It was inevitable.

The week of Oct. 25, when Ole Miss visits the University of Arkansas, seemed the most likely time for it to happen. But not after the first game.

Yet, it did.

First, there were a few e-mails, and then later, while walking through Dillard's on Labor Day, a sales clerk started trying to make comparisons between the current and previous head coaches.

In case you missed it, Ole Miss soundly defeated the Memphis Tigers 41-24 and the Razorbacks squeaked by Western Illinois 28-24 on Saturday.

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The Leathernecks are the easiest opponent on the Hogs' schedule.

The Tigers were probably the Rebels' second-easiest opponent behind Samford.

A huge difference, of course, is that Memphis is a Division I-A program and the Leathernecks a I-AA (yeah, yeah, yeah, the NCAA has renamed the divisions for political reasons, but this is what they still are).

However, it is way too early to make comparisons and, most likely, this season is a moot point. This is a rebuilding year for the Razorbacks, and even if Bob Stoops, Pete Carroll, Nick Saban, Les Miles, Steve Spurrier and Urban Meyer were on staff, it would still be a season of laying a new foundation.

There's no sense in going into which coach inherited a talented team and which didn't. Those are well-known facts.

A program is made in three or four years, not five or six months.

It has been written here that after the Leathernecks the Razorbacks don't have one game you can circle as a sure victory. That opinion did not change Saturday night.

Heck, the way they played the first half, it looked like the Hogs might not win a game this season.

The Razorbacks had 144 total yards at halftime, and going into the final quarter they had added just 90 more.

A year ago, Darren McFadden would have had more than that by himself. Felix Jones, too.

The Hogs trailed 10-7 at the half, and their first touchdown was a pass caught by Joe Adams, who wasn't the intended receiver.

Less than five minutes into the final quarter, the Hogs trailed 24-14 and more than 70,000 Hog callers were quiet.

At that point, Casey Dick had a decent night going. He had completed 15 of 24 pass attempts with 1 interception. He had the accidental touchdown pass and had run 23 yards for another.

He had been sacked four times in the first half, and halftime adjustments were made that spread the field on offense. In the final quarter, the fans saw why Bobby Petrino had felt no pressure to name a backup quarterback.

Dick drove the Hogs 73 yards on nine plays, taking only 2:36 for a touchdown. In the drive, he completed 4 of 7 passes for 64 yards, including a 26-yard touchdown pass to Greg Childs, a true freshman who played like a senior the entire night.

The defense held, and after a 49-yard punt put the Razorbacks at their 17, Dick proved again that not only had he improved, he had greater poise.

It was obvious his confidence was growing, too.

In the Hogs' final drive, which covered 83 yards on 12 plays and used 3:53 of the clock, he completed six passes, the most important coming at the Western Illinois 33 on fourth-and-10.

Dick had just suffered three consecutive incompletions, but he threw the next pass in front of Carlton Salters, who made the catch for the first down.

Dick would have one final completion, 13 yards to Childs, and then he would scramble left for 4 yards and the winning touchdown.

Optimists, of course, were saying a win is a win.

Petrino was saying the Hogs have to get better and they have to do it in a hurry.

He cited the not-so-specialteams play and the defensive line as spots where immediate attention will be focused.

Most likely, there is no comparison. Petrino was the least-happy person in Reynolds Razorback Stadium last Saturday.