive line. That senior, Dominic Lewis, realizes what kind of challenges he and his teammates face tonight. "They have a big offensive line, a traditional Arkansas line. I think they will be one of the better run-blocking teams that we have played in a while due to McFadden. Playing against guys like McFadden, you always try to raise your level of play. If you stop him, the whole nation sees that you stopped him." That's a bold "if," considering Kentucky ranks 10th in the SEC in run defense, even after playing opponents such as Eastern Kentucky and Kent State.

Jacob Tamme

Seriously, Tamme is a tight end in name only. This strong, yet athletic target for Woodson stands 6-5 and weighs 240 pounds. But he has all the abilities of a wide receiver. He has soft hands. He runs precise routes. He finds holes in the defense. And he has steadily improved every season. As a freshman, he caught 16 passes for 161 yards. As a sophomore, he caught 29 passes for 251 yards. As a junior, he caught 32 passes for 386 yards. Including this season, Tamme has averaged 10.1 yards per reception. A former high school shortstop, Tamme ranks third in Kentucky history in career catches. He had two enormous receptions against Louisville -- a fourth-quarter touchdown and a fourth-down conversion.

Conquer Road

The Wildcats are experienced enough to not let the surroundings of Reynolds Razorback Stadium bother them. In years past, Kentucky squads didn't handle such environments well. But late last season, that all changed. The Wildcats held on for a 34-31 victory last October at Mississippi State. They then took Tennessee to the limit in Knoxville, leading at halftime before losing 17-12. Now, they need to play a mistake-free game to have a chance at leaving Fayetteville with a win. They obviously possess the right quarterback to pull off such a victory. Woodson doesn't usually make mistakes. But then again, dealing with 73,000-some screaming Razorback fans can cause quarterbacks to do some pretty out-of-character things.