POLL: If Toledo was in RRS

[The_Iceman]

No doubt in my mind. While the stadium didn't cost us the game, we would have won this game if playing in front of 20,000 more fans in our HOME stadium.

It is time for Jeff Long to end playing games in Little Rock.

[code red]

Yes...we shouldn't have to take a trip to play a home game, I don't think the kids even understand the tradition in LR.  Heck half of them probably played in better stadiums in high school.

[Professor Psychosis]

If we play like we played yesterday, it wouldn't matter where the game was.  We still would've lost.

I still have my thought that Bielema hates playing in LR so bad, the team picks up on it and plays like it, so, who knows.

Just buy out the rest of the LR contract, or stop scheduling midmajors there.  If we're going to play uninspired, we might as well lose to legit competition.

[Locutus_of_Boar]

I do think the administration, coaching staff, and players all see playing in WMS as a road game. Yes.  For all practical purposes it is a road game.  Despite the crowd's enthusiasm the 7,000 unsold seats tend to back up that impression.  Could that have made a difference?  Yes, however, the urgency in fixing this teams problems will now be much greater than if they had squeaked by at home.

[presidenthog]

If we play like we played yesterday, it wouldn't matter where the game was.  We still would've lost.

I still have my thought that Bielema hates playing in LR so bad, the team picks up on it and plays like it, so, who knows.

Just buy out the rest of the LR contract, or stop scheduling midmajors there.  If we're going to play uninspired, we might as well lose to legit competition.

I am starting to believe that the kids to pick up that he hates playing there as well. he said earlier in the week that the kids love playing in LR so who knows... might be just blowing smoke up our rears.

I think what hurts the most is how this staff has seemed so honest about most things. he tries getting expectations up and we lay an egg. it seems like in the past we would have kept using the term "work in progress" but that isn't how they built this season up. we was supposed to be the best he had, had since he got here. I really am still in shock this morning.

[The Boar War]

My brother and I were having this discussion yesterday.  We both agreed that it would not have happened if it were played in Fayetteville.  I think it's because they feel more of a sense of ownership playing there.  But the real question is shouldn't we be able to beat Toledo on the road or at a neutral site?  And when did this feeling of "ownership" end?  It was there as recently as 2010 or 2011.  Has there been a effort made to deemphasize the home field advantage at WMS in the minds of the players?

[Wild Bill Hog]

Lots of whining and excuse making going on it seems.

[MemphisBossHog]

If we play like we played yesterday, it wouldn't matter where the game was.  We still would've lost.

I still have my thought that Bielema hates playing in LR so bad, the team picks up on it and plays like it, so, who knows.

Just buy out the rest of the LR contract, or stop scheduling midmajors there.  If we're going to play uninspired, we might as well lose to legit competition.

I think this ^^^ sums it up pretty well.  Lets be real here, if we are the team we have been saying we are and the 18th ranked team in the nation (although Im sure we wont be ranked next week), then it should not matter where we play Toledo.  The talent level and depth level should be enough to beat Toledo no matter where we play.

But separate from just the Toledo game, I just dont like playing in LR and I am from MEM.  It would be easier for me to go to a game in LR, but its not about me, its about the team and developing a home field advantage with the students and all that goes along with the game in Fayetteville.

It seems as if its almost like a road game for Arkansas except that the stadium is full of Hog fans.

I dont think the venue was the reason we lost yesterday, but for some reason the record doesnt lie. We just dont play well at LR. 

[RazorWhacker]

If where we played yesterday would have made a difference in how we played we are in big, big trouble.

Winning on the road in the SEC is going to be a hell of a lot harder than playing Toledo in WMS with a home crowd.

A winning attitude starts at the top and if Bret Bielema can't get the team up to play better than that no matter where the game was, then we fans better find some carnivals to go to on Saturdays this fall.

For heaven's sake, if all the whining will stop, please move all the games to Fayetteville.

[FANONTHEHILL]

A neutral site game in Arlington is enough every year.  It's time to make War Memorial a memory.

[wupigsuey]

Yeah it's everyone's fault but the players and coaches. That darned stadium is the problem. /sarcasm

[HSVhogfan2]

Why was WMS not a distraction when AR actually had good teams? Hell between Petrino and the Nuttster wasn't AR something like 30-2 there? And that's with playing LSU there every other year.

[Razorback_Mack]

If you can't beat Toledo at a "neutral" site you might as well forget about winning a SEC road game. Excuses are like....

[EulessHog]

I can guarantee you that CBB and Jeff Long will use this excuse as another reason to do away with the Little Rock games.  IMHO, they should just shut up and do their jobs.  There is a lot of money in Little Rock that supports The Hill. 

The reason we lost yesterday is the coaches did not do what is needed to prepare the players for success.  ANY discussion of Little Rock should be centered on increasing stadium capacity.  As a matter of fact,  we should play the annual power 5 meeting in Little Rock each year.  I remember Arkansas defeating LSU and Southern California in Little Rock.  The only difference between then and now is the coaches did their jobs.

[RazorWhacker]

I can guarantee you that CBB and Jeff Long will use this excuse as another reason to do away with the Little Rock games.  IMHO, they should just shut up and do their jobs.  There is a lot of money in Little Rock that supports The Hill. 

The reason we lost yesterday is the coaches did not do what is needed to prepare the players for success.  ANY discussion of Little Rock should be centered on increasing stadium capacity.  As a matter of fact,  we should play the annual power 5 meeting in Little Rock each year.  I remember Arkansas defeating LSU and Southern California in Little Rock.  The only difference between then and now is the coaches did their jobs.

This.

Excuses are for losers.

[atekido]

What a bunch of nubs thinking the stadium mattered.  News flash The Hogs are not as good as most of you homers thought.  Maybe Coach B will shut the heck up.  spouting off about Ohio st and their record and he can't even beat toledo. It had nothing to do with the stadium and all to do with coaching.  That O-line played like a Div II team.  stupid penalties, Dropped passes, ect ect.  I wonder what the hillbillies of NWA will come up with as excuses when we get drubbed in RRS in SEC play...

[jkstock04]

The blame can't be 100% placed on WMS. That said I do think we win that game in Fayetteville.

[Hawg414]

No doubt in my mind. While the stadium didn't cost us the game, we would have won this game if playing in front of 20,000 more fans in our HOME stadium.

It is time for Jeff Long to end playing games in Little Rock.

wow.  just wow.  dumb.  but hey, in the not-my-fault world we live in, guess ya gotta blame something.

[phadedhawg]

I don't think it should matter but for the sake of peace please move them to all to Fayetteville.   CBB hasn't sold being a one team state to these kids and he obviously doesn't understand why that is special.

[jmb1973]

No doubt in my mind. While the stadium didn't cost us the game, we would have won this game if playing in front of 20,000 more fans in our HOME stadium.

It is time for Jeff Long to end playing games in Little Rock.

I typically agree with you, but this by far your dumbest most flaming post ever.

The stadium and fans did not: Block, Tackle, Kick, Pass, Run, Catch, Score, Hold, False Start....etc  etc

As a matter of fact no stadium in history has done any of those things. Everybody knows you don't like games in Little Rock, we get it. The games are ending soon. Quit making excuses for a poorly played game. It's very Robert Shields of you.

[HawgWyld]

I do think the administration, coaching staff, and players all see playing in WMS as a road game. Yes.  For all practical purposes it is a road game.  Despite the crowd's enthusiasm the 7,000 unsold seats tend to back up that impression.  Could that have made a difference?  Yes, however, the urgency in fixing this teams problems will now be much greater than if they had squeaked by at home.

There were 7,000 unsold tickets because Arkansas was playing a Mac team that it should have clobbered. The OOC games don't sell overly well in Fayetteville, either.

Not saying all games shouldn't be moved to Fayetteville. However, there is very little interest in those OOC games for a reason.

[Cinco de Hogo]

No doubt in my mind. While the stadium didn't cost us the game, we would have won this game if playing in front of 20,000 more fans in our HOME stadium.

It is time for Jeff Long to end playing games in Little Rock.

No Ice you and your kind can't blame this on a stadium, the players and coaches lost that game.  I favor playing all games in RRS but no excuses.

[DoctorSusscrofa]

I fully expect Arkansas fans to act like this after a loss.

[tasteslikechicken]

I typically agree with you, but this by far your dumbest most flaming post ever.

The stadium and fans did not: Block, Tackle, Kick, Pass, Run, Catch, Score, Hold, False Start....etc  etc

As a matter of fact no stadium in history has done any of those things. Everybody knows you don't like games in Little Rock, we get it. The games are ending soon. Quit making excuses for a poorly played game. It's very Robert Shields of you.

No but they sure as heck started leaving with 9:30 left to play in the 4th when we were only down 6. Not the first time I've seen it either. If you're that concerned with getting a jump on traffic, maybe you shoulda stayed home. Also, late in the game, almost the whole stadium was doing the damn wave with an injured Hog down on the field. THE DAMN WAVE!!

[hoginexile]

I  wasn't there, but the crowd just seemed terrible.   There was a time when the lr crowd took pride in how hostile of an environment could be produced with just 50000 fans.  Yesterday's crowd seemed apathetic from the start.   There is more energy playing in front of a hostile crowd than an apathetic one.   No excuse, though for how badly that game was played.

[5HOG5]

In my opinion, there is no doubt Arkansas would have played alot better and beat Toledo in Fayetteville : 1) Arkansas has never played well in Little Rock back to the  Petrino coaching days with a losing record in that stadium in the last several years and the team knows it and i think it effected them knowing they had to play there and they performed bad.And it didn't help knowing it was considered a road game by CBB which probably made it worse. 2) Arkansas has a winning record playing at home in Fayetteville and with the backing of a larger crowd would have helped them get fired up more, and i think they would have played at there max effort and won the game or at least made a few big plays at the end to win it.The team is more hyped in fayetteville than any other place, thats just my view.

[BadHog]

I believe we have lost 6 of the last 7 games we have played in this dump. It's ridiculous when we have a state of the art facility to play in at home. Players still have to travel, stay in a hotel, play on a different surface, etc. and WMS ain't Jerry's World!!!

We didn't lose this game because we were in WMS but let's just say it didn't help...

Oh and the crowd doing the wave at the end of the game with an injured player on the field was pathetic.

[hobhog]

Go to the game or don't judge. Armchair fans crack me up....

[SweetSassyMolassy]

I don't think the stadium nor the LR fans are to blame, but I think the RRS home field advantage would've made up for the lack of a game-day mindset.  The team was not up for this game, no sense of urgency, no attitude, no "swagga".  That is not the fault of anyone in LR, that is on the team, but I think location would have made a difference against Toledo. 

[Wildhog]

Would have been nice if the crowd would have shut the **** up when we had the ball, like BA was begging them to do.

[Hawghiggs]

 Wasn't it a road game for Toledo?

[razorbackchamps94]

We couldn't run the ball .. Doesn't matter bout stadium

[GVTD]

Holy darn every one of you who said yes is a complete and utter idiot.  An extra few hours of travelling doesn't cause the O-line to suddenly become retarded and forget how to block.  That's an obvious fundamental issues with this team.  It doesn't where they're playing

[jry04]

We win with ease. More fans=more intimidation for the opposing team. Also, there is a comfort level with playing at home. People can moan and groan all they want about how the stadium doesn't matter, and the team just isn't good. The last 6 games seem to prove otherwise. We are 1-5 in our last 6 games, with our only win being in a poor performance against Samford. There has to be something to it. Maybe our routine needs to change, but we NEVER play good @ LR anymore.

[HammusArkansus]

Yeah right!  It was the stadium's fault and we should have gotten an award for participation.  BooHoo!!!  The team was not mentally ready and Toledo was hungrier than our Hogs.  We underestimated a well prepared fired up opponent and as a result we got our head handed to us.  As Lou Holtz used to say, "close ranks and march on".  First and foremost, the coaches should challenge each individual on the 'O' line to improve their performance each and every week thoughout the rest of the year.  Hold each of them accountable and make them more fearful of the coaching staff than they are of losing.  If we can't get one stinking yard when we need it, it's going to be a long, miserable year.

[urkillnmesmalls]

I feel strongly that if the game had been played at RRS there would have been about 20K more fans that would have looked on in amazement and regretted having spent their money and time to watch the team play uninspired.  It appeared we were seemingly playing with a sense of entitlement that Toledo was suddenly going succumb to the hype, get scared and roll over, and we would beat them by the four TD's that everyone BUT Toledo thought we would. 

That's what I think.  20K more disappointed fans. 

[jry04]

Yeah right!  It was the stadium's fault and we should have gotten an award for participation.  BooHoo!!!  The team was not mentally ready and Toledo was hungrier than our Hogs.  We underestimated a well prepared fired up opponent and as a result we got our head handed to us.  As Lou Holtz used to say, "close ranks and march on".  First and foremost, the coaches should challenge each individual on the 'O' line to improve their performance each and every week thoughout the rest of the year.  Hold each of them accountable and make them more fearful of the coaching staff than they are of losing.  If we can't get one stinking yard when we need it, it's going to be a long, miserable year.

You mock people by saying "boo hoo", and then make a long post crying about how terrible we are. Funny...

[WxHog]

Why did Houston Nutt do so well in LR?  Because he was excited to play there. 

When the coach says "We are treating this as an away game" and is not excited about playing there, it trickles down to the players. 

[urkillnmesmalls]

Why did Houston Nutt do so well in LR?  Because he was excited to play there. 

When the coach says "We are treating this as an away game" and is not excited about playing there, it trickles down to the players.

There's likely some truth in this statement, which is probably why there were some boo birds. 

But...that doesn't explain losing to Toledo.  We should be able to somehow dig really deep to find the motivation to beat them even if we played them at their stadium shouldn't we? 

The "we win if it was at RRS stadium instead" concept is ridiculous.  We should beat them by 3 TD's on their home field with 2 hours of sleep and a case of the trots. 

[Professor Psychosis]

Why did Houston Nutt do so well in LR?  Because he was excited to play there. 

When the coach says "We are treating this as an away game" and is not excited about playing there, it trickles down to the players. 

Some truth here.  Nutt was a LR guy, he really enjoyed playing there, and it showed.  He laid his eggs in Fayetteville.

It's not the stadium or the crowd, it's the coach and how they approach the game.

Even though you have to travel to Little Rock, it's not a road game.  Stop calling it that.

[BadHog]

Would have been nice if the crowd would have shut the **** up when we had the ball, like BA was begging them to do.

And that too. But that only happened in the last quarter. The first half the crowd was silent as the lambs - stunned I guess.

[batesvillepharmer]

IMHO The problem, as far as atmosphere, is the hard core fans attending at Wms in the 70's, 80's 90''s are getting old or dying off. There was a collective pride back then that everyone could get loud and rowdy enough to affect the game. That was the "magic". So basically the only advantage of Wms is gone, and all that's left is a crappy 1950s relic. The "magic" of Wms has fell victim to Father Time- like the stadium itself. It's sad, because it's been a big part of my life as Raxorback fan- but it's time to pull the plug.

[Dirty]

That's right, the from sideline to sideline is shorter at RRS.  If they played there, they wouldn't have completed all those passes.

[spiritof92]

I don't think the loss was literally caused by the stadium but it's clear the players always play flat at WMS.  Yesterday the Hogs looked as flat as they did against Georgia last season.  It's obvious to me the players are let down playing at WMS.  I think Bielema infected the kids with WMS hate.

[hogpc]

What a ridiculous statement!

[hogpc]

What a ridiculous statement!

[Dirty]

If TT wins next week what will the next poll be?

[ALLVOL]

Unless the Oline play in second half changed (only got to see 1st half before going in Neyland) it wouldn't have mattered where they played. That was the biggest surprise of all to me. The Oline is to good to be pushed around by any team in the country. I was and am still shocked. I'd say Pittman will be on it.

[urkillnmesmalls]

I don't think the loss was literally caused by the stadium but it's clear the players always play flat at WMS.  Yesterday the Hogs looked as flat as they did against Georgia last season.  It's obvious to me the players are let down playing at WMS.  I think Bielema infected the kids with WMS hate.

C'mon man.  I'm sure there's some truth to CBB's attitude not helping anything, but for $3.2M, you still better have your team ready to play regardless of where the game is played. 

Are you saying it's WORSE playing at WMS in front of friendly fans than playing in Toledo?  Because in my mind...we should beat them ANYWHERE we play the game.

Forget this..."We would have won if it was at RRS stadium."  We should win that game ON THE MOON with 200K Toledo fans with cowbells and bull horns and not a single Razorback fan in sight.  That's how I feel about it, which is what makes it so bad.   

[spiritof92]

You can't deny the Hogs are flat and largely play without passion when in WMS since Bielema arrived.