Competitive for a half?
Last updated Friday, October 3, 2008 4:23 PM CDT in Columns
By Harry King
THE MORNING NEWS
FAYETTEVILLE -- How come coworkers remember the missteps and can't recall the on-target prognostications?
Twice this week, they have asked the same question: Still sticking with 5-7? That's what I was down with for Arkansas in the preseason and I'm not backing off until it is mathematically impossible. The way things are going, that could be the 10th game of the season on Nov. 8 at South Carolina.
After the Razorbacks' debacles against Alabama and Texas, a complete form reversal is incomprehensible today vs. Florida. However, small, positive steps are both doable by the players and needed as encouragement for all involved.
For starters, Florida 20, Arkansas 10, would be nice when the Razorbacks exit the Broyles Complex for the second half.
Alabama 35, Arkansas 7, and Texas 31, Arkansas 3 are discouraging to even the most naive athletes and fans. Arkansas has not scored in the first quarter this season and the offense has only recorded one touchdown in the first three quarters during the past two weeks. As the quarterback, Casey Dick gets the blame for the sputtering, but be fair and cut the opposition in for a piece of the action.
Alabama is now No. 2 in the country and Texas is No. 5.
Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino acknowledged this week that his first Louisville team also suffered from growing pains, but added that it was easier for Stefan LeFors to make plays against UTEP and Temple than it was for Dick vs. 'Bama and Texas.
"We had this little quarterback that a lot of times made up for the other mistakes on the field because he could take off or scramble around and run, overcome some of those mistakes that you make," he said. "I'm not sure he would've done that against the defensive fronts and linebackers we just played the other day."
Florida is also very good, still the pick of many to win the SEC. The Gators' talent and Tim Tebow's promise after the surprising loss to Ole Miss have created a sense of foreboding among Arkansas fans. The loss, Tebow said, would motivate the entire Gator group "to never let something like this happen again, especially when we feel we're better than a team and don't play up to our ability."
Florida is much better than Arkansas and should win by 20 or more. It is unlikely that the Gators will help the Razorbacks as much as they gifted the Rebels, including losing three of five fumbles. In addition, Tebow missed some receivers on deep routes and was sacked three times.
Still, the Gators could have won if Tebow had been productive running the ball. He wound up with the ball 15 times and netted 7 yards, including a fat zero on fourth-and-1 when he started a quarterback sneak from 6 yards behind the center. Florida coach Urban Meyer has caught all sorts of grief for that call.
The Gators' bounce-back is a certainty; not so with Arkansas. Petrino says he has talked to the players about sticking together, about improving each week, and about understanding that two-thirds of the season remains. The demon is the damage to attitude and psyche inflicted by lopsided losses.
A solid 30 minutes of football with some crisp tackling and a few third-down conversions would be a heartening baby step in the proper direction.
About this columnist
The dean of Arkansas sports writers, Harry King updates his column five days per week with the latest on the Razorbacks. A 35-year veteran of The Associated Press, King joined the Arkansas News Bureau in May of 2002. He's covered the Razorbacks since the Arkansas-Texas game dubbed the Big Shootout in 1969.
Reader Comments (No comments posted.)
The following comments are provided by readers and are the sole responsibility of their authors. The Morning News does not review comments before their publication, nor do we guarantee their accuracy. By publishing a comment here you agree to abide by our comment policy. If you see a comment that violates our policy, please notify the web editor.
Not already registered?
