What are your thoughts on our game with Alabama?

[HOGness4life]

I think we match up much better against them. I like our odds and would put them at 50/50. It could go either way.

Onwards and upwards Hogs!!!

[Hollywood_HOGan45]

All depends on if our off line play improved. Also our defense has to be able to rattle jalen hurts. 
We also cannot have any back breaking mistakes similar to atm game. Last time bama came to Fayetteville kody walker had a td but fumbled into the end zone.

[Sed76]

Have to pretty much play perfect to have a chance. Would love to be wrong but see it similar to last years game. Keep it close for about 3 quarters and end up getting beat by a couple of scores. If the defense had shown it was capable of playing a full game without falling apart I'd feel a lot better.

[GTOWNHOG]

Have to pretty much play perfect to have a chance. Would love to be wrong but see it similar to last years game. Keep it close for about 3 quarters and end up getting beat by a couple of scores. If the defense had shown it was capable of playing a full game without falling apart I'd feel a lot better.

I agree.  We have nowhere near the DEPTH and quallity of Depth that Alabama has...

[Biggus Piggus]

Alabama is first in the nation for red zone offense, 21st for red zone defense. The Tide allows 26% conversion on third downs, while converting 45% of their own.

Bama is 32nd in pass efficiency defense and fifth in rushing defense. Their offense is 18th in rushing, 48th in passing efficiency.

They have returned two punts for touchdowns so far this season.

Let's see how it plays out.

[Biggus Piggus]

Arkansas is 88th in the nation for red zone offense, 51st for red zone defense. The Hogs allow 50% conversion on third downs, while converting 43% of their own.

Arkansas is 36th in pass efficiency defense and 76th in rushing defense. The offense is 87th in rushing, 22nd in passing efficiency.

The Porkers are ninth nationally in net punting, 86th in punt returns, 86th in punt return defense.

[holman24]

Alabama 48 hogs 14

[alohawg]

Should have beat them the last two, that window of opportunity has closed for now. I expect them to dominate pretty much all phases. They only areas Arkansas has an advantage, wr and home field and neither will prevent the inevitable, imho, of course.
That said, I hope I'm completely wrong....... however all my biggest concerns against A&M turned out correct.

[HotlantaHog]

There will be more of a home field advantage vs. neutral field for A&M. There is usually a big swing for home field, so that should be a plus.

[jlhogfan]

Screw Bama...Hogs by 10

[Cinco de Hogo]

Famous last words,

NM!

[3Scoreand10]

UGLY!  Just ugly unless unless the O line and defense improve 100% over what I saw in the s AM game.

[VirginiaHog]

My thoughts are we will win. I feel confident.

[hamstring]

My thoughts are the same as they were before the season started. We will lose this game but keep it close during the first half and possibly into the third quarter. We just don't have the horses yet and are to young up front to pull out the W. :razorback:

[EastexHawg]

I think Bama will beat the Aggies decisively...if that gives any clue about how I think our game with them will turn out.

[hogfan58]

TCU's Hill killed us by running, even though we knew (or should have known by watching film) that he was a running QB). We didn't learn anything going into the A&M game and Knight did the same thing, even though he also was a running QB.
Hurts was one of the top dual threat QB's coming out of HS....IF Smith watches film of Bama, he will see that he runs, so we cannot let him do to us what Hill and Knight did.

But based on the TCU amd A&M games, it doesn't look like we game-plan for a QB that runs.....so I think between Hurts running and us not being able to run on Bama, it's not going to be pretty. AA is going to be pounded much like what A&M did to him.

[MJ2]

Austin Allen will be hit hard and often and early.    Tide will be out to get this thing under control by half time and run the clock in the 3rd and 4th qtr.   They play KY before us and TN after so they will be well rested and ready to make a statement.   Their QB has a big game.   Final score -  Tide 48  Hogs 17

[Razorbackers]

We fall to both Bama and OM, and this board goes into meltdown fire CBB mode.

Then we win out and everyone loves him again.

[jacobp]

We fall to both Bama and OM, and this board goes into meltdown fire CBB mode.

Then we win out and everyone loves him again.

Sounds about right to me

[Biggus Piggus]

I think Bama will beat the Aggies decisively...if that gives any clue about how I think our game with them will turn out.

I don't. Alabama is not well equipped to score against Texas A&M. Not at all. Same's true the other way around. They should have a defensive battle.

[jkstock04]

My overall thoughts are we probably will not win this game. However, I expect us to make a game of it and be competitive with a chance to win in the 4th.

If Bama rolls us in our house 52-17 it'll be back to negative town for myself. I really don't think that is going to happen but we will see.

[HogimusMaximus]

We are gonna get trucked by bama, 21 pt loss at least.

[OtterHog]

It's going to be ugly. Honestly, I will still feel better if we don't quit like we did against A&M. Play til the end of the game, regardless of score.

[hogcard1964]

Won't be as close as last year's game.  Overall I think we have a slightly better team this year, but our offensive line looks like horse manure.  And that is the key area where Alabama will annihilate Allen and our backfield.  I've got it something like 40-20 Bama.

[hogcard1964]

We fall to both Bama and OM, and this board goes into meltdown fire CBB mode.

Then we win out and everyone loves him again.

I expect us to lose to Bama, Ole Miss and Florida.  I don't think the board goes into meltdown unless there's more losses on top of those.  We should beat everyone else pretty handily.

[Seebs]

What are my thoughts? Better question is what are my fears.

I fear spider babies bursting out of a thinly skinned cyst on a part of my back that I cannot reach. At the same time a Bot Fly larvae burst out of an adjacent cysts and begins eating these baby spider-lings. All this while I am at a third job interview in a white cotton shirt.

I welcome that occurrence more than I look forward to the Bama game.  We will not be able to man-handle Bama. We will not be able to finesse Bama. Nor out-quick. Bama has a faster QB.

I just want to get through the game without injury and press on to a nice 7-8 win season.

[HotlantaHog]

We fall to both Bama and OM, and this board goes into meltdown fire CBB mode.

Then we win out and everyone loves him again.

I think the A&M game leaves a lasting bad taste in fans' mouths, like Akron a year ago. A&M obviously is a better team but this was a game Hogs could have and should have won or at least gone down to the wire, except for a poor coaching plan. ... however the rest of the season plays out, this one is going to weigh on the season for a long time.

[Biggus Piggus]

Last season, the Hogs had two possessions in the first quarter at Alabama both three and out, and the Tide took a 3-0 lead. Bama had another long drive but missed a field goal.

Arkansas got one first down then punted. Intercepted a long pass. Went three and out again. Stopped the Tide again. Got two first downs and punted. Intercepted another pass and scored after first down at the Alabama 12.

That is what it might be like this season, too. In that whole span, Arkansas ran the running backs seven times for a total of 15 yards, while Brandon Allen rushed 3-14.

The Tide came back with another drive but missed a field goal at the end of the half. Arkansas led 7-3.

Arkansas punted on its first three possessions of the second half but stopped the Tide too, until Jake Coker threw a first-down bomb to Calvin Ridley for 81 yards. Hogs faced another punt and tried a fake punt, while failed. Bama took advantage of the short field and made it 17-7.

On second and 12 at his 15, BA threw an interception, which led to a field goal. Alabama led 20-7.

That turned out to be a very good Arkansas offense, but it was incapable of getting anything from the running game, and a really hard QB to bring down got sacked three times. It was his only game completing less than 50% last year. Very late, BA threw a 54-yard TD pass to Dominique Reed, back when he looked good.

The Hogs punted 10 times in that game, which equaled their total first downs for the game. Running backs got a grand total of 17 carries for 36 yards. Arkansas's play-calling split was 21 rushes, 35 passes.

***

Arkansas scored 21 points against Louisiana Tech, 28 in regulation at TCU, and 24 against Texas A&M. How are the Razorbacks going to score points against the Tide? Last year's running game was a one-man show, and this year's is a diminished version of the same. Last year's receiving corps did not return intact and improved, except for the (I hope healthy) return of Keon Hatcher. You know what's going on with the offensive line. The Hogs have two weeks to make this offense start working the way it is intended.

Then there's the Arkansas defense. It is obvious who matters on the Tide offense:

RB Damien Harris is averaging 8.6 yards per carry and leads the team in rushing. Backup RB Joshua Jacobs is getting 8.3 ypc. They are big-play backs.

Freshman QB Jalen Hurts has 251 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He has completed 63% for 727 yards and 5 TD / 1 INT. Similar run/pass threat vs. the Aggies' QB.

WR Calvin Ridley has 20 catches, WR ArDarius Stewart 13, TE O.J. Howard 10.

The Hogs have to tighten up the run defense without giving up the long ball. So far this season, the run defense has been MIA.

[Ironhawg]

I expect us to lose to Bama, Ole Miss and Florida.  I don't think the board goes into meltdown unless there's more losses on top of those.  We should beat everyone else pretty handily.

I want to see how LSU looks under Ed O. 

[HogimusMaximus]

I want to see how LSU looks under Ed O.

More talent so they will truck us by 20.