Four downs with the Hogs

When you come up short by a margin of 101-24 in consecutive weekends, it’s never fun to be a fan of the team that is on the losing end.
But there is no reason to bail out now.
Most logical Razorback fans knew that Bobby Petrino would not pull a Houston Nutt, and get off to an 8-0 start with someone else’s players.
Let’s play ‘Four Downs,’ and see if we can’t determine why things aren’t putting us in Hog Heaven this football season, and maybe give some prognostications as to whether things will get any better and when.

1) For starters, Nutt left Petrino very little to work with. All of Nutt’s talent is either in the NFL or doing something else.
And while Nutt is busy knocking off top five teams on the road with the ‘Wild Rebel,’ Petrino and the Hogs are in Fayetteville and Austin, Tex., respectively, getting roasted.
With more Southeastern Conference heavyweights in Florida and Auburn to deal with over the course of the next two weeks, things don’t like they’re going to improve in a hurry, as some fans would no doubt want.

2) Secondly, we don’t have a true quarterback in our stable right now.
As much as you want to make an excuse for Casey Dick and how much “improvement” he has made, I’m frankly not seeing it.
Granted, he’s not getting the best protection in the world, but some of the decisions he made against both Alabama and Texas are the kinds of decisions that quarterbacks learn how to handle in junior high school.
Dick doesn’t look like he ever got the message.
While Tyler Wilson may be talented and may be able to run the offense, putting a true freshman in a spread-oriented system against SEC defenses is going to lead not only to tough losses, but could also get Wilson hurt.

3) Thirdly, do we have a run defense?
If so, where?
Alabama and Texas are both very talented football teams, teams that could very likely be in the Bowl Championship series equation at the end of the season.
But our defense has made offensive backs Glen Coffee and Colt McCoy look like Darren McFadden and Felix Jones overnight.
The Hogs surrendered a 62-yard touchdown run to a third-string tailback from Alabama. McCoy ran for 84 yards on 9 CARRIES, and it wasn’t like Arkansas was making him have to run it, because he only had two incompletions Saturday.
And the constant missed tackles. I know defensive coordinator Willy Robinson has been preaching to the defense to show heart, wrap up and use good technique, but it sounds like it’s easier said than done.
Once it comes to a game, it seems like that heart and technique is going out the window.
Until that changes, teams are going to run all over the Hogs.

4) Finally, our special teams aren’t being very special.
I was very excited when Alex Tejada was offered a scholarship to kick for the Razorbacks.
And the Springdale native had a pretty solid freshman campaign, but he’s been anything but solid this year.
Missing yet another field goal Saturday put him in Petrino’s doghouse even more so, and it looks like he’s decided to go with Shay Haddock for the rest of the year.
Nevertheless, this season is far from over but I don’t think this year is where strides are going to be made.
Strides are going to be made in recruiting and developing the current talent from the experience they will gain this year.
Until then, grind out the rest of the season like the Hogs undoubtedly will.