For Arkansas, a 46-26 season opening victory over Troy was about what should have been expected. The Hogs looked great on the ground----DMac (151 yards), Felix Jones (129 yards), Michael Smith (58 yards)----as all the tailbacks chipped in, but the aerial assault was anything but. QB Casey Dick was a mediocre 11 for 20 for 108 yards, and didn't complete a pass to a wide receiver until halfway through the third quarter. (Heisman frontrunner Darren McFadden made the pass of the night too: a 42 yard TD strike to WR Crosby Tuck off his back foot in the 3rd quarter.) But the offensive line was strong in front all night long, allowing next to no pressure on its backfield, and you got the feeling like new Offensive Coordinator David Lee still has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Defensively, it was also a hit and miss opener. In the first half, primarily playing zone, Arkansas got shredded by Troy QB Omar Haugabook. There was next to little pass rush on top of that, and the Hogs' 'D' looked like it could become a major concern for its fans. (What's with the secondary never turning to look at the football?) Up only 23-17 at the halftime break, a switch to man coverage in the 2nd half seemed to stabilize everything a bit, and Arkansas rolled on from there for the twenty point win. Defensive Coordinator Reggie Herring's defenses usually improve as the seasons go on, but the question of who will replace Jamaal Anderson's 13.5 sacks from a year ago remains unanswered. |
Special teams, however, were a major plus. Freshman placekicker Alex Tejada was an impressive 4 of 4 on field goal attempts, even though the longest was just 35 yards. A missed extra point in the second half aside, Tejada should be a major boon to the offense this year, especially when you consider that Arkansas made a grand total of six field goals all of last year! And as far as kickoff returns go, what can you say? Jones broke a 90 yard return to the house in the first half, and it probably won't be the last time he does it this year. Hmmm, let's see: kick it to Jones or McFadden? Not a fun choice for any opposition.
The punt return tandem of Michael Smith and Reggie Fish failed to impress, but with a bye in week two, there's plenty of time for Houston Nutt's Razorbacks to retool before a crossroads game at Sabanation and Alabama on September 15th.
-JAB
No comments:
Post a Comment