ESPN Razorback Preview by Chris Low

[The_Hog_Father]

ESPN Razorback Preview by Chris Low

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/post/_/id/101839/arkansas-razorbacks-preview

Woo Pig  :razorback:

[DeltaBoy]

Honest and accurate. No complaints from me

[BatesvilleHOG]

Our spring game must have shown a lot of unknowns.. There's been a big influx of positive publicity for this coming years team.. And we deserve every single bit of it.

Woo Pig

[HogWall Jackson]

We must find a way to win some of those close games 0-7 won't get it don. A legit Kicker would have reduced that number by 2 last season. We must find a solid kicker from inside the 40.

[The_Hog_Father]

We must find a way to win some of those close games 0-7 won't get it don. A legit Kicker would have reduced that number by 2 last season. We must find a solid kicker from inside the 40.

We have two kickers that fill that need or I should say that I am hopeful that we have filled that need. Kickers are a different breed, it's a mental game. They have the physical skills based on Spring Practice.

I think Coach Enos will make a HUGE difference to Our Offense this year.  (Would post more thoughts but I have to head out.)

Wooo Pig  :razorback:

[31to6]

We must find a way to win some of those close games 0-7 won't get it don. A legit Kicker would have reduced that number by 2 last season. We must find a solid kicker from inside the 40.

Kicking hurt but our biggest challenge was Depth. We have more of it this year.

If our DL doesn't wear down we win the game @Mizzou even with a hurt BA.
If our OL doesn't wear down we probably win 2-3 of the games because our Offense doesn't stall out halfway through the 3rd quarter. Our style of offense should be getting *stronger* in the 2nd half. Instead we wore ourselves down and that caused us to take our foot off the throats of teams we beat badly (or at least hung with) in the first half.

The biggest pain inflicted by our kicking woes was not just the misses but the fact that we lacked a reliable kicker put us in bad situations where we had to run a trick play or go for it when the best option should have been to take 3 pts.

[lefty08]

Our spring game must have shown a lot of unknowns.. There's been a big influx of positive publicity for this coming years team.. And we deserve every single bit of it.

Woo Pig

I think it has more to do with how the other teams in the SEC looked. Our game was head and shoulders for how the offense was organized and the defense looked great. I didn't watch full games of the others but from what I saw and read, the other teams didn't look so hot

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Good article. As usual a little light in research but hits the main issues for each team. Post your comments about their analysis of the Hogs and the other SEC teams.

An excerpt from their analysis of the Hogs:

How the Razorbacks beat you: No SEC team improved more on defense last season than the Hogs, who did it with tough, physical play from their front seven. They cut their yards allowed per game from 413.4 in '13 to just 323.4 last year, second best in the conference. Replacing end Trey Flowers, tackle Darius Philon and linebacker Martrell Spaight won't be easy, but junior end Deatrich Wise Jr. is healthy after playing hurt for much of last season, and junior tackle Taiwan Johnson has beefed up to 273 pounds, sliding into Philon's spot. Additionally, junior Brooks Ellis (72 tackles) moves from middle linebacker to the weak side. "He is one of the more fluid linebackers I've ever been around," Bielema says.

http://espn.go.com/blog/sec/tag/_/name/2015secmagpreview

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I think it has more to do with how the other teams in the SEC looked. Our game was head and shoulders for how the offense was organized and the defense looked great. I didn't watch full games of the others but from what I saw and read, the other teams didn't look so hot

Not to rain on a parade, but I put little stock in spring games. I know we have a very good defense and that we looked good on both sides of the ball, but we will know a lot more when we tee it up in the Fall. Teams can look good or look bad in the Spring game, which is organized by the staff to evaluate certain things or players, and then look really good or bad when the season starts.

That said, I think we are going to have a pretty good team this year and physically I think we compare well with any of the traditional top teams in the SEC, but it is the mental aspect that will either get us over the hump in close games or cause us to come up short again. I'm hoping that in Bielema's third year that the staff has instilled an attitude that they refuse to lose, and often times the body follows the mindset.

[Mr. Porkleone]

Chris always pretty positive on Razorbacks. He's a good writer.

[GuvHog]

Not to rain on a parade, but I put little stock in spring games. I know we have a very good defense and that we looked good on both sides of the ball, but we will know a lot more when we tee it up in the Fall. Teams can look good or look bad in the Spring game, which is organized by the staff to evaluate certain things or players, and then look really good or bad when the season starts.

That said, I think we are going to have a pretty good team this year and physically I think we compare well with any of the traditional top teams in the SEC, but it is the mental aspect that will either get us over the hump in close games or cause us to come up short again. I'm hoping that in Bielema's third year that the staff has instilled an attitude that they refuse to lose, and often times the body follows the mindset.

Having 3 non conference games to start the season will really help. The Hogs didn't have that luxury last season and it hurt them. I still say if that game at Auburn had been played later in the season, the Tigers wouldn't have won it.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Having 3 non conference games to start the season will really help. The Hogs didn't have that luxury last season and it hurt them. I still say if that game at Auburn had been played later in the season, the Tigers wouldn't have won it.

I wouldn't disagree, but I think our team learned a great deal from that experience. If I am the coaching staff I would tell them, "You went toe to toe with Auburn for a half, but you didn't finish. You are a better football team than you think you are. Finish every single game." We had to re-learn how to play to win and finish games last season and I think that is going to be beneficial to us this season. These kids know now, that they are good enough to beat anyone they play in the SEC if they limit mental mistakes, turnovers and play to win to the whistle.

[lefty08]

Not to rain on a parade, but I put little stock in spring games. I know we have a very good defense and that we looked good on both sides of the ball, but we will know a lot more when we tee it up in the Fall. Teams can look good or look bad in the Spring game, which is organized by the staff to evaluate certain things or players, and then look really good or bad when the season starts.

That said, I think we are going to have a pretty good team this year and physically I think we compare well with any of the traditional top teams in the SEC, but it is the mental aspect that will either get us over the hump in close games or cause us to come up short again. I'm hoping that in Bielema's third year that the staff has instilled an attitude that they refuse to lose, and often times the body follows the mindset.

I would agree with you, not sure where in my post you would think I wouldn't agree

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I would agree with you, not sure where in my post you would think I wouldn't agree

I wasn't necessarily speaking directly to you, Lefty. More to anyone who seems to have overly lofty expectations after the spring game.

[WarPig88]

It's always been about the offense under CBB. The lack of diversity under Cheney stagnated this offense in the second half of every close game we played last season.

That is why the defense gave up most of it's yardage in the 4th quarter. They were just on the field too long in the second half. Not complicated at all.

Bringing in Enos has me optimistic. I wasn't pleased with CBB immediately following his first season because I felt that it was one of the worst coached teams I had ever seen at the U of A.

He began winning me over in that Ash departed following that season and now Cheney is gone as well. Both needed to happen, IMO.

If Enos can keep the ball moving in the second half, and we actually do replace our playmakers on D, this could be a very good year.

Can't wait to see what happens.

[lefty08]

I wasn't necessarily speaking directly to you, Lefty. More to anyone who seems to have overly lofty expectations after the spring game.

Yeah, just trying to figure out where it's coming from myself. Ha

[Biggus Piggus]

I don't see a kicker being the difference maker. Arkansas needs to move the football more consistently with fewer wasted possessions. If we're right about how much the offense will improve, then the Hogs will be more successful at moving the football in the second half. Chaney's lack of attention to the short, possession passing game was maddening/ridiculous/mystifying. Enos is way, way ahead of Chaney in that respect. The punishing, physical style does not work if you can't make enough first downs.

[jkstock04]

It's always been about the offense under CBB. The lack of diversity under Cheney stagnated this offense in the second half of every close game we played last season.

That is why the defense gave up most of it's yardage in the 4th quarter. They were just on the field too long in the second half. Not complicated at all.

Bringing in Enos has me optimistic. I wasn't pleased with CBB immediately following his first season because I felt that it was one of the worst coached teams I had ever seen at the U of A.

He began winning me over in that Ash departed following that season and now Cheney is gone as well. Both needed to happen, IMO.

If Enos can keep the ball moving in the second half, and we actually do replace our playmakers on D, this could be a very good year.

Can't wait to see what happens.

I couldn't have said it better myself. Be interesting to see how it all plays out.

[DeltaBoy]

I expect that Enos will have a large of an IMPACT on the O as Robb Smith had on the D last year.

[bphi11ips]

I don't see a kicker being the difference maker. Arkansas needs to move the football more consistently with fewer wasted possessions. If we're right about how much the offense will improve, then the Hogs will be more successful at moving the football in the second half. Chaney's lack of attention to the short, possession passing game was maddening/ridiculous/mystifying. Enos is way, way ahead of Chaney in that respect. The punishing, physical style does not work if you can't make enough first downs.

More reliable placekicking won't be THE difference maker, but it must improve.  Big games often come down to field goals, not only those made or missed, but those not attempted.  They have been a factor in 0-7.  Confidence is not just a kicker issue.  They need the chance to make them, too.

[Flatline]

kicking is very important and change the strategy during a game. You have a reliable kicker and you are in range you call play completely different. They also can get you an extra 6 to 9 points that you would not have.