Tommy Tuberville Should Have Known Better

[WilsonHog]

Tommy Tuberville, who is an outstanding football coach, is out the door at Auburn in part because of the pressure brought to bear by Nick Saban. Tuberville cannot control that, obviously.

However, Tuberville is also out because he forgot his own philosophy. He bowed to pressure and bought into the spread offense, which goes against everything he had ever done at Auburn. The Tigers have always been a physical, whip-your-ass between the tackles team. They got away from that, and Tommy is paying the price for it.

A coach should never fall victim to someone else's philosphy about how to coach.   

[Fatman]

Isn't it funny how the coach that everyone made fun of last year is now considered a viable candidate for the Auburn job.

[Lard]

Tommy Tuberville, who is an outstanding football coach, is out the door at Auburn in part because of the pressure brought to bear by Nick Saban. Tuberville cannot control that, obviously.

However, Tuberville is also out because he forgot his own philosophy. He bowed to pressure and bought into the spread offense, which goes against everything he had ever done at Auburn. The Tigers have always been a physical, whip-your-ass between the tackles team. They got away from that, and Tommy is paying the price for it.

A coach should never fall victim to someone else's philosphy about how to coach.  

He should have also known after Jetgate that those people down there are crazy and would can him in a heartbeat if he ever gave them a crease.

[hogsanity]

Tommy Tuberville, who is an outstanding football coach, is out the door at Auburn in part because of the pressure brought to bear by Nick Saban. Tuberville cannot control that, obviously.

However, Tuberville is also out because he forgot his own philosophy. He bowed to pressure and bought into the spread offense, which goes against everything he had ever done at Auburn. The Tigers have always been a physical, whip-your-ass between the tackles team. They got away from that, and Tommy is paying the price for it.

A coach should never fall victim to someone else's philosphy about how to coach.  

Got to have excitement.  Got to have offense.  Which is fine, but fans have to be willing to give a change in style 3-5 years, and few sec teams fans will show that kind of patience.

But, yes, he should have known better.

[JJHog]

Ultimately the downfall of Nutt at Arkansas.

[WilsonHog]

Ultimately the downfall of Nutt at Arkansas.

Yes, sir.

[hoghearted]

Isn't it funny how the coach that everyone made fun of last year is now considered a viable candidate for the Auburn job.

You'll have to be a little more clear than that. There've been a ton of coaches that have been made fun of on this board.

[kcabrozaR]

Isn't it funny how the coach that everyone made fun of last year is now considered a viable candidate for the Auburn job.

By who??

[Fatman]

I was talking about CBP who the media out of state crucified last year about this time for leaving ATL. It was reported that someone from Auburn had tried to contact CBP about the job.

[3kgthog]

Amen to this post. Hammer, meet the nail. I couldn't wipe off the dumbfounded look on my face when I heard that Tubs was going to the spread. They went undefeated by running people over and beating up on them. There was no need for a change.

[hogsanity]

Isnt it also funny that the guy many wanted to replace Nutt ended up being done in by some of the same things, on fiedl anyway, that did in Nutt?  Basically allowing someone else to dicatet what the offensive style would be, then scapping it after a few games. 

A coach who has done what TT has done should be left alone to coach how he sees fit, in the style he wants.  If the school does not like that style, get a new coach, dont try to force an old dog like TT to change.

[touchdownark]

There will be a win for us next year because auburn's football program is going to be horrible the next couple of years.

[SRFL]

Actually a very sound point Wilson.


Looking ahead, Tubs could mothball for a year and possibly backdoor into a LSU vacancy if our rival to the south doesn't improve dramatically. 

[Bubba's Bruisers]

Maybe there are some AU committed recruits we could pick off.

[Dirty]

Tommy Bowden flirted with hogs, Tommy Tubberville was mentioned has the hogs coach and didn't turn it down.  Now both are looking for jobs.  HA!

[Brand X Hog Fan]

There is no comparison between Tubberville and Nutt. Tubb went to the spread and got his clock cleaned for a year, this after a National Championship and a couple of 8 and 9 win seasons. Nutt abandoned his offensive coordinator and his quarterback in the midst of an 8-0 run and squandered the best backfield in Razorback history because of his own selfish pride and insecurity. He cost us a National Championship. Nutt deserved to be fired and got paid off. Tubb deserves to be bought out with honor if the PTB thinks it can do better.

[HawgBallLvr]

On ESPN now...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3742934

[WilsonHog]

There is no comparison between Tubberville and Nutt. Tubb went to the spread and got his clock cleaned for a year, this after a National Championship and a couple of 8 and 9 win seasons. Nutt abandoned his offensive coordinator and his quarterback in the midst of an 8-0 run and squandered the best backfield in Razorback history because of his own selfish pride and insecurity. He cost us a National Championship. Nutt deserved to be fired and got paid off. Tubb deserves to be bought out with honor if the PTB thinks it can do better.

There is a valid comparison, and here it is.

Let's suppose you are a football coach and I am your athletic director.

You believe in running the _______ (insert your base offense here) on offense and a ______ (insert your preferred base defense here) on defense. I come into your office and let you know that you should strongly consider running something else.

If you have any sense at all the very first words, I mean the FIRST words, out of your mouth should be "F*** you."   

Nutt's first mistake was not telling Frank Broyles to kiss the rim of his [CENSORED] when he first "suggested" Nutt hire Malzahn as OC. He compounded that mistake by the horrific way he handled the situation from that point forward.

[Hornkiller]

On ESPN now...

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3742934

They've already contacted Leech? We'll I guess if you want to run the spread, you'll be hard pressed to find anyone better.

[hogsanity]

There is a valid comparison, and here it is.

Let's suppose you are a football coach and I am your athletic director.

You believe in running the _______ (insert your base offense here) on offense and a ______ (insert your preferred base defense here) on defense. I come into your office and let you know that you should strongly consider running something else.

If you have any sense at all the very first words, I mean the FIRST words, out of your mouth should be "F*** you."  

Nutt's first mistake was not telling Frank Broyles to kiss the rim of his ******* when he first "suggested" Nutt hire Malzahn as OC. He compounded that mistake by the horrific way he handled the situation from that point forward.

We actually agree on this.

[Hoggish1]

Amen to this post. Hammer, meet the nail. I couldn't wipe off the dumbfounded look on my face when I heard that Tubs was going to the spread. They went undefeated by running people over and beating up on them. There was no need for a change.

Whose idea was it for TT to run the spread?  Saban isn't running it.  Was it Lauder?

Those people down there deserve to roll around in mediocrity for 10 years like we had to.

[btaylor2404]

I'm usually just a reader/lurker, but this one blows my mind.  How in the hell does TT lose his job?  ONE bad year?  My god what do they want at AU, and who in their right mind would take that job now?

[josh_sec33]

There is a valid comparison, and here it is.

Let's suppose you are a football coach and I am your athletic director.

You believe in running the _______ (insert your base offense here) on offense and a ______ (insert your preferred base defense here) on defense. I come into your office and let you know that you should strongly consider running something else.

If you have any sense at all the very first words, I mean the FIRST words, out of your mouth should be "F*** you."  

Nutt's first mistake was not telling Frank Broyles to kiss the rim of his ******* when he first "suggested" Nutt hire Malzahn as OC. He compounded that mistake by the horrific way he handled the situation from that point forward.

Lord I agre with this as well. And that's scary.

[Hawgon]

Tommy is a victim of lots of different things.  First, Tommy won the power struggle after Jetgate, and as a result, thought he was untouchable.  In reality, he didn't win the fight, the other guys just sat back and waited for another day to fight. 

Second, he negotiated such a sweetheart deal after Jetgate, he couldn't get away.  His salary was so good, and his buyout so high, he couldn't go to another school.  Literally, no one could afford him.  So, while the buyout gave him some security against firing, it ultimately made it impossible for him to leave for greener pastures as well.  Had it not been for the buyout, he very likely would have been at Arkansas this year.

[LA Football fan]

Nutt wasn't told to hire Gus to change the offense.  He was told to hire Gus to get the Springdale 5.  Remember Nutt thought he was going to be fired when Mitch decommitted.  If Nutt had lost Mitch, Ben, and Damien with the way his recruiting class was shaping up, especially after two losing seasons, he was out the door anyways.  Nutt hired Gus to save his job pure and simple.  Gus wouldn't come unless he was promised he would be able to run his offense. This is why Nutt hated Gus so much.  He had to promise to give up control of the offense to hire Gus and he had to hire Gus to get the recruiting class that would enable him to keep coaching.  This was a disaster all the way around in that without unity on the coaching staff, there was no way it wouldn't eventually affect the team and lead to the problems we saw at the end of the year.  Nutt only ran the HUNH offense on two series in the USC game when Mitch came in.  Nutt never truly gave up total control of the offense even though Gus was the OC calling the plays.  Gus was able to take Nutt's offense and put the motion and misdirection in and make it harder for defenses to defend.  Gus never really ran "his" offense that year.  Franklin at Auburn did get to run "his" offense but he didn't have a qb with the ability to make the throws needed on a consistent basis and when the offense struggled as expected, it only made things worse between him and TT.

[hogsanity]

Nutt wasn't told to hire Gus to change the offense.  He was told to hire Gus to get the Springdale 5.  Remember Nutt thought he was going to be fired when Mitch decommitted.  If Nutt had lost Mitch, Ben, and Damien with the way his recruiting class was shaping up, especially after two losing seasons, he was out the door anyways.  Nutt hired Gus to save his job pure and simple.  Gus wouldn't come unless he was promised he would be able to run his offense. This is why Nutt hated Gus so much.  He had to promise to give up control of the offense to hire Gus and he had to hire Gus to get the recruiting class that would enable him to keep coaching.  This was a disaster all the way around in that without unity on the coaching staff, there was no way it wouldn't eventually affect the team and lead to the problems we saw at the end of the year.  Nutt only ran the HUNH offense on two series in the USC game when Mitch came in.  Nutt never truly gave up total control of the offense even though Gus was the OC calling the plays.  Gus was able to take Nutt's offense and put the motion and misdirection in and make it harder for defenses to defend.  Gus never really ran "his" offense that year.  Franklin at Auburn did get to run "his" offense but he didn't have a qb with the ability to make the throws needed on a consistent basis and when the offense struggled as expected, it only made things worse between him and TT.

IMO, Broyles meddled in the offewnse in 2000, after the horrid start tp the season.  Told Nutt to get back to smashmouth.  Just compare 98/99 with 2000 and after.  At the time Nutt dd not have the option of telling JFB to kiss off, after 2 years he was unlikely to find any job close to as good as he had.  After that, JFB knew he could get HD to run any offense JFB wanted. 

As to why Gusd was hired, I think it was a little of many things, the Sdale 5, the spread, exciting the fans after 2 losing seasons, keeping the NWA boosters happy, and proabably things none of us will ever know about.  And, it eneded like most shotgun marriages, crashing like the Hindenburg.

[AuburnHog]

I can understand the coaching comparisions of Nutt and Tubs b/c of their similiar offensive styles and downfalls, but that's about it.  Tommy Tuberville is a great, great person and will be missed in the Auburn community.  Jay Jacobs and Bobby Lowder are idiots and will not be able to replace such a fine man and good coach.  The news reported last night that he couldn't even make it thru his team meeting b/c he was so upset saying "I'm sorry I let you down."  He met with them for 5 minutes then had to leave. 

Students on campus were standing at Toomer's Corner holding signs up supporting TT.  The reporter said that she only found one student on campus that agreed with the firing. 

It's sad that they didn't give him one more year to get it turned around. 

[jst01]

There is a valid comparison, and here it is.

Let's suppose you are a football coach and I am your athletic director.

You believe in running the _______ (insert your base offense here) on offense and a ______ (insert your preferred base defense here) on defense. I come into your office and let you know that you should strongly consider running something else.

If you have any sense at all the very first words, I mean the FIRST words, out of your mouth should be "F*** you."  

Nutt's first mistake was not telling Frank Broyles to kiss the rim of his ******* when he first "suggested" Nutt hire Malzahn as OC. He compounded that mistake by the horrific way he handled the situation from that point forward.

this is all true, but with out that first mistake, we might still be waking up in the middle of the night with cold sweats cussing Nutt's name. 

[WilsonHog]

I can understand the coaching comparisions of Nutt and Tubs b/c of their similiar offensive styles and downfalls, but that's about it.  Tommy Tuberville is a great, great person and will be missed in the Auburn community.  Jay Jacobs and Bobby Lowder are idiots and will not be able to replace such a fine man and good coach.  The news reported last night that he couldn't even make it thru his team meeting b/c he was so upset saying "I'm sorry I let you down."  He met with them for 5 minutes then had to leave. 

Students on campus were standing at Toomer's Corner holding signs up supporting TT.  The reporter said that she only found one student on campus that agreed with the firing. 

It's sad that they didn't give him one more year to get it turned around. 

I'll almost guarantee that Auburn will trade down, just as Tennessee did.

[DeltaBoy]

As I said on another thread Tigger just bought themselves 3-5 years of Pain.

This proves that the PTB at that Cow school are idiots.

[Oklahawg]

Aubbie had to believe there was a structural defect in the TT regime that no amount of tweaking would fix.

They will give the next coach time to retool and rebuild much like Petrino has no worries at UA for the forseeable future. Folks now see the steep decline the program was on once Hillis + Felix + DMac + Harrison + Dacus + Monk left the program. Aubbie fans will see that as well, and, yes, I will enjoy their growing pains.

[Lard]

I can understand the coaching comparisions of Nutt and Tubs b/c of their similiar offensive styles and downfalls, but that's about it.  Tommy Tuberville is a great, great person and will be missed in the Auburn community.  Jay Jacobs and Bobby Lowder are idiots and will not be able to replace such a fine man and good coach.  The news reported last night that he couldn't even make it thru his team meeting b/c he was so upset saying "I'm sorry I let you down."  He met with them for 5 minutes then had to leave. 

Students on campus were standing at Toomer's Corner holding signs up supporting TT.  The reporter said that she only found one student on campus that agreed with the firing. 

It's sad that they didn't give him one more year to get it turned around. 

Thanks.  You're dead on.  Nutt is a scumbag.  Tubs is very decent man.  Other than coaching styles, there is no comparison.

[AuburnHog]

I'll almost guarantee that Auburn will trade down, just as Tennessee did.

Oh they most definitely will.  I don't know why everyone keeps putting Muschamp's name out there.  He and Jacobs hate each other.  Jacobs would have to be fired for Muschamp to come back....imo.

[Lard]

Oh they most definitely will.  I don't know why everyone keeps putting Muschamp's name out there.  He and Jacobs hate each other.  Jacobs would have to be fired for Muschamp to come back....imo.

Here's the really funny thing......if Petrino were to go to Auburn (which i know this is extremely unlikely....but for argument's sake) who do you think we would go after as our #1 candidate?  No question in my mind at this time the best candidate available would be Tommy Tuberville.

[AuburnHog]

Here's the really funny thing......if Petrino were to go to Auburn (which i know this is extremely unlikely....but for argument's sake) who do you think we would go after as our #1 candidate?  No question in my mind at this time the best candidate available would be Tommy Tuberville.

You're exactly right.

[Sivad]

Isn't it funny how the coach that everyone made fun of last year.........

If you're talking about Nutt, everyone is STILL making fun of that imbecile.

[DeltaBoy]

ROFL that is true Lard.

[FS Hog]

Nutt's first mistake was not telling Frank Broyles to kiss the rim of his ******* when he first "suggested" Nutt hire Malzahn as OC.

I can't believe you think that was Nutt's FIRST mistake

[hogsanity]

Aubbie had to believe there was a structural defect in the TT regime that no amount of tweaking would fix.

They will give the next coach time to retool and rebuild much like Petrino has no worries at UA for the forseeable future. Folks now see the steep decline the program was on once Hillis + Felix + DMac + Harrison + Dacus + Monk left the program. Aubbie fans will see that as well, and, yes, I will enjoy their growing pains.

Really?  You think with Bama knocking down 10 wins  year, and wiping the field with Auburn that they will tolerate a 5 years rebuild?

[Wes Craven]

Actually a very sound point Wilson.


Looking ahead, Tubs could mothball for a year and possibly backdoor into a LSU vacancy if our rival to the south doesn't improve dramatically. 

You are aware that LSU won the National Championship last year right. Fans are truly unbelievable. It is ridiculous the microwave I want it now society we live in today.

[Seconds]

Had it not been for the buyout, he very likely would have been at Arkansas this year.

[Hawgon]

The thing about Tuberville that no one is mentioning on this thread is that the heat was on him so bad that even if he had survived this year, he would have had a real problem getting quality assistants to come to Auburn given that it would likely just be a one year job.

In this off season, he needed to hire a new OC.  Given what happened to the last one and the instability there, that would have almost been impossible.

Plus, his DC is a candidate for a couple of mid-major HC jobs and there is the very real possibility he would also have to hire a DC as well.

They have been going through this song and dance at Auburn at the end of every season for about three years.  There comes a point when regardless of who is at fault, it is best for everyone to just walk away.  I think TT being gone is actually the best for all concerned.

[InkMan]

Nutt wasn't told to hire Gus to change the offense.  He was told to hire Gus to get the Springdale 5.  Remember Nutt thought he was going to be fired when Mitch decommitted.  If Nutt had lost Mitch, Ben, and Damien with the way his recruiting class was shaping up, especially after two losing seasons, he was out the door anyways.  Nutt hired Gus to save his job pure and simple.  Gus wouldn't come unless he was promised he would be able to run his offense. This is why Nutt hated Gus so much.  He had to promise to give up control of the offense to hire Gus and he had to hire Gus to get the recruiting class that would enable him to keep coaching.  This was a disaster all the way around in that without unity on the coaching staff, there was no way it wouldn't eventually affect the team and lead to the problems we saw at the end of the year.  Nutt only ran the HUNH offense on two series in the USC game when Mitch came in.  Nutt never truly gave up total control of the offense even though Gus was the OC calling the plays.  Gus was able to take Nutt's offense and put the motion and misdirection in and make it harder for defenses to defend.  Gus never really ran "his" offense that year.  Franklin at Auburn did get to run "his" offense but he didn't have a qb with the ability to make the throws needed on a consistent basis and when the offense struggled as expected, it only made things worse between him and TT.

It was the opinion of certain booster (s) whom were very close to Nutt that Gus was the real deal and could possibly be the next John McDonnell (i.e. a high school coach with the it factor, who could star at the college level).

It was brought to Nutt's attention and when the pressure mounted on Nutt to hire an offensive coordinator and the coaches he wanted fell though, the pressure on Nutt increased to the point of his hiring Gus.

The fact that the Springdale Five might be a bonus if Gus was hired certaining increased the pressure on Nutt but was not the inititial reason for him being considered.

[wes72949]

If that happen ,(which it wont) i would hope we would go for butch davis .

[WilsonHog]

How do you know?  Because they aren't guaranteed mediocrity with Fulmer anymore?

I don't see what your obsession is with Fulmer.  You like that old school football that wasn't getting him anywhere.  He hasn't won the conference in nine seasons.  Once you know you're not getting to the top, it's time to make a change.  Ten years ago is ancient history to recruits.

Obsession, Fresh?

Not hardly.

I have no obsessions, because an obsession requires one to give a damn.

I do not.

[LA Football fan]

The problem with your theory is that Nutt tried to hire Gus as a position coach, not OC.  He probably felt he could use some of Malzaln's ideas (as a position coach) and still get the credit by calling the plays. Nutt only wanted the heat off him for Mitch's decommitment and knew if he hired Gus he had close to a 100% chance of getting Mitch back on board.  Nutt "never" wanted Gus as an OC.  He was left with no choice when it became evident that Gus wasn't coming unless hired as the OC.  Again, that is why Nutt was looking for the first opportunity to dump Malzaln.  He deeply resented having to give up play calling and made sure no other coaches cooperated with Gus after he was hired.  The MSM resisted everything Gus tried to implement, which is why Casey was injured in spring practice.  Gus never really ran his offense.  Frank being upset about the USC game may be true, but the fact was we were moving the ball quite well if not for the turnovers by Felix.  Even then, we only ran the HUNH on the two drives after Mustain came in to the game.  We went back to strictly using Nutt's offense with the motion and misdirection after the loss.  I mean, how many times did we have the ball with two minutes to go in the first half, and watch Gus run the clock out?  Gus would "never" have done that if he truly had full control of the offense. 

It was the opinion of certain booster (s) whom were very close to Nutt that Gus was the real deal and could possibly be the next John McDonnell (i.e. a high school coach with the it factor, who could star at the college level).

It was brought to Nutt's attention and when the pressure mounted on Nutt to hire an offensive coordinator and the coaches he wanted fell though, the pressure on Nutt increased to the point of his hiring Gus.

The fact that the Springdale Five might be a bonus if Gus was hired certaining increased the pressure on Nutt but was not the inititial reason for him being considered.

[GuvHog]

There is no comparison between Tubberville and Nutt. Tubb went to the spread and got his clock cleaned for a year, this after a National Championship and a couple of 8 and 9 win seasons. Nutt abandoned his offensive coordinator and his quarterback in the midst of an 8-0 run and squandered the best backfield in Razorback history because of his own selfish pride and insecurity. He cost us a National Championship. Nutt deserved to be fired and got paid off. Tubb deserves to be bought out with honor if the PTB thinks it can do better.

NewsFlash: TT got his clock cleaned by Arkansas and HDN in 2006, long before he
switched to the spread. That's when his downfall began.

[El Puerco]

Aubbie had to believe there was a structural defect in the TT regime that no amount of tweaking would fix.

They will give the next coach time to retool and rebuild much like Petrino has no worries at UA for the forseeable future. Folks now see the steep decline the program was on once Hillis + Felix + DMac + Harrison + Dacus + Monk left the program. Aubbie fans will see that as well, and, yes, I will enjoy their growing pains.

I believe that Tubbs said that Petrino would have significant growing pains now that he was in the SEC.  Bet you wish you could take comments like that back when you're the one that finds yourself without a job!

[bphi11ips]

IMO, Broyles meddled in the offewnse in 2000, after the horrid start tp the season.  Told Nutt to get back to smashmouth.  Just compare 98/99 with 2000 and after.  At the time Nutt dd not have the option of telling JFB to kiss off, after 2 years he was unlikely to find any job close to as good as he had.  After that, JFB knew he could get HD to run any offense JFB wanted. 

For once I agree with hogsanity.  Nutt's 1998 and 1999 offenses looked much like Ole Miss this year.  Nutt came to Arkansas with a wide open philosophy.  So if he allowed Broyles to dictate his philosophy early, I'll agree there is some analogy as Wilson suggests.

However, Nutt had nowhere near the success at Arkansas Tuberville had at Auburn. And their styles weren't that similar.  TT coached old school fundamentals.  Defense and special teams overcame the lack of gaudy offensive numbers.  Nutt neglected defense and special teams year after year.  The only "smashmouth" aspect of a Nutt coached Razorback squad was the offensive line, which were generally effective at zone blocking in power formation.  This scheme worked against weak sisters but generally broke down against power defensive fronts.  There were some exceptions due to crazy talent in the backfield.

Nutt didn't change his philosophy, in my opinion, to capture Malzahn and the Springdale boys, unless he changed his philosophy in 2000 from the more balanced attack he favored before he came to Arkansas and during his first two years there.  I don't believe he has ever been a "smashmouth" coach. 

[Brand X Hog Fan]

For once I agree with hogsanity.  Nutt's 1998 and 1999 offenses looked much like Ole Miss this year.  Nutt came to Arkansas with a wide open philosophy.  So if he allowed Broyles to dictate his philosophy early, I'll agree there is some analogy as Wilson suggests.

However, Nutt had nowhere near the success at Arkansas Tuberville had at Auburn. And their styles weren't that similar.  TT coached old school fundamentals.  Defense and special teams overcame the lack of gaudy offensive numbers.  Nutt neglected defense and special teams year after year.  The only "smashmouth" aspect of a Nutt coached Razorback squad was the offensive line, which were generally effective at zone blocking in power formation.  This scheme worked against weak sisters but generally broke down against power defensive fronts.  There were some exceptions due to crazy talent in the backfield.

Nutt didn't change his philosophy, in my opinion, to capture Malzahn and the Springdale boys, unless he changed his philosophy in 2000 from the more balanced attack he favored before he came to Arkansas and during his first two years there.  I don't believe he has ever been a "smashmouth" coach. 

Nutt's lack of recruiting and coaching at the QB position played a large part in the direction the offense went after Stoerner and Fergy left. We couldn't throw a pass at an ugly girl at a barn dance untill Casey and Mitch got here. Even then, an unimaginative and poorly recruited passing game left us weak.

NewsFlash: TT got his clock cleaned by Arkansas and HDN in 2006, long before he
switched to the spread. That's when his downfall began.

So then we can look for Les Miles to be gone next year if he goes 9-3? I just don't think athletic directors and boosters are that embarrassed by a loss to Arkansas in a good year. After all, we are Arkansas and we have a tradition (what's left of it after TCTWF and Jack Crowe.