HOG CALLS: Hogs must believe in themselves first

— There is some good in most, even through troubled times when it may appear there is no good in any.

With his troubled team 1-4 overall and 0-2 in the SEC, Coach John L. Smith showed the Arkansas Razorbacks there was good in them or they wouldn’t have been good enough to become Razorbacks.

So as they prepared last week to take on Auburn in Auburn, Ala., Smith said players were shown film of good plays they had made.

Watching them outdo themselves would help them believe in themselves, Smith believed.

“Our purpose in doing that was to let them know that everybody in this room can make plays,” Smith said. “You wouldn’t be sitting in this room if we didn’t believe you could make plays. You all have to believe that and go do that.”

No doubt it helped Arkansas considerably that Auburn (1-4, 0-2) has a young offensive line and hasn’t established a quarterback.

Nonetheless, the Hogs were underdogs on the road yet played with confidence in their 24-7 victory Saturday, particularly on defense, securing five turnovers and achieving eight sacks.

“It’s just the purpose of seeing it again that, ‘Yeah, that’s me! I did that!’ ” Smith said. “Now I have got to go and do that again.”

That’s their objective this week when they play host to SEC rival Kentucky on Saturday night in Fayetteville.

HOT CHILE PEPPER

A cross country meet in Fayetteville bigger than the Razorbacks seems incomprehensible, but that will be the case SaturdayAgri Course.

Arkansas Coach Chris Bucknam’s men’s team will be represented by a B-team Saturday morning at the 24th annual Chile Pepper Festival. That’s because his best runners will compete Friday at the Wisconsin adidas Festival, hosted by reigning men’s national champion Wisconsin.

Bucknam’s 2011 SEC cross country champions were left out of last year’s NCAA Championships. They fell into the at-large pool after running third at the NCAA South Central Regional and were omitted because it was deemed they hadn’t defeated enough teams from outside their region.

They were penalized for running at Chile Pepper, even with 2011 Chile Pepper champion Oklahoma State ranked No. 2 nationally.

So this year it’s on to Wisconsin for Bucknam’s men, even with Oklahoma State returning to Fayetteville.

Lance Harter, the coach of Ar-, his best Saturday at the Chile Pepper, but a couple of years ago they ran elsewhere like Bucknam’s men will do this weekend.

The Chile Pepper, which has drawn national renown and strong local support for its high school and open competition and is truly a festival beyond a meet, went on just fine without Harter’s A-team.

It will again without Bucknam’s A-team, both Arkansas coaches say.

“Let’s not kid ourselves,” Harter said. “The collegiate races are just filler. This is about high schools, and thank God, because our men’s and women’s programs have benefitted from that.”

Both coaches have and had Chile Pepper prep alums running as Razorbacks.

Bucknam vows to return his best to the Chile Pepper in 2013.

In the meantime, Razorbacks fans still will get to see Bucknam’s best and Harter’s best again with Arkansas hosting the NCAA South Central Regional meet Nov. 9.

Sports, Pages 14 on 10/10/2012