What has shocked you the most so far?

[HF#1]

I'm almost convinced that most of you are trolling to begin with.  I know that Hogville doesn't set the standard when it comes to the "pulse" of Arkansas fans. 

My question, even to the angry little trolls, is what has surprised you to this point?  What exactly did you expect after a year and half?  Are you considering all the factors or are you just having a kneejerk reaction to a loss to ANOTHER top 10 team?  Have you looked at the opponents we have faced during this losing streak? 

Petrino and John L didn't leave a lot of talent behind.  Defensively, they left us completely screwed.  Offensively we were below average, if not mediocre.  Why can't Bielema get a recruiting class or three under his belt before you chastise every part of the program?

I'm not saying Bielema is without fault but you have to consider all the facts and the circumstances under which he took the program over.  He is recruiting at a level we haven't seen since before I started religiously following the Razorbacks (about 20 years).  He's getting higher rated players in numbers we haven't seen.  We have 6 or 7 4* recruits committed right now.  That is more than Petrino got his entire tenure.  He is redshirting (stockpiling) players so we have quality depth down the road. 

Looking at it objectively,  did you really expect him to come here and beat the doors off top ten programs in his first two years?  If you say yes, you are a liar and/or a troll. 

[razorbackchamps94]

That we haven't won and SEC game ... And probably won't this year

[jkstock04]

To me what is most shocking has been the (almost like) celebrations of improvement after the A&M and Bama losses. Following those losses....people got extremely confident we would roll over Georgia because they were an east team with a loss.

That's what has led to the vitoral you are seeing now...expectations got high and I have no idea why. They went into mizzou the week before and absolutely throttled them 34-0....so it's still beyond me where everyone had all this confidence. We had lost 15 straight conference games and had the #10 ranked team in the country up next.

The call in shows tomorrow should be interesting.

[Poker_hog]

I expected better than an 0-12 start in the sec.  If cbb can't win a game every now and then with inferior talent he's not gonna be here long.

[grayhawg]

After the previous two seasons, what could shock us?


Just to make myself clear, remember after Long fired Petrino and we kept the coaching staff intact and brought in Jon L to oversee things most of us felt good about the upcoming season.

[onebadrubi]

The mans ability to turn a catastrophe around from within.  He came in and cleaned up these kids off the field and in the classroom.  He and his staff have made a great name for themselves in the homes of many of the top recruits. 

This year our defense has done an amazing job over what many expected.  Some here are too stubborn to admit it but we are playing really well seeing how we are being led by a true sophomore MLB, a freshman corner, and flowers.  The three new defensive coaching hires have all out kicked their coverage for what MANY on here though, IMO. 

It's the SEC-W... We are always going to have the hardest road to success.  People refuse to realize this. 

[jlhogfan]

I'm almost convinced that most of you are trolling to begin with.  I know that Hogville doesn't set the standard when it comes to the "pulse" of Arkansas fans. 

My question, even to the angry little trolls, is what has surprised you to this point?  What exactly did you expect after a year and half?  Are you considering all the factors or are you just having a kneejerk reaction to a loss to ANOTHER top 10 team?  Have you looked at the opponents we have faced during this losing streak? 

Petrino and John L didn't leave a lot of talent behind.  Defensively, they left us completely screwed.  Offensively we were below average, if not mediocre.  Why can't Bielema get a recruiting class or three under his belt before you chastise every part of the program?

I'm not saying Bielema is without fault but you have to consider all the facts and the circumstances under which he took the program over.  He is recruiting at a level we haven't seen since before I started religiously following the Razorbacks (about 20 years).  He's getting higher rated players in numbers we haven't seen.  We have 6 or 7 4* recruits committed right now.  That is more than Petrino got his entire tenure.  He is redshirting (stockpiling) players so we have quality depth down the road. 

Looking at it objectively,  did you really expect him to come here and beat the doors off top ten programs in his first two years?  If you say yes, you are a liar and/or a troll. 

I expected us to beat A&M and beat a GA team that lost to SC and is minus their best player. I expect us to go to a bowl game in year 2.  Is that wrong?

[Mike_e]

The progress.

CBB took a depleted, broken team and they look pretty good a season and a half in.

Do they have room for improvement?  Absolutely.  Do we show signs that we are getting there?

Absolutely.

[chuggs33]

I am not really shocked at all.  I thought that we would be better this year than most thought, and I think we are.  What Georgia did to us in the first half was a bit shocking, but I think in some strange way it was needed.  I think we will be stronger because of it. 

Coach B is leading us in the right direction.  He just needs another year or two, then look out football world. 

And for the record, I think we will win an SEC game this year.

[HF#1]

I expected us to beat A&M and beat a GA team that lost to SC and is minus their best player. I expect us to go to a bowl game in year 2.  Is that wrong?

If that's your opinion, it's your opinion.  Are you one of the ones on here advocating that he will never win here?

[casken]

What has surprised me the most is the shortsighted fan base. You'd have to be blind to ignore the improvement of this team and pollyannaish to have expected a much better result than what we have seen thus far. 

In fact much of the disappointment has been heightened by the team playing beyond expectations in the A & M and Bama games. Our Hogs were physically better than both and shot themselves in the foot. Now when Georgia schools us a bit there is shock...makes little sense to me. Worse feelings as a result of playing better than many of us thought possible. If you would have told me last year that coming off of the previous years 52 zip loss to Bama that we would come within a point in one year and shut them down offensively...I'd say that is improvement. Vast improvement. Satisfied?...nope... but optimistic looking forward. It is not an overnight process especially in the war zone called The SEC. :razorback:

[HF#1]

The progress.

CBB took a depleted, broken team and they look pretty good a season and a half in.

Do they have room for improvement?  Absolutely.  Do we show signs that we are getting there?

Absolutely.

I can dig it.  Good post.

[Torqued pork]

Why would the frustration level not be high?

A&M and Bama tried to give us an early Christmas and we refused their generosity.

Georgia beat us badly enough to doubt the progress everyone thought we had made including the national pundits who were making us a bit of a darling.

[HF#1]

Why would the frustration level not be high?

A&M and Bama tried to give us an early Christmas and we refused their generosity.

Georgia beat us badly enough to doubt the progress everyone thought we had made including the national pundits who were making us a bit of a darling.

There is a difference between being frustrated and claiming in every post that Bielema won't accomplish anything here.  Which I'm seeing a lot of.

[BallHog1]

What has surprised me the most is the shortsighted fan base. You'd have to be blind to ignore the improvement of this team and pollyannaish to have expected a much better result than what we have seen thus far. 

In fact much of the disappointment has been heightened by the team playing beyond expectations in the A & M and Bama games. Our Hogs were physically better than both and shot themselves in the foot. Now when Georgia schools us a bit there is shock...makes little sense to me. Worse feelings as a result of playing better than many of us thought possible. If you would have told me last year that coming off of the previous years 52 zip loss to Bama that we would come within a point in one year and shut them down offensively...I'd say that is improvement. Vast improvement. Satisfied?...nope... but optimistic looking forward. It is not an overnight process especially in the war zone called The SEC. :razorback:

I'll just say this. You took the words right out of my mouth. These folks talking about BB being a short timer if he doesn't do something have already forgotten the difficulty of getting a proven coach. We have one, we need to keep him and exercise a little patience and maturity as a fan base.

[PORKULATOR]

I KNOW WE'RE BETTER THAN OUR RECORD...  sorry i yelled

[jlhogfan]

If that's your opinion, it's your opinion.  Are you one of the ones on here advocating that he will never win here?

I am not sure what to think about Coach B.  I would have expected any coach to have us in a minor bowl in year 2

[ICEman]

Perhaps we should have hit the Jucos a bit harder.

[ballz2thewall]

i'm shocked that we improved so well that we were in discussions beyond our own neighborhoods.

i didn't expect it to happen that fast.  my thought at the start of the year is that we'd luck up and knock off a late season conference foe, and only then would we get any talk at all.

[deedster84]

The number of trolls we now have and that we have had almost no off field issues since BB arrived. you can see what he is trying to build. Yes, I am disappointed that we haven't won a conference game but I am in no way going to talk bad about what he is doing, you can see what he is trying to build.

[LSUFan]

Even Stevie Wonder can see, that with the talent on this team (See Big Ass O-Line, Collins, BA improvements, etc) A, 1, uno, singular, ONE damn conference game should have been won by now. PERIOD!!!

Smiley won two!

Where does the blame lay? You guessed it, boys and girls, with the mouth breather making millions and selling snake oil.

It's the Peter Principal at its best.

[grayhawg]

Even Stevie Wonder can see, that with the talent on this team (See Big Ass O-Line, Collins, BA improvements, etc) A, 1, uno, singular, ONE damn conference game should have been won by now. PERIOD!!!

Smiley won two!

Where does the blame lay? You guessed it, boys and girls, with the mouth breather making millions and selling snake oil.

It's the Peter Principal at its best.

Quit talking about Lester, this is a hog board.

[Smokehouse]

Why would the frustration level not be high?

A&M and Bama tried to give us an early Christmas and we refused their generosity.

Georgia beat us badly enough to doubt the progress everyone thought we had made including the national pundits who were making us a bit of a darling.

Or Georgia is just a really good team that has had a stable coaching staff for a decade that has built legitimate SEC depth. Hogville wrote UGA off after they lost to South Carolina, but nobody took into account that UGA/USC is one of those weird games that seems to always be competitive regardless of the talent disparity between the two teams. 

[HF#1]

Even Stevie Wonder can see, that with the talent on this team (See Big Ass O-Line, Collins, BA improvements, etc) A, 1, uno, singular, ONE damn conference game should have been won by now. PERIOD!!!

Smiley won two!

Where does the blame lay? You guessed it, boys and girls, with the mouth breather making millions and selling snake oil.

It's the Peter Principal at its best.

You didn't read the post. 

[LSUFan]

Quit talking about Lester, this is a hog board.

I'll have Rev peeping in your windows again.

[Smokehouse]

I am not sure what to think about Coach B.  I would have expected any coach to have us in a minor bowl in year 2

Hard to win six when you have to go through a massive rebuild in one of the toughest divisions of all time.

[LSUFan]

You didn't read the post.

You didn't include pictures

Response wasn't directed to OP, just my overall opinion. I hate seeing opportunity wasted, this team has greatness written all over it, but Forrest Gump is the one driving the Shrimp Boat.

[LSUFan]

Hard to win six when you have to go through a massive rebuild in one of the toughest divisions of all time.

There is no rebuild, they won two conference games the year BEFORE he came on board, and NONE since then. THAT AIN'T A REBUILD. If I'm wrong, please show me.

[3kgthog]

1. Longest SEC losing streak in Hog history
2. Longest current conference losing streak in FBS
3. Players come and go, results stay the same in W-L
4. Until Saturday, we were owned in the 2nd half
5. We have no offensive identity
6. Teams know one thing: Play run, you beat AR
7. Claims of discipline but dumb penalties persist
8. Worst special teams in Hog history

Is losing by fewer points really a positive? I say heck no. It's still a loss and we're paying about $292k per SEC loss. We are getting robbed by one Bret Bielema.

[Danny J]

Timing of key penalties

Special teams

Those two are the most shocking.

[HF#1]

You didn't include pictures

Response wasn't directed to OP, just my overall opinion. I hate seeing opportunity wasted, this team has greatness written all over it, but Forrest Gump is the one driving the Shrimp Boat.

So, can you provide situations in which you see dumbassery on our sideline?  I mean, what has he done that is just so dumb? 

This team doesn't have greatness written all over it.  It has pieces that are great at times.  But game in, game out, they are not great.  They might be good. 

[Danny J]

1. Longest SEC losing streak in Hog history
2. Longest current conference losing streak in FBS
3. Players come and go, results stay the same in W-L
4. Until Saturday, we were owned in the 2nd half
5. We have no offensive identity
6. Teams know one thing: Play run, you beat AR
7. Claims of discipline but dumb penalties persist
8. Worst special teams in Hog history

Is losing by fewer points really a positive? I say heck no. It's still a loss and we're paying about $292k per SEC loss. We are getting robbed by one Bret Bielema.

Yeah...I was thinking back and I can't remember at time our special teams being as bad as they are now. I am positive that is a understatement. I think horrendous would be too generous as well. I mean that quite literally.

[Smokehouse]

There is no rebuild, they won two conference games the year BEFORE he came on board, and NONE since then. THAT AIN'T A REBUILD

Yes, and when you win two conference games with an interim coaching staff "recruiting" and lose a bunch of talent with no replacements on the depth chart, that means there's a rebuild coming up. It really takes just a marginal glance at the depth chart BB's first season to see the challenge he was going to have.

[intelligence]

i can speak for me only. I expect us to recruit better in the secondary. i expect us to have a better playbook than what we've shown. everything else this year, i'd say has been par for the course, but i'll also say the improvement we've seen draws the emotional response from me every time. Probably how it is with most folks, they are happy with the progress but not patient enough to wait to see what the future holds, so they get on the net and gripe about it.

[LSUFan]

So, can you provide situations in which you see dumbassery on our sideline?  I mean, what has he done that is just so dumb? 

This team doesn't have greatness written all over it.  It has pieces that are great at times.  But game in, game out, they are not great.  They might be good.

I don't have the youtube links. His dumbassness has been the topic of discussion by more than just me, and if you don't know that, you must sleep all the time.

Why is the defense of this man more important than the good of the program?

HE      IS      IN      OVER     HIS     HEAD.

Leslie is too, but at least Leslie surrounds himself with great assistant coaches.

[HF#1]

1. Longest SEC losing streak in Hog history - True, but are we not a victim of circumstance?

2. Longest current conference losing streak in FBS - See #1

3. Players come and go, results stay the same in W-L - He has 1 1/2 recruiting classes under his belt.  Don't you think this rebuild requires a little more time?

4. Until Saturday, we were owned in the 2nd half - Shocking that an immature team that doesn't know how to win yet can't finish games. 

5. We have no offensive identity Funny cause the rest of the country seems to know what our identity is.

6. Teams know one thing: Play run, you beat AR - Again, this is fixed by allowing more recruiting time.  Patience is a virtue but we all know Hogville knows nothing of patience.

7. Claims of discipline but dumb penalties persist - Another sign of a immature team.  These guys do have consequences for what they do that you know nothing about.  It's up to the players to actually learn from these mistakes you know

8. Worst special teams in Hog history - I like our kickoff return when Marshall plays.  Yes, we have no FG kicker.  I can't argue that. Hopefully Hedland will continue to develop and take over next season.

Is losing by fewer points really a positive? I say heck no. It's still a loss and we're paying about $292k per SEC loss. We are getting robbed by one Bret Bielema.  I'm not really one for moral victories but I am willing to acknowledge improvement even in a losing effort.  We need consistency which will come when we mature as a team.

[LSUFan]

Yes, and when you win two conference games with an interim coaching staff "recruiting" and lose a bunch of talent with no replacements on the depth chart, that means there's a rebuild coming up. It really takes just a marginal glance at the depth chart BB's first season to see the challenge he was going to have.

Who left? I keep hearing, they all left when Smiley did. Was there nobody left to suit up? I guess Petrino didn't recruit ANY players? Was the locker room empty the first game?
Or did Burt have Petrino recruits that he was playing.

2 conference wins to NO conference wins is not a rebuild, it is a tearing down from where you were.

[Danny J]

I don't have the youtube links. His dumbassness has been the topic of discussion by more than just me, and if you don't know that, you must sleep all the time.

Why is the defense of this man more important than the good of the program?

HE      IS      IN      OVER     HIS     HEAD.

Leslie is too, but at least Leslie surrounds himself with great assistant coaches.

AND he is lucky enough to coach in a state that has 10 times, literally, more talent in state to choose from. That is something we don't have here and why I was a staunch supporter of hiring Davis at the time. I will admit though that our incoming class next year, who have already committed, is turning out to be the best class since joining the SEC so credit is due there.

[RedRock]

We are losing and I'm still having a great time tailgating and watching games .

[panhandlepig]

  Nothing shocks me anymore. For those that it still does, grow a pair and figure out this ain't going to be easy. We have a long way to go....a long way to go before we are relevant again. Like in the conversation relevant.  If you can't figure that out, you aren't paying attention.

  GO Hogs.

[HF#1]

Who left? I keep hearing, they all left when Smiley did. Was there nobody left to suit up? I guess Petrino didn't recruit ANY players? Was the locker room empty the first game?
Or did Burt have Petrino recruits that he was playing.

2 conference wins to NO conference wins is not a rebuild, it is a tearing down from where you were.

Dude after Petrino and John L, defensively we had nothing.  We had warm bodies.  No depth, no quality depth and a smidge of talent in the form of Trey Flowers and Chris Smith.  The secondary was the worst in the country and we haven't had a quality LB in 10 years. 

Offensively, our best WR prospect in Mckay transferred to Cinci which left us with Keon Hatcher.  Who probably wouldn't make any other SEC roster.  We were left with a Sophmore QB who hadn't started a game.  Our offensive line was young with the exception of Swanson.  We had Williams at RB.  THANK GOD BIELEMA WAS ABLE TO LAND ALEX COLLINS. 


Tell me again, why would you expect this to be turned around in a year and a half?

[Smokehouse]

Who left? I keep hearing, they all left when Smiley did. Was there nobody left to suit up? I guess Petrino didn't recruit ANY players? Was the locker room empty the first game?
Or did Burt have Petrino recruits that he was playing.

2 conference wins to NO conference wins is not a rebuild, it is a tearing down from where you were.

Off the top of my head: Wilson, Knile, DJ, Wingo, Small, Hamilton, Gragg, Highsmith, Wright, Winston, Rasner.

All guys that got significant playing time, and a lot of them had to be replaced by true freshmen because of a lack of talent behind them. Allen had been thrown to the wolves for a couple of games but had little experience coming in, plus he got injured and there was no back up behind him because, again, lack of depth.

Petrino recruited poorly, had some high attrition in his classes, and you can only bring in so many guys, especially guys who can play a lot immediately. But if you want you can continue to bury your head in the sand about how much work was had to be/still has to be done, if it makes you feel better to be indignant.

[HF#1]

Off the top of my head: Wilson, Knile, DJ, Wingo, Small, Hamilton, Gragg, Highsmith, Wright, Winston, Rasner.

All guys that got significant playing time, and a lot of them had to be replaced by true freshmen because of a lack of talent behind them. Allen had been thrown to the wolves for a couple of games but had little experience coming in, plus he got injured and there was no back up behind him because, again, lack of depth.

Petrino recruited poorly, had some high attrition in his classes, and you can only bring in so many guys, especially guys who can play a lot immediately. But if you want you can continue to bury your head in the sand about how much work was had to be/still has to be done, if it makes you feel better to be indignant.

Great post

[Hoggie17]

What I would like in the years 1 and 2, while a new coach brings players in for his system, is year 1 and 2 is wining at least 1 game in SEC, the third year is be competitive in the west.  That's not asking much.

[TeufelHog]

At times, our ignorant and impatient fan base.

[hogsanity]

What has surprised me the most?

1.  That even after the SEc coaches picked the Hogs 7th in the secw, some people thought this was a 8+ win team. Those coaches are paid to know their opponents personnel.  They knew how thin the Hogs were at sever KEy positions, and that the Hogs were average, at best, at several spots.

2.  That people want BA benched.  He has 4 ints on the year.  1 he was ht as he threw, 1 was a desperation type pass, and two were plain old ints, the type EVERY QB throws at some point. 

3.  That people think our Wr's are anything more than average.  Do the Hogs have 1 WR that can beat his man like the GA WR did yesterday on the last TD? 

4.  That people think that starting so many fr and sophs is not a sign that recruiting in 2011 and 2012 was bad.  Really good teams are alomost always led by srs and jrs. This team starts fr and sophs all over the field.

[Oklahawg]

There is a difference between being frustrated and claiming in every post that Bielema won't accomplish anything here.  Which I'm seeing a lot of.

Amen, keep preaching.

[Oklahawg]

I'll just say this. You took the words right out of my mouth. These folks talking about BB being a short timer if he doesn't do something have already forgotten the difficulty of getting a proven coach. We have one, we need to keep him and exercise a little patience and maturity as a fan base.

Damn good post.

[Oklahawg]

Or Georgia is just a really good team that has had a stable coaching staff for a decade that has built legitimate SEC depth. Hogville wrote UGA off after they lost to South Carolina, but nobody took into account that UGA/USC is one of those weird games that seems to always be competitive regardless of the talent disparity between the two teams. 

Agreed. We paid more attention to how good Bama is and how good A&M was vs USC-E and did the comparison game, concluding that UGA lost to USC-E...you know the rest.

The Mizzou game should have gotten our attention - MY ATTENTION! - a lot more.

[Oklahawg]

Timing of key penalties

Special teams

Those two are the most shocking.

Yeah...I was thinking back and I can't remember at time our special teams being as bad as they are now. I am positive that is a understatement. I think horrendous would be too generous as well. I mean that quite literally.

You can't be serious.  I mean that quite literally.