Hello sunshine, here come the Hogs.
I’m embarrassed to admit it, but that was the last sentence I wrote in August while making my annual predictions on Arkansas football. Boy, did I miss badly on that one.
Not only did Arkansas fail to win nine games and finish the season with a bowl victory in Florida as I predicted, the Porkers stand 6-6 with a bowl game left to play in Memphis. So, why wait?
With bad news coming Arkansas’ way with defensive coordinator Barry Odom leaving for Las Vegas and top players opting out of the Liberty Bowl, it’s time to come clean and admit to preseason predictions that became far removed from reality. As punishment, I’ll limit myself to an appetizer in Memphis while friends and relatives gorge themselves on the city’s famous BBQ ribs. (Yea, right).
The predictions I made four months ago for each category are in parentheses:
BEST WIN
(Texas A&M)
Losing 23-21 to Texas A&M in September started a downhill slide for Arkansas, which followed with losses to Alabama and Mississippi State that weren’t even close. The best win for Arkansas actually came against Ole Miss in November when Rocket Sanders rushed for 232 yards to make the Razorbacks bowl eligible.
WORST LOSS
(Brigham Young)
I had the right idea but the wrong team.
I thought jumping out of SEC play and losing focus for a non-conference game in Utah would lead to a loss at Brigham Young. Arkansas instead jumped out of league play two weeks later and lost 21-19 at home to Liberty, a team that finished with three straight defeats after beating the Hogs.
At least the win helped Hugh Freeze to get a new job out of it.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
(KJ Jefferson)
Got this one right.
Losing KJ Jefferson to injury for a couple of games revealed two truths: How valuable Jefferson is to the Razorbacks and how bad the backup quarterbacks were with a runner who couldn’t throw and a thrower who couldn’t run.
The amount of success Arkansas has next season will depend greatly on whether Jefferson can get through the season without any serious injuries.
SUDDEN IMPACT
(Jadon Haselwood)
This is a new category I added to allow for players from the transfer portal so many coaches rely on now to bolster their rosters.
I mentioned Drew Sanders as the top defensive newcomer behind Haselwood as the top offensive newcomer for the Razorbacks. If defensive lineman can be credited with half a sack, I’ll take credit for getting this category half right.
Too bad Arkansas fans don’t get to see more of Sanders, a truly great athlete who’s declared for the NFL.
TOP NEWCOMER
(Isaiah Sategna)
I was too eager in singling out Sategna, a wide receiver I saw many times at Fayetteville High. I applaud the fact Sategna stayed and ran track his senior season for the Bulldogs. But that put him behind in football because he didn’t go through spring drills like a lot of incoming freshmen in college. Sategna then suffered a high ankle injury before the third game of the season, which slowed his progress even more.
But this is a special athlete who I’m convinced will eventually do great things at Arkansas. With Haselwood and Ketron Jackson gone, we could see a glimpse of Sategna’s ability at the Liberty Bowl in Memphis.
FINAL RECORD
(9-4 with a Citrus Bowl victory)
Going 6-6 with a loss to Liberty and another SEC loss to Missouri to end the regular season is a major disappointment, it just is. So, I don’t buy the spin Arkansas was so close to winning 9 games any more than TV announcers who might try to prop them up as “the best 6-6 team in the country.”
Ridiculous. You are what your win-loss record says you are.
But I still believe in coach Sam Pittman and I’m confidence he’ll prevent Arkansas from sliding back into mediocrity or even worse. Beating Kansas in the Liberty Bowl with guys who still want to to wear Razorback red builds momentum for next year.
Hello Memphis, here comes the Hogs.