FAYETTEVILLE - There seems no excuse for any college football team to overlook its season opener regardless of opponent.
Certainly that should, and almost assuredly will, hold true for these Arkansas Razorbacks debuting under new Coach Bret Bielema against Louisiana-Lafayette at 3 p.m Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
Perhaps the Ragin’ Cajuns of the Sun Belt Conference may still strike some fans as a season-opening nonconference rent-a-win. And perhaps that was Arkansas’ original scheduling intent.
However given last year’s Razorbacks, who were ranked No. 8 going into their second game, were unraveled, 34-31 in overtime in Little Rock by 30-point underdog Louisiana-Monroe of the Sun Belt,no Arkansas player, coach or fan should chalk a “W” pre-kickoff.
Particularly since that Louisiana-Monroe loss exposed an overrated Arkansas team that would plummet to 4-8 would lose Tyler Wilson, receiver Cobi Hamilton, tight end Chris Gragg, running back Knile Davis and offensive guard Alvin Bailey, all past award winners.
Other than Hamilton, none reached heights during last year’s collapse under interim coach John L. Smith that they attained under previous coach Bobby Petrino.
Arkansas returns eight starters on defense who remember Louisiana-Monroe quarterback Kolton Browning bedeviling them last year in Little Rock. Browning passed 412 yards with three touchdowns and netted 69 yards rushing including the overtime-ending 16-yardtouchdown.
Louisiana-Lafayette quarterback Terrance Broadway, the transfer from Houston who started nine games to lead the 2012 Ragin’ Cajuns to a 9-4 record, including earning MVP of the 32-30 New Orleans Bowl victory over San Diego State. He enters 2013 deemed an even better run-pass threat than was Browning entering 2012.
Arkansas fans might recall that Bobby Petrino came close to losing his debut as Razorbacks coach, escaping Fayetteville and Little Rock with last-minute victories over Western Illinois, 28-24, and Louisiana-Monroe, 28-27, in 2008.
Those Hogs needed those opening escapes just to reach 5-7 for 2008 before Petrino accelerated 8-5, 10-3 and 11-2.
Bielema has been all confident and positive with a team requiring confidence and positives after last year’s abyss, but he’s also a realist.
Even while at last Friday’s Kickoff Luncheon pitching “the Razorback Red Bull people are drinking from 7 in the morning until 12 at night,” Bielema remarked, “I have no idea what the score or outcome of next Saturday will be, but whatever happens against Louisiana-Lafayette we will learn from it.”
Regardless of the Louisiana-Lafayette outcome, the sun will come up Sunday for the new Arkansas coach hired for the long haul.
But most assuredly Bielema’s Sunday will shine day vs. night brighter if victorious Saturday, even if it’s just eking by like Petrino did his debut games of 2008.
Sports, Pages 16 on 08/26/2013