A year or 2 away

[BirdDawg]

I keep hearing several people make this statement. What happens or changes that makes this statement accurate?

[chuggs33]

I keep hearing several people make this statement. What happens or changes that makes this statement accurate?

More time in the system, more recruiting.
:razorback:

[Torqued pork]

I keep hearing several people make this statement. What happens or changes that makes this statement accurate?

More talent and depth from recruiting with player development thrown in the mix.

[BirdDawg]

More time in the system, more recruiting.
:razorback:

I think being more familiar to the system will help. The recruiting angle is a rough one....everyone else in SEC is recruiting on the same level or better.

[HF#1]

2 more recruiting classes will help this team tremendously.

[Smokehouse]

Getting some WRs who can consistently get separation and beat teams deep. More depth in the o-line and secondary. Continued improvement at the QB spot, either because Allen keeps trending upward or Peavey/Storey come in and play well quickly.

[Pigdiana Jones]

They've been saying another year or two for forever. It will be nice when it happens.

[Danny J]

Just improvement in our special teams will go a long ways.

Kicking the ball into the endzone
Being able to make routine extra points
Being able to return punts and kickoffs beyond the 20. Hell....I will settle for just fair catching punts.
Having a kicker capable of consistently making a 40 yard field goal takes tremendous pressure off the offense
Being able to down punts inside the 20 and being able to flip field position

Those are things right now that would have won us both the aTm and Bama games. Better receivers and DB's and more experience for our current young corners. More depth at LB. All those things will make us a 8 win or better team.

[RAZ FAN]

More talent and depth from recruiting with player development thrown in the mix.

This^. We are very close but the problem is we play in the best conference in the nation (also. The toughest division in the conference), so to some it doesn't look like we are a much better team than we were 2 years ago.

[BirdDawg]

Just improvement in our special teams will go a long ways.

Kicking the ball into the endzone
Being able to make routine extra points
Being able to return punts and kickoffs beyond the 20. Hell....I will settle for just fair catching punts.
Having a kicker capable of consistently making a 40 yard field goal takes tremendous pressure off the offense
Being able to down punts inside the 20 and being able to flip field position

Those are things right now that would have won us both the aTm and Bama games. Better receivers and DB's and more experience for our current young corners. More depth at LB. All those things will make us a 8 win or better team.

I agree. Basic fundamentals of ANY team should be fielding a punt in the air and making an extra point. Even the worst teams off all times were capable of doing this consistently. No excuses for this happening on a regular basis.

[LZH]

What happens or changes that makes this statement accurate?

The very fact that this is Arkansas and we are all conditioned to believe it over and over and over and over..........that's what happens.

[1highhog]

Just improvement in our special teams will go a long ways.

Kicking the ball into the endzone
Being able to make routine extra points
Being able to return punts and kickoffs beyond the 20. Hell....I will settle for just fair catching punts.
Having a kicker capable of consistently making a 40 yard field goal takes tremendous pressure off the offense
Being able to down punts inside the 20 and being able to flip field position

Those are things right now that would have won us both the aTm and Bama games. Better receivers and DB's and more experience for our current young corners. More depth at LB. All those things will make us a 8 win or better team.

You never realize just how important a kicker is until you have a year like this, it's as important as the QB to me.  We have Hocker this year, we beat Bama and the Aggies.  We probably don't realize just how deflating that was Saturday when once again on our first TD the extra point gets blocked again, it's like, ohhh hell, here we go again.

[ErieHog]

There are no substitutes for maturity and depth.    Right now,  the talent we roll out there is better, but inexperienced, compared to the very recent past.    These are their growing pains, the bumps in the road, and the hard lessons being learned.  These things pay off down the road. 

[BatesvilleHOG]

Keeping this staff together will be a huge asset to the future of this program. This is the best overall staff we have had since the 60-70s.

Also, another year in our system, recruiting quality depth, and a strengthening of our mentality will pay dividends to the SEC title we could be in contention for in 2-4 years.

[texas tush hog]

Keeping this staff together will be a huge asset to the future of this program. This is the best overall staff we have had since the 60-70s.

Also, another year in our system, recruiting quality depth, and a strengthening of our mentality will pay dividends to the SEC title we could be in contention for in 2-4 years.

Amen!

[The Hogfather]

I keep hearing several people make this statement. What happens or changes that makes this statement accurate?

We should be 5-2 right now, even with our talent level where it is.  Auburn and Georgia were the only two games we should've lost.  I agree that we're a year or two away from being consistently at a high level.  I think we should've won 7 games this season, though, and it doesn't look like that is going to happen anymore, since we gave away the TAMU and Bama games.  I still think we have enough to beat LSU/Ole Miss/UAB/Missouri, but with the way we find ways to lose, I can't confidently pick us to win any of those games, other than UAB.

[hogcard1964]

I keep hearing several people make this statement. What happens or changes that makes this statement accurate?

People are afraid of the unknown.  For some strange reason, a lot of people at this particular site think matters could actually get worse if we turned over the coaching staff again.

[DeltaBoy]

More time in the system, more recruiting.
:razorback:

The Cry of the Ark Sports Media and Staff under HDN.

[hogcard1964]

The Cry of the Ark Sports Media and Staff under HDN.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

[jimhog]

Getting SEC caliber players would go a long way.

[DeltaBoy]

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Yep since Lou Left we get the same song and dance.

[Bebop]

We should be 5-2 right now, even with our talent level where it is.  Auburn and Georgia were the only two games we should've lost.  I agree that we're a year or two away from being consistently at a high level.  I think we should've won 7 games this season, though, and it doesn't look like that is going to happen anymore, since we gave away the TAMU and Bama games.  I still think we have enough to beat LSU/Ole Miss/UAB/Missouri, but with the way we find ways to lose, I can't confidently pick us to win any of those games, other than UAB.

Seconded.

The A&M is worse for me because we had a two touchdown lead going in the fourth and couldn't maintain it.

[Bebop]

The Cry of the Ark Sports Media and Staff under HDN.

If we were blown out in our games, then I would have said that we might need more talent. However, we were in position to win two SEC and couldn't finish it. It wasn't just a lack of talent, depth, or whatever. There was more to it than that.

[1highhog]

We should be 5-2 right now, even with our talent level where it is.  Auburn and Georgia were the only two games we should've lost.  I agree that we're a year or two away from being consistently at a high level.  I think we should've won 7 games this season, though, and it doesn't look like that is going to happen anymore, since we gave away the TAMU and Bama games.  I still think we have enough to beat LSU/Ole Miss/UAB/Missouri, but with the way we find ways to lose, I can't confidently pick us to win any of those games, other than UAB.

I don't know why people still don't want to give Ole Miss some credit, they're going to be our toughest game left besides Miss State.

[bigdaddyhawg]

We should be 5-2 right now, even with our talent level where it is.  Auburn and Georgia were the only two games we should've lost.  I agree that we're a year or two away from being consistently at a high level.  I think we should've won 7 games this season, though, and it doesn't look like that is going to happen anymore, since we gave away the TAMU and Bama games.  I still think we have enough to beat LSU/Ole Miss/UAB/Missouri, but with the way we find ways to lose, I can't confidently pick us to win any of those games, other than UAB.

I'm with you here.

I have serious doubts whether we'll win a conference game this year, and that would be a shame considering the TAMU/Bama games.

[RazorPiggie]

Recruiting recruiting recruiting.

Look at our commitment list right now. We are currently ranked 20th (per 24/7 Composite) with 14 commitments. There are 10 teams ranked ahead of us that have 20+ commitments. If we just get 10 3* players we will be still be in the top 20. It goes up if you land a Barnett type of player.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I don't know why people still don't want to give Ole Miss some credit, they're going to be our toughest game left besides Miss State.

If someone is resisting giving OM credit at this point, they've let their personal biases get in the way of their objectivity.

OM has got the best defense in the country, and it's not even close IMO.  Their offense can be inconsistent, but their defense is really, really good.

[HF#1]

The Cry of the Ark Sports Media and Staff under HDN.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

The difference being the higher quality players we are getting...

[hogcard1964]

Yep since Lou Left we get the same song and dance.

Personally, I've heard it since '09 when Petrino was the newest savior and "needed one more year."  "We're building, the recruiting is improving, this is the best coaching staff in the world, ..."

[WarPig88]

Chaney is going to open up the playbook.

Our best players are our recruits.

[razorcash2]

Depth.

[DoctorSusscrofa]

It's a double edged sword.  Two more recruiting classes could help this team tremendously if they are recruiting classes as good or better than the last two classes.  The 2015 class is supposed to be better, but we could help make sure it's better if we'd win three more games and give our prospects some hope they won't be joining the SEC West version of Vanderbilt. We could have helped ourselves tremendously by winning one or two of the last three games.  If we still beat UAB, LSU and Mizzou we keep the momentum.  If we only beat UAB I could see us losing some of our commitments to other schools due to a growing lack of future hope.  We need to pull out all the stops against LSU and Mizzou.

[MJ2]

2 more recruiting classes will help this team tremendously.

How do you convince top kids to come here and stay home during the bowl season?   It's getting old.  Kids want to be part of winning and hope.   Neither of these are showing up so far.

[Smokehouse]

How do you convince top kids to come here and stay home during the bowl season?   It's getting old.  Kids want to be part of winning and hope.   Neither of these are showing up so far.

My cynicism runs deep and wide, but this team has given me plenty of hope for the future. Just head on over to the recruiting board and look at how many players give quotes about Arkansas being just "one or two players away." You don't think a recruit sees a team that's almost there and finds some appeal in potentially being the missing piece?

[sowmonella]

They've been saying another year or two for forever. It will be nice when it happens.

Ummm  we went 21-5 in 2010 & 2011 so forever is kind of a stretch.

[HOGINTENNESSEE]

It was year 3 before CBP really started to compete at an elite level

[Trottsky]

I am full of doubt, but who knows,

They could win out, they might only win one more.

I'm through gnashing teeth and wrenting clothes.

*shrugs and waits*

[The Hogfather]

I don't know why people still don't want to give Ole Miss some credit, they're going to be our toughest game left besides Miss State.

I think we have a shot at them because we play them at home.  If MSU and Ole Miss were reversed, I'd say we don't have a shot at Ole Miss and have a chance to beat MSU.

[bigdaddyhawg]

I think we have a shot at them because we play them at home.  If MSU and Ole Miss were reversed, I'd say we don't have a shot at Ole Miss and have a chance to beat MSU.

That was my thinking before the last couple of weeks.

OM will absolutely shut our run down, and we do zip without heavy production from our run game.

And although OM's offense is not top shelf, it's certainly good enough to take advantage of our middlin' defense.

[Kevin]

2 years, the hogs will be playing an inexpienced qb

[The Hogfather]

That was my thinking before the last couple of weeks.

OM will absolutely shut our run down, and we do zip without heavy production from our run game.

And although OM's offense is not top shelf, it's certainly good enough to take advantage of our middlin' defense.

I think we'll lose, but I don't think we'll be without a shot.

[razorbackkid]

2 more recruiting classes will help this team tremendously.

Alabama, Auburn and both Mississippi schools need to move into the NFL....suppose I'll throw Georgia in there too. 

[bigdaddyhawg]

I think we'll lose, but I don't think we'll be without a shot.

Perhaps if Bo Wallace gives us some gifts and/or a couple of nicely timed (for us) fumbles, we might be able to stay in the game.