FAYETTEVILLE — You don’t get ahead getting even, they say.
“They” would be wrong evenly applying that adage to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
The Razorbacks would get ahead and even their record at 4-4 if they can defeat LSU in Saturday’s SEC West game in Fayetteville.
On three Las Vegas sites with pick ‘em odds Arkansas Tuesday morning was projected an even shot at getting even. Projected even marks getting ahead for these Hogs.
They’ve been underdogs, usually decided underdogs, every previous game. They would have been whopping underdogs opening this season against LSU.
Off their 15-0 national championship season, Coach Ed Orgeron’s Tigers ranked sixth in the Associated Press preseason college football poll and received one first-place vote.
Quite the contrast to Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman inheriting a Razorbacks program gone 4-8, 2-10, 2-10, the previous three seasons.
But these Razorbacks arise. Not to past glory days but certainly competitive.
LSU’s Tigers, as if paying a Faustian bargain for last year’s national championship, struggle 2-3, sabotaged by injuries, staff turnover, opt-outs, and the covid-19 coronavirus.
Too many covid-19 positive tests and associated contact tracing compelled postponing two LSU games. One vs. Florida moves to Dec. 12. The second last Saturday vs. Alabama is in limbo.
LSU hasn’t played since Halloween.
At Orgeron’s Monday press conference it seemed more media interest generated if the LSU vs. Alabama game could somehow be rescheduled than on Saturday’s game.
Not ideal LSU game-week prep conditions. Especially since Orgeron crosses fingers he’ll have enough to play Saturday.
“We feel we should get most of our quarantine guys back either today or tomorrow,” Orgeron said Monday. “So we feel like the room’s going to be full today for the first time. We’re actually going to have two quarterbacks practice.”
Even coming off a 63-35 loss, which Arkansas does from last Saturday vs. the superbly offensively talented Florida Gators, this Saturday’s situation appears boding well for the Hogs.
All the more cause for Arkansas to alert, history shows.
In 1999 the same Razorbacks that would trash Texas in the Cotton Bowl finished the SEC season ranked 17th at Baton Rouge. They faced 2-8 Tigers that very week firing Coach Gerry DiNardo.
Game day the Tigers reverted to their inevitably considerably talented form. They routed the Razorbacks, 35-10.
Coaching SEC offensive lines from 2012-19 at Tennessee, Arkansas and Georgia, Pittman stands all too aware of how capable LSU can be regardless of record.
“You know they lost a lot of great talent on that team, but obviously they’ve recruited exceptionally well there,” Pittman said. “They have LSU written all over them: Big, physical. They certainly pose a lot of problems that we’ve got to try to fix before they get here on Saturday.”
For Arkansas the odds even, but the challenge still looms large.