Reality Check for Hogs Vs. Crimson Tide

[DirkPiggler]

Bama will load the line and blitz out of their skulls.  They'll get a couple of scores off turnovers and / or a short field that resulted in us punting from our endzone.  It will be a field postion battle in the first half with Bama playing most of the time in our end.  We'll keep it close for maybe two qtrs, then things will get ugly. 

You seriously overrate Alabama's talent level.  Our advantage in talent in this game is almost as great as their advantage in coaching.  It will likely be a close game one way or the other.  If there is a blowout, Arkansas will be on the good end of it. 

Alabama's offensive line is average at best.  Vanderbilt's defense was in the backfield all day on them.  Fortunately for Bama the Vandy defense tackled like a Dave Wommack - coordinated defense.  Their running backs looked solid, although maybe a bit on the small side.  It will be interesting to see how they fare when they run into a defense like ours that has good lateral speed. 

John P. Wilson is a much better QB than he showed against Vandy.  He's not a world beater, but he's not Pete Burks either.   If he plays up to his potential we will be in for some trouble defensively. 

Alabama's defense is kind of an unknown.  Other than Gilberry and the secondary, they haven't shown much.  They don't have a lot of depth on the D-line, and their linebackers are young.  The last two years Arkansas has had no trouble running on far better defenses.  If Casey can just complete 10 passes for a little over 100 yards our offense will be fine. 

[HogwildinMonroe]

Saban had talent at LSU because HE RECRUITED THEM, before he arrived kids were leaving the state right and left.
He put a stop to it and the rest is history. 

[bphi11ips]

1st) JPW is not good.  He is below average.  If you watched the vandy game, you would have seen a QB who is just begging to be picked off, ESPECIALLY under pressure. 

2nd) Their D line is absolutley terrible, not below average.  They have NO depth and no talent.

3rd)  Dont expect our defense to play anything like we did against troy.  If you watched the game, you should have noticed that in the first half our blitz schemes were basic to nonexistent.  expect our defense to play MUCH better, and get pressure on JPW and to cause him to throw up the crap that he normally does.

4th)  The fact that nutt has a losing record against saban is irrelevant, you cant even attempt to compare LSU to bama.

Finally, even if you assess the game with your positional breakdown, you have to remember one thing: it doesnt matter if they have an advantage in every single position, except rbs, due to the fact that we have 2 of the best rbs to ever come through the sec.  Bama runs a 3-4 defense, with a ghastly d line, i expect to see MANY runs by dmac straight up the gut for 10ish, and if we can get peyton in their to throw a block on a lb, you will be seeing what we are so accustomed to.

hogs roll
35-17

That non-existent and weak D-Line held Vandy to 57 yards rushing. Granted, Vandy doesn't have D-Mac or F-Jo, but Vandy had 2 All SEC 2nd team linemen and three other returning starters from last year and aside from our All American Center and one other starter returning, that is more than we can say. I would say the Alabama D-Line did pretty good and they put pressure on Vandy's QB all day. Additionally, if you watched the game, you saw that the 3-4 they weere supposed to run, was modified. They slid their DE's down inside on the tackles and dropped their OLB's down about a yard off the LOS on the outside to make essentially a 5-2....just as I said they would. They shut Vandy down and this time last week, everyone on here was saying how glad they were that WE didn't have to play Vandy this year. Now everyone is talking about how weak they were in order to justify their stance of how the Hogs will dominate Alabama. Geez louise.......let's be realistic.

I want the Hogs to win, but I refuse to state an opinion that is based solely in "homerism". I am trying to be objective. I hope some of you will do the same, all evidence to the contrary.

Vanderbilt rushed for 240 yards against Arkansas last year with essentially the same backfield and O-line.  In fact, Vandy has the most experienced O-Line in the SEC.  Was the Hogs D-line "ghastly" last year?

Keep up the good work, Muskogee.  This game could go either way.  When two teams are evenly matched, history is a good point of reference.

[cosmodrum]

Both teams have great kickers? Umm...WTH?

They DO still have Tiffin...right? I could've sworn I saw him in the Vandy game...

[Hogginitall]

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

It dreally doesn't matter

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

I think Saban is a very good (perhaps great) coach and will do outstanding things at Alabama.  But, if you compare his coaching ability and knowledge to our resident Text Master, he looks like Vince Lombardi reincarnate.  It would be the equivalent of Vince going head-to-head against Rick "Listen Mister" Scheffer.  If the talent level is even remotely close to Arkansas', we lose almost every time. 

Saban had a 3-2 record against Nutt during his tenure at one of the most talent-rich college football states/schools in the country.  Vince Lombardi, huh?

I guess that guy never heard of the miracle on Markam,   LSU definetly had better talent that day, we had Matt Jones.

Thanks for making my point MysticHog because it took a miracle for Arkansas to beat LSU.  Poor little Houston, he always does more with less.  Well, let's see just how little talent Arkansas had that day.
- Shawn Andrews
- Tony Bua
- Ahmad Carroll
- Cedric Cobbs
- Ken Hamlin
- Tarvaris Jackson (pay particular attention to this Mystic.  Tarvaris is now starting in the NFL but under Nutt's "coaching", he floundered.
- Matt Jones
- Sam Olajabatu
- Jason Peters
- Fred Tally

Houston Nutt - Doing Less With More!

Who did LSU have on their roster that day?  I'm sure nobody of consequence....

Yeah, right.

[HatfieldHog]

Actually, South Carolina and Alabama are totally different situations.  USC had a pretty good coach in Lou Holtz...he may have slipped a little, but ol' Lou knows a thing or two about winning on the grid iron. 

Alabama, on the other hand, was coached by a complete idiot. I thought SHula was hands down the worst coach in the SEC.  Bama has seriously upgraded and it has already shown.  They'll be good.

True.  History will prove out that the original poster is misguided in his opinion.

See ya

[DeltaBoy]

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

BULLCRAP
SABIN OWNS NUTT

[McKdaddy]

All your facts prove nothing . This is a new season brother .

Same coach brotha.

[Tide1]

For all you guys that say the Hogs will win easily over Bama and that Bama's D is week. Here are the stats and where each team ranks so far this season

CRIMSON TIDE TEAM STATS
                per game   NCAA   SEC
   
Total Offense   473 yds   23rd   4th
Total Defense   239.5 yds15th   2nd
Points Scored   38 pts   25th   5th
Points Allowed   8 pts   10th   2nd


RAZORBACKS TEAM STATS
               per game   NCAA   SEC
   
Total Offense   507 yds   14th   2nd
Total Defense   376 yds   71st   10th
Points Scored   46 pts   13th   4th
Points Allowed   26 pts   71st   9th

[bphi11ips]

Both teams have great kickers? Umm...WTH?

They DO still have Tiffin...right? I could've sworn I saw him in the Vandy game...

Then you saw him make from 20, 29 and 40 and miss from 48 and 49 (into a stiff breeze).  Something crept into Tiffin's form last year in Fayetteville that caused him to push everything in the second half.  He's obviously recovered.  I don't know if I'd call Tiffin great, but it's a little premature to feel all warm and fuzzy about a true freshman in his first SEC contest on the road in front of 92,000 hostile fans.  So - I'd say kicking is even in this game, at best, from our viewpoint.  Give me Tejada in the long-run.

[Hogginitall]

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

BULLCRAP
SABIN OWNS NUTT

If you're going to sing his praises, at least spell his name right.

[biggiepiggie]

Billy Bob's right on this one. 

South Carolina under Spurrier has been able to beat Georiga, Tennessee, Clemson, etc.



Coaching makes all the difference.

And beat Arkansas.

[the notorious P.I.G.]

To begin with, we all want the Hogs to win, me included. We ALL want that, so I don;t want to hear any b.s. about not being a "true fan". What I am going to give you is reality and records over the years based on actual stats.

Since 1998, when Alabama averages over 400 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game when we play at Alabama, Alabama is 2-0.

Since 1998, when Alabama averages over 380 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game when we play at Alabama, Alabama is 3-1.

Since 1998, when we play Alabama at Alabama, Alabama is 3-1.

This year, Alabama is averaging 473 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game which we play......in Alabama.

Nutt's all time record against Saban is 2-3. Nutt's all time record against Saban on Saban's home field is 0-2.

Our RB's are outstanding, theirs are average. Their O-Line is great, our O-Line is average(at this point). Their QB is very good, ours is below average. Their secondary is very good, ours is below average. Their D-Line is average, ours is average. Their LB's are excellent, ours are perhaps a little above average. Their WR's are average and ours are average. We both have great kickers. The key to this game is going to be( I know this sounds cliche'), whomever makes fewer mistakes, doesn't turn the ball over(Alabama is +1.00 and Arkansas is -1.00 to date this season) and controls the line of scrimmage. I'm sorry guys, I see Bama taking this one.......27-24.

Our O-line is better than most people think. Yeah, we replaced some starters, but we replaced them with redshirt sophmores and juniors. In reality, this is when you want your linemen to play, especially o-linemen. They have 2-3 years under their belt as far as being in a college offseason program, and more than likely they've played some already. That, and the fact that we have the best backfield in the country will be why the Hogs will do well this year, including winning this game. I absolutely think some of the things our coaching staff does are pretty strange, but I think they have done a masterful job with the O and D lines. Hopefully, this mindset takes place in the development of a QB.

[Bama Possum]

Let me show you how I'm thinking...

QB's- Advantage Alabama
O-line- Push
RB's- Advantage Arkansas
WR's- Advantage Alabama

Offense- Advantage Alabama

D-Line- Advantage Arkansas
LB's- Advantage Alabama
D-backs- Advantage Alabama

Defense- Advantage Alabama

K- Advantage Arkansas

KOR- Push
PR- Push

Special teams- Advantage Arkansas

It looks like a really close game. Neither team stands out as a giant killer (aka LSU), but both could battle for the 2nd place in the West if everything falls into place.

My take on it is this: Bama SHOULD HAVE waxed Arkansas at their house last year, and gave it away three times. This is a better offense than last year's team. If this becomes an offensive battle, Bama can score enough to win. Add in the home advantage and I'll take Alabama by 6. But I'm a Bama fan, so I have to vote that way.

[MichaelT.]

Arkansas 42 ---- Bama 28.

[biggiepiggie]

in the game i watched them play Saturday .their defence was lousy , their offence was poorly ran .the QB they have is an interception waiting to happen. he throws behind his receivers a lot and over throws them also

they are not the Alabama we have faced in the past and Sabin doesn't have a red S on his shirt.

we should take the Crimson Tide and do it smartly. :razorback:

I hope you're right.  Vandy lost by 14 and Troy lost to us by 20.  Which is
the more impressive win?  I'd say Alabama's.  We've never beaten Vandy
by 14.

[Jeff "hogfanintx" Anderson]

If we don't have to throw the ball we win.  Problemis I bet that Bama defense is a lot better than people are giving them credit for.  Not only am I scared to death of this game, but hell im already scared of Kentucky too.

[Call Mr. Sow]

I think our O-Line is probably better than Bama's and I agree with the assessment that Bama's D-Line is not particularly good.  Problem is, with our offensive scheme, Bama will be able to put 8 in the box every single play which should go a long way towards minimizing their weakness. 

Bottom line, a failure by the Hogs to develop a passing game will probably eliminate our chance to exploit Bama's primary defensive weakness.  I don't think they'll blow us out, and I think DMac and Jones will get their yardage, but we won't go Hog Wild on them like we could've if we could throw the ball even a little bit.

[Feralhog]

Bama will load the line and blitz out of their skulls.  They'll get a couple of scores off turnovers and / or a short field that resulted in us punting from our endzone.  It will be a field postion battle in the first half with Bama playing most of the time in our end.  We'll keep it close for maybe two qtrs, then things will get ugly. 

You seriously overrate Alabama's talent level.  Our advantage in talent in this game is almost as great as their advantage in coaching.  It will likely be a close game one way or the other.  If there is a blowout, Arkansas will be on the good end of it. 

Alabama's offensive line is average at best.  Vanderbilt's defense was in the backfield all day on them.  Fortunately for Bama the Vandy defense tackled like a Dave Wommack - coordinated defense.  Their running backs looked solid, although maybe a bit on the small side.  It will be interesting to see how they fare when they run into a defense like ours that has good lateral speed. 

John P. Wilson is a much better QB than he showed against Vandy.  He's not a world beater, but he's not Pete Burks either.   If he plays up to his potential we will be in for some trouble defensively. 

Alabama's defense is kind of an unknown.  Other than Gilberry and the secondary, they haven't shown much.  They don't have a lot of depth on the D-line, and their linebackers are young.  The last two years Arkansas has had no trouble running on far better defenses.  If Casey can just complete 10 passes for a little over 100 yards our offense will be fine. 

Has nothing to do with overstating bama's D.  I know Nutt.  Get use to seeing a bunch of 3 and outs with our offense

You need to peel back the pig shaded glasses.  Their OL is big and may be the best in the SEC.  They'll lean on us hard between the tackles and those 3 and outs we have on offense will eventually take it's toll, and we'll start to wear down up front, probably before half.  In the second half they'll start hitting some runs on the edges and that's when it gets ugly.   

If you want a blue print, look back at the game in '05.  Difference is, Bama's coach this go around knows how to exploit weaknesses in his opponent.   

The only way the hogs win is if Darren does what Cobbs couldn't do back in 2000, pack Nutt's inept offense on his back and put forth one herculean effort.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Both teams have great kickers? Umm...WTH?

They DO still have Tiffin...right? I could've sworn I saw him in the Vandy game...

Tiffin disappeared from the kicking scene last year after our game with them and they went with Chistensen, who was outstanding the rest of the year hitting 13 of 17 FG attempts. I noticed however they brought Tiffin back to kick this year and in both games this year he has hit a combined 4 of 8 attempts. I have to admit that I am shocked they are using him unless Christensen is injured. So in this case, you are right......the Hogs definitely have the edge in the FG department. My bad.

[GrumpyHog]

In a game between head coaches Nutt vs Saban, I will pick Saban to out coach DMW. Nutt is predictable and Saban knows Nutts tendencies. Saban will force Nutt to pass and at the same time will try and take away the 7 yd out routes Nutt likes to call. He will be prepared for Hillis out of the backfield. Saban will force Nutt to throw the deep ball which CD can't throw. Saban will stack the box with 8, put a spy on Dmac in an attempt to stop the run and limit any big plays. He know Nutt can't substain long drives and lives by the big plays. Bama defense will be a tough test, and when it comes down to coaching, Saban will prevail with his superior football mind over Hooten.
I don't think Bama will kick our butts, but I do think they will win. I'm predicting 31 - 24.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

To begin with, we all want the Hogs to win, me included. We ALL want that, so I don;t want to hear any b.s. about not being a "true fan". What I am going to give you is reality and records over the years based on actual stats.

Since 1998, when Alabama averages over 400 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game when we play at Alabama, Alabama is 2-0.

Since 1998, when Alabama averages over 380 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game when we play at Alabama, Alabama is 3-1.

Since 1998, when we play Alabama at Alabama, Alabama is 3-1.

This year, Alabama is averaging 473 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game which we play......in Alabama.

Nutt's all time record against Saban is 2-3. Nutt's all time record against Saban on Saban's home field is 0-2.

Our RB's are outstanding, theirs are average. Their O-Line is great, our O-Line is average(at this point). Their QB is very good, ours is below average. Their secondary is very good, ours is below average. Their D-Line is average, ours is average. Their LB's are excellent, ours are perhaps a little above average. Their WR's are average and ours are average. We both have great kickers. The key to this game is going to be( I know this sounds cliche'), whomever makes fewer mistakes, doesn't turn the ball over(Alabama is +1.00 and Arkansas is -1.00 to date this season) and controls the line of scrimmage. I'm sorry guys, I see Bama taking this one.......27-24.

Excellent analysis, even with all the facts I have to think we will win.  How?  I don't know, but we should win.  After watching the several Statue of Liberty plays this past weekend, I bet some where in Lee's play book there is a chapter devoted to the S of L.

Let's hope we aren't banking our chances on trick plays.

[McKdaddy]

I don't think Bama will kick our butts, but I do think they will win. I'm predicting 31 - 24.

Sounds reasonable.  I'm thinking bama 27-24.

[cosmodrum]

Both teams have great kickers? Umm...WTH?

They DO still have Tiffin...right? I could've sworn I saw him in the Vandy game...

Then you saw him make from 20, 29 and 40 and miss from 48 and 49 (into a stiff breeze).  Something crept into Tiffin's form last year in Fayetteville that caused him to push everything in the second half.  He's obviously recovered.  I don't know if I'd call Tiffin great, but it's a little premature to feel all warm and fuzzy about a true freshman in his first SEC contest on the road in front of 92,000 hostile fans.  So - I'd say kicking is even in this game, at best, from our viewpoint.  Give me Tejada in the long-run.

You're right, he looked fine at Vandy. But I sure wouldn't call him great. I wouldn't really call Tejada great...yet. Sure seems that he is, but no one can make that claim right now.

[press ham]

i'm not really worried about this game. we have no excuses. dmac, jones, and hillis will keep us in the game, unless nutt blows it.

[GrumpyHog]

i'm not really worried about this game. we have no excuses. dmac, jones, and hillis will keep us in the game, unless nutt blows it.

count on Nutt blowing it. It's the only given in the game.

[HogStang]

Just out of curiosity, what is our record against Alabama when we have a Heisman candidate?

[PulledPork]

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

It dreally doesn't matter

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

I think Saban is a very good (perhaps great) coach and will do outstanding things at Alabama.  But, if you compare his coaching ability and knowledge to our resident Text Master, he looks like Vince Lombardi reincarnate.  It would be the equivalent of Vince going head-to-head against Rick "Listen Mister" Scheffer.  If the talent level is even remotely close to Arkansas', we lose almost every time. 

Saban had a 3-2 record against Nutt during his tenure at one of the most talent-rich college football states/schools in the country.  Vince Lombardi, huh?

I guess that guy never heard of the miracle on Markam,   LSU definetly had better talent that day, we had Matt Jones.

since when does luck outdo talent?  it was a "Miracle", nothing more! By the way, where were your facts with your "Old Lou" rant, that was opinion and nothing more, bad one at that.



Pulled out...

[GrumpyHog]

Just out of curiosity, what is our record against Alabama when we have a Heisman candidate?

0-0

[MysticHog]

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

It dreally doesn't matter

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

I think Saban is a very good (perhaps great) coach and will do outstanding things at Alabama.  But, if you compare his coaching ability and knowledge to our resident Text Master, he looks like Vince Lombardi reincarnate.  It would be the equivalent of Vince going head-to-head against Rick "Listen Mister" Scheffer.  If the talent level is even remotely close to Arkansas', we lose almost every time. 

Saban had a 3-2 record against Nutt during his tenure at one of the most talent-rich college football states/schools in the country.  Vince Lombardi, huh?

I guess that guy never heard of the miracle on Markam,   LSU definetly had better talent that day, we had Matt Jones.

since when does luck outdo talent?  it was a "Miracle", nothing more! By the way, where were your facts with your "Old Lou" rant, that was opinion and nothing more, bad one at that.



Pulled out...

Wrong,

LOU won a NC at ND came within a whisker of winning one at Arkansas.  Never came close at SC.  Know your facts, they are always better than opinion.

[blue]

Wasn't Pete Carroll a "retread from the NFL" before he went to USC...and built the best program in the country. 

Yeah just like David Lee, only different.

[HogStang]

Just out of curiosity, what is our record against Alabama when we have a Heisman candidate?

0-0

You're right, my bad. D Mac missed the Bama game last year......

[JD Hogg]

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

I absolutely agree with this assessment 100%.  If we don't beat bammer by at least 2 touchdowns then Nutt should be fired on the spot.

Good post, Mystic Hog.  Dead on assessment.

[parrishw]

Bama will load the line and blitz out of their skulls.  They'll get a couple of scores off turnovers and / or a short field that resulted in us punting from our endzone.  It will be a field postion battle in the first half with Bama playing most of the time in our end.  We'll keep it close for maybe two qtrs, then things will get ugly. 

+1  That is my opinion also. I am going to root for the Hogs but I do not have confidence in the coaching staff. I watched that AL/Vandy game to see how the Tide looked.
They look strong and got stronger as the game progressed. They will have more game time under their belt for the year then we do also.

I think we will get our butt handed to us.  Hope not, but I have seen too much of HDN's BS to expect anything different.

[jmcgr002]

"Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem."

What do the hell do you know? Its one thing to have an opinion, but at least back it up with substantial evidence or fact. The games Bama lost last year were by a margin of less than 7, with the exception of the Florida and LSU game. I expect your claims to be extremely inaccurate.

And If you don't think Spurrier is turning that South Caronlina program around, then you are blind and obviously don't watch enough football -- sober at least. I recall him claiming the number 4 recruiting class in the nation last year. They lost to the National Champion Gators by a margin of only one last year, while playing all other ranked teams relatively close, with the exception of Georgia and Tennessee.

I don't normally respond to the trash I read on here, but this one I could not resist.

[baseballhog]

Since this game is already over, why are we even going down there?  By reading these statements we don't stand a chance aganists the big bad Tide, but don't tell that to DMac and company, because they could care less what has happened since 1998.  It seems like we won this game last year, but I could be wrong.

[jmcgr002]

Look at South Carolina they have made this mistake twice, the thought they had hired the old Lou Holtz what they got was an "old Lou Holtz".  Same thing with Spurrier.  Bama has the same thing, retread from the NFL who couldn't cut it trys to do it in college again.  Don't fear Saban, still the same players, we'll killem.

What do the hell do you know? Its one thing to have an opinion, but at least back it up with substantial evidence or fact. The games Bama lost last year were by a margin of less than 7, with the exception of the Florida and LSU game. I expect your claims to be extremely inaccurate.

And If you don't think Spurrier is turning that South Caronlina program around, then you are blind and obviously don't watch enough football -- sober at least. I recall him claiming the number 4 recruiting class in the nation last year. They lost to the National Champion Gators by a margin of only one last year, while playing all other ranked teams relatively close, with the exception of Georgia and Tennessee.

I don't normally respond to the trash I read on here, but this one I could not resist.

[bphi11ips]

Since this game is already over, why are we even going down there?  By reading these statements we don't stand a chance aganists the big bad Tide, but don't tell that to DMac and company, because they could care less what has happened since 1998.  It seems like we won this game last year, but I could be wrong.

It seems like we were outplayed soup-to-Nutts last year and won a game that was manna from heaven, without which we likely would have played in the Cotton Bowl, at best.  Since then we have found an indentity with the offense, but Bama looked pretty good in Nashville against a salty Vandy team.  This one will be a battle if we play well, and we should.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Since this game is already over, why are we even going down there?  By reading these statements we don't stand a chance aganists the big bad Tide, but don't tell that to DMac and company, because they could care less what has happened since 1998.  It seems like we won this game last year, but I could be wrong.

No one is saying that the game is over or that we needn't play it because we are already beaten.......not at all. I think that some of us see potential pitfalls and how we have performed at Bama and against SEC teams after we are coming off an open date, doesn't help bolster confidence. I think we all realize how important this game is....I really believe that the quality of our season hinges on this game. Win this one, we stand a very good chance of going 10-2 or maybe even better in the regular season. Lose this one and we could very well be 8-4 or worse. This is a pretty big game to be having so early in the season but here it is, nonetheless. Some people build up their enthusiasm for the game by getting all caught up in the "we are great, we have a Heisman candidate and the best team we have ever had" state of mind. Others prefer to look at things objectively. It doesn't mean we are negative, we are just studying the facts and come game day, no one will be any more fired up about the game or cheering for the Hogs than us. We all want the Hogs to win, we just choose to examine certain aspects of the game differently than others. For all those that think our line of thinking is based in "hate", it isn't. It is just based in trying to look at things fairly and with an objective viewpoint. Go Hogs!

[McKdaddy]

Since this game is already over, why are we even going down there?  By reading these statements we don't stand a chance aganists the big bad Tide, but don't tell that to DMac and company, because they could care less what has happened since 1998.  It seems like we won this game last year, but I could be wrong.

No one is saying that the game is over or that we needn't play it because we are already beaten.......not at all. I think that some of us see potential pitfalls and how we have performed at Bama and against SEC teams after we are coming off an open date, doesn't help bolster confidence. I think we all realize how important this game is....I really believe that the quality of our season hinges on this game. Win this one, we stand a very good chance of going 10-2 or maybe even better in the regular season. Lose this one and we could very well be 8-4 or worse. This is a pretty big game to be having so early in the season but here it is, nonetheless. Some people build up their enthusiasm for the game by getting all caught up in the "we are great, we have a Heisman candidate and the best team we have ever had" state of mind. Others prefer to look at things objectively. It doesn't mean we are negative, we are just studying the facts and come game day, no one will be any more fired up about the game or cheering for the Hogs than us. We all want the Hogs to win, we just choose to examine certain aspects of the game differently than others. For all those that think our line of thinking is based in "hate", it isn't. It is just based in trying to look at things fairly and with an objective viewpoint. Go Hogs!

Very true.  Too often people aren't used to objectivity.

[Bacon The Saddle Again]

We'll win the battle in the trenches, especially on offense.  If we can keep our offense on the field and sustain drives instead of getting long runs, we'll wear their defense out and keep their offense out of sync.

[TNRazorbacker]

As long as we are talking irrelevant and meaningless statistics... the Hogs are undefeated against the Tide when I take a huge dump while singing the fight song the day of the game.

I'm having mexican Friday night people. Put this one in the win column.

To begin with, we all want the Hogs to win, me included. We ALL want that, so I don;t want to hear any b.s. about not being a "true fan". What I am going to give you is reality and records over the years based on actual stats.

Since 1998, when Alabama averages over 400 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game when we play at Alabama, Alabama is 2-0.

Since 1998, when Alabama averages over 380 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game when we play at Alabama, Alabama is 3-1.

Since 1998, when we play Alabama at Alabama, Alabama is 3-1.

This year, Alabama is averaging 473 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game which we play......in Alabama.

Nutt's all time record against Saban is 2-3. Nutt's all time record against Saban on Saban's home field is 0-2.

Our RB's are outstanding, theirs are average. Their O-Line is great, our O-Line is average(at this point). Their QB is very good, ours is below average. Their secondary is very good, ours is below average. Their D-Line is average, ours is average. Their LB's are excellent, ours are perhaps a little above average. Their WR's are average and ours are average. We both have great kickers. The key to this game is going to be( I know this sounds cliche'), whomever makes fewer mistakes, doesn't turn the ball over(Alabama is +1.00 and Arkansas is -1.00 to date this season) and controls the line of scrimmage. I'm sorry guys, I see Bama taking this one.......27-24.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

As long as we are talking irrelevant and meaningless statistics... the Hogs are undefeated against the Tide when I take a huge dump while singing the fight song the day of the game.

I'm having mexican Friday night people. Put this one in the win column.

To begin with, we all want the Hogs to win, me included. We ALL want that, so I don;t want to hear any b.s. about not being a "true fan". What I am going to give you is reality and records over the years based on actual stats.

Since 1998, when Alabama averages over 400 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game when we play at Alabama, Alabama is 2-0.

Since 1998, when Alabama averages over 380 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game when we play at Alabama, Alabama is 3-1.

Since 1998, when we play Alabama at Alabama, Alabama is 3-1.

This year, Alabama is averaging 473 yards of total offense per game coming into the Arkansas game which we play......in Alabama.

Nutt's all time record against Saban is 2-3. Nutt's all time record against Saban on Saban's home field is 0-2.

Our RB's are outstanding, theirs are average. Their O-Line is great, our O-Line is average(at this point). Their QB is very good, ours is below average. Their secondary is very good, ours is below average. Their D-Line is average, ours is average. Their LB's are excellent, ours are perhaps a little above average. Their WR's are average and ours are average. We both have great kickers. The key to this game is going to be( I know this sounds cliche'), whomever makes fewer mistakes, doesn't turn the ball over(Alabama is +1.00 and Arkansas is -1.00 to date this season) and controls the line of scrimmage. I'm sorry guys, I see Bama taking this one.......27-24.

Speaking of irrelevant and meaningless.....your post pretty well reflects those two words. Thanks for the insight into your meal plan and personal habits.

[Bacon The Saddle Again]

I got a kick out of it.  I thought it was pretty funny.

[Hawg Daddy Cool]

Guys, this is a football game, not a statistics class.  The game is going to be decided by what happens on the field Saturday, and has nothing to do with what has happened the last nine years.  Historical data has absolutely no impact on the outcome of a game.

And even if previous stats did affect the outcome, you can't look at the stats of a team that has played ECU and Vanderbilt, and come to the conclusion that they will beat us.  

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Guys, this is a football game, not a statistics class.  The game is going to be decided by what happens on the field Saturday, and has nothing to do with what has happened the last nine years.  Historical data has absolutely no impact on the outcome of a game.

And even if previous stats did affect the outcome, you can't look at the stats of a team that has played ECU and Vanderbilt, and come to the conclusion that they will beat us.  

Maybe you are right.......we'll see Saturday if stat's are worthless and mean nothing.

[DirkPiggler]

Bama will load the line and blitz out of their skulls.  They'll get a couple of scores off turnovers and / or a short field that resulted in us punting from our endzone.  It will be a field postion battle in the first half with Bama playing most of the time in our end.  We'll keep it close for maybe two qtrs, then things will get ugly. 

You seriously overrate Alabama's talent level.  Our advantage in talent in this game is almost as great as their advantage in coaching.  It will likely be a close game one way or the other.  If there is a blowout, Arkansas will be on the good end of it. 

Alabama's offensive line is average at best.  Vanderbilt's defense was in the backfield all day on them.  Fortunately for Bama the Vandy defense tackled like a Dave Wommack - coordinated defense.  Their running backs looked solid, although maybe a bit on the small side.  It will be interesting to see how they fare when they run into a defense like ours that has good lateral speed. 

John P. Wilson is a much better QB than he showed against Vandy.  He's not a world beater, but he's not Pete Burks either.   If he plays up to his potential we will be in for some trouble defensively. 

Alabama's defense is kind of an unknown.  Other than Gilberry and the secondary, they haven't shown much.  They don't have a lot of depth on the D-line, and their linebackers are young.  The last two years Arkansas has had no trouble running on far better defenses.  If Casey can just complete 10 passes for a little over 100 yards our offense will be fine. 

Has nothing to do with overstating bama's D.  I know Nutt.  Get use to seeing a bunch of 3 and outs with our offense

You need to peel back the pig shaded glasses.  Their OL is big and may be the best in the SEC.  They'll lean on us hard between the tackles and those 3 and outs we have on offense will eventually take it's toll, and we'll start to wear down up front, probably before half.  In the second half they'll start hitting some runs on the edges and that's when it gets ugly.   

If you want a blue print, look back at the game in '05.  Difference is, Bama's coach this go around knows how to exploit weaknesses in his opponent.   

The only way the hogs win is if Darren does what Cobbs couldn't do back in 2000, pack Nutt's inept offense on his back and put forth one herculean effort.

No pig shaded glasses here.  Their O-Line is not what you think it is.  Think back to last year, when they couldn't clear enough space for Ken Darby to get more than 2 yards a pop.  Then think to the year before, when a senior dominated Alabama O-line allowed Darby to rush for over 1,000 yards.  Granted, it is possible that they could have improved since last year.  However, seeing average or below Vanderbilt players in the Alabama backfield quite often leads me to believe they haven't improved all that much, if at all. 

[MuskogeeHogFan]

Bama will load the line and blitz out of their skulls.  They'll get a couple of scores off turnovers and / or a short field that resulted in us punting from our endzone.  It will be a field postion battle in the first half with Bama playing most of the time in our end.  We'll keep it close for maybe two qtrs, then things will get ugly. 

You seriously overrate Alabama's talent level.  Our advantage in talent in this game is almost as great as their advantage in coaching.  It will likely be a close game one way or the other.  If there is a blowout, Arkansas will be on the good end of it. 

Alabama's offensive line is average at best.  Vanderbilt's defense was in the backfield all day on them.  Fortunately for Bama the Vandy defense tackled like a Dave Wommack - coordinated defense.  Their running backs looked solid, although maybe a bit on the small side.  It will be interesting to see how they fare when they run into a defense like ours that has good lateral speed. 

John P. Wilson is a much better QB than he showed against Vandy.  He's not a world beater, but he's not Pete Burks either.   If he plays up to his potential we will be in for some trouble defensively. 

Alabama's defense is kind of an unknown.  Other than Gilberry and the secondary, they haven't shown much.  They don't have a lot of depth on the D-line, and their linebackers are young.  The last two years Arkansas has had no trouble running on far better defenses.  If Casey can just complete 10 passes for a little over 100 yards our offense will be fine. 

Has nothing to do with overstating bama's D.  I know Nutt.  Get use to seeing a bunch of 3 and outs with our offense

You need to peel back the pig shaded glasses.  Their OL is big and may be the best in the SEC.  They'll lean on us hard between the tackles and those 3 and outs we have on offense will eventually take it's toll, and we'll start to wear down up front, probably before half.  In the second half they'll start hitting some runs on the edges and that's when it gets ugly.   

If you want a blue print, look back at the game in '05.  Difference is, Bama's coach this go around knows how to exploit weaknesses in his opponent.   

The only way the hogs win is if Darren does what Cobbs couldn't do back in 2000, pack Nutt's inept offense on his back and put forth one herculean effort.

No pig shaded glasses here.  Their O-Line is not what you think it is.  Think back to last year, when they couldn't clear enough space for Ken Darby to get more than 2 yards a pop.  Then think to the year before, when a senior dominated Alabama O-line allowed Darby to rush for over 1,000 yards.  Granted, it is possible that they could have improved since last year.  However, seeing average or below Vanderbilt players in the Alabama backfield quite often leads me to believe they haven't improved all that much, if at all. 

ok, well let's see......against us since 2004 Alabama's O-Line has produced:
2004-331 total yards
2005-324 total yards
2006-411 total yards
2007-YTD so far they average 473 total yards coming into our game with them.

Their offensive line is obviously doing something right.

[Hawg Daddy Cool]

Guys, this is a football game, not a statistics class.  The game is going to be decided by what happens on the field Saturday, and has nothing to do with what has happened the last nine years.  Historical data has absolutely no impact on the outcome of a game.

And even if previous stats did affect the outcome, you can't look at the stats of a team that has played ECU and Vanderbilt, and come to the conclusion that they will beat us.  

Maybe you are right.......we'll see Saturday if stat's are worthless and mean nothing.

We may very well lose on Saturday, but if we do, it won't be because of Nutt's past record against Saban or because we are 0-4 when playing on the second Saturday in September.  It will be because, on Saturday, the Bama players outplay the Arkansas players.  You guys are putting way too much analysis into this.  It's football.  It's decided on the field, not from past trends in history.

I watched the first half of the Bama/Vandy game on Saturday, and I honestly wasn't very impressed.  They gave up a couple of huge plays to Vanderbilt that got called back for penalties.  If it weren't for those penalties, it would have been a completely different game.  Wilson was 50% for 150 yards with an int, which is by no means great.  He averaged 5.4 yards attempt.  That is worse than what Casey did against Troy, but you want to praise Wilson and vilify Dick for their performances.  

How I see this game playing out is about the same way the Auburn game played out last year.  They are going to stack the box in the beginning, Dick will hit a couple of plays to make them back off, and then Dmac, Jones, and Hillis sit there and pound on them for the rest of the game.  Dick will probably throw between 10 to 15 passes for the game, and the running backs are going to be huge.  

[blue]

Since this game is already over, why are we even going down there?  By reading these statements we don't stand a chance aganists the big bad Tide, but don't tell that to DMac and company, because they could care less what has happened since 1998.  It seems like we won this game last year, but I could be wrong.

I remember both teams trying to give it away last year. What has changed? They ran off shula, we ran off mitch. They got Saban, we got Dick. Advantage Bama.