Desperation

Arkansas finally got the SEC win it needed, 89-80 over Alabama, in front of a sparse but strong 14,000-plus at Bud Walton Arena.

Rotnei Clarke finally showed Razorback fans what he was recruited for, hitting six 3-pointers on his way to a career-high 26 points.

The Hogs got the win in desperation mode, already under their worst start in SEC play ever, a span of 17 years.

Head coach John Pelphrey asked the players to play like they were desperate, desperate to get a win--desperate to get that loose ball, to knock down that open shot, to box out on the backside, to hedge on a screen.

And by doing that, Arkansas (13-5, 1-4) delivered to its fans the kind of basketball they saw in wins over then No. 4 Oklahoma and then No. 7 Texas.

If the Razorbacks can ride the momentum of this one, and manage to win six of their last 11, 7-9 should be decent enough to warrant a fourth or fifth place finish in the Western Division, maybe higher.

Maybe Arkansas can win out. Who knows.

But one thing is for certain. This team will come to play from now on, with this desperate attitude that Pelphrey is looking to instill in them everyday. Desperate to prove to the country that those wins over OU and Texas were not flukes, but that they are indeed a good basketball team.

Another thing is for certain--the power of the Courtney Fortson wig must live on.

Really?

Check out this new quote from Mike Tyson, after watching a documentary based on himself, 'Tyson,' at the Sundance Film Festival.

"I never used to understand why people perceived me as such a monster," Tyson said. "And then I saw the movie, and it all made sense."

Ya think?

Was biting another human being's ear off not enough? Saying you wouldn't talk to a female reporter unless she fornicated with you? Saying you wouldn't believe the ruling of a fight unless the other boxer was dead? Trying to bite Lennox Lewis in a pre-fight PRESS CONFERENCE and all the theatrics that went along with it?

Come on Mike, you know you had to have been at least somewhat aware of your actions before you did them...but maybe you didn't.

Here's a link to some of Mike's craziest moments. Disclaimer=plenty of strong language and sexual references, just a warning.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwFW834Mrcc&feature=related

Sooners Suck

The Oklahoma Sooners received the rude awakening that is the Southeastern Conference Thursday night in Miami.

Behind the wrath of Timmy Tebow, the Sooners lost by 10 [which was actually what I predicted before the game] and effectively have lost FIVE CONSECUTIVE BCS games.

Is Bob Stoops no longer 'Big-Game Bob?'

I think that's a question that is getting repeatedly answered day in and day out.

Really, the Big 12 just doesn't like the SEC right now. Arkansas has owned their two Top-10 teams in basketball and Ole Miss and Florida ran over two of the class teams in the Big 12.

Rick Barnes, UT basketball coach, said it best in his postgame press conference Tuesday that the Razorbacks belonged in the Big 12.

Maybe they do. But I think Arkansas will stay in the SEC, because if the Hogs went back to the Big 12, they would just dominate like they did for so long in the SWC.

Football + Basketball

I love this time of year. Football is getting to the nitty-gritty, with high school playoffs, college football getting closer to its conclusion, and the NFL continuing to push towards its playoffs.

Plus, Monday night I got to see the basketball Razorbacks play against Campbellsville, and I thought we looked very good, a lot better than what people are saying about the team.

Courtney Fortson and Rotnei Clarke kind of remind me of Kareem Reid & Pat Bradley, and I think that both are much more athletic than the '95-'99 duo from the upper Northeast were.

I have optimism for the season despite us being very young.

And in other news, isn't it awesome when a 2-8 team who finished No. 6 in its division makes the playoffs? That's the case with the Van Buren Pointers, who will play at Fort Smith Northside next Friday night.

Should be an absolute shallacking with Northside putting up at least 45 points.

Fayetteville plays at Little Rock Catholic. Probably a loss for the Purple Dogs, but a win would put them at Fort Smith Southside, a team that Fayetteville has already beat and seems to have its number.

We'll see how next Friday shakes out, with Arkansas opening the season against SE Louisiana.

Stress, Stress, Stress, its NUTTs

School is stressing me the heck out right now. I didn't want this to happen, but it did, and now I'm behind the eight-ball in terms of work I need to get done and I'm going to have to work from beind for the rest of the semester.

In case you didn't hear, I moved out at the beginning of this month. I wish I would have posted on that whole thing, but as I just alluded to, I've been stressed and busier than ever.

Oh yeah, and Houston Dale Nutt is coming back to town this weekend. That ought to be very interesting. I think the atmosphere will be one of the best in Razorback Stadium history. It's a huge game for both teams.

I'm going to try and start posting more often again, but I may fall back on that. We'll see how it goes.

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.

4th Quarter until I have to leave.

12:56-ULM kick to ARK.

1st-and-10, own 20. Dick 76 pass to D.J. Williams. 1st down.

1st-and-goal, ULM 4. Smith 4 TD run. ULM 27-20. Haddock PAT. ULM 27-21.

12:19-ARK kick to ULM.

1st-and-10, own 31. False Start.

1st-and-15, own 26. Lancaster throws incomplete.

2nd-and-15, own 26. McNeal 4 run.

3rd-and-12, own 30. False Start.

3rd-and-16, own 25. Ineligible receiver. Penalty declined. Lancaster 10 pass to Zacharie.

4th-and-6, own 25. ULM punt to ARK. Fair Catch.

10:48 ARK

1st-and-10, own 26. Smith 9 run.

2nd-and-1, own 35. Smith 4 run. 1st down.

1st-and-10, own 39. Dick throws incomplete(through Joe Adams' hands)

2nd-and-10, own 39. Dick throws incomplete(through London Crawford's hands)

3rd-and-10, own 39. Dick 11 pass to D.J. Williams. 1st down.

1st-and-10, 50. Dick throws incomplete (over Smith's head).

2nd-and-10, 50. Dick throws complete to Smith for loss of 4 yards.

3rd-and-14, own 46. Dick 7 keeper. 4th down.

4th-and-7, ULM 47. ARK punt to ULM.

ULM 7:23

1st-and-10, own 20. Lancaster throws incomplete.

2nd-and-10, own 20. Lovett 5 run.

4th Quarter, ULM drive (cont.)

15:00 START OF 4TH QUARTER.

1st-and-10, ARK 30. McNeal 2 run.

2nd-and-8, ARK 28. Lancaster sacked by ARK Jake Bequette.

3rd-and-12, ARK 32. Lancaster 9 pass to McCoy. 4th down.

4th-and-3, ARK 23. 43 yard FG by Gener is good. ULM 27-14.

3rd Quarter, ULM drive

2:04 ARK kick to ULM.

1st-and-10, own 47. Lancaster throws incomplete.

2nd-and-10, own 47. Lovett 8 run.

3rd-and-2, ARK 45. Lancaster 4 pass to Doyle. 1st down.

1st-and-10, ARK 41. Lovett 3 run.

2nd-and-7, ARK 38. Lancaster 8 pass to McNeal. 1st down. END OF 3RD QUARTER. ULM 24, ARKANSAS 14.

3rd Quarter, ARK drive

6:11-ULM kick to ARK.

1st-and-10, own 31. Dick sacked for loss of 7.

2nd-and-17, own 24. Dick 33 pass to Joe Adams. 1st down.

1st-and-10, ULM 42. Dick 14 pass to London Crawford. 1st down.

1st-and-10, ULM 28. Smith 4 run.

2nd-and-7, ULM 24. Dick 17 pass to Smith. 1st down.

1st-and-goal, ULM 7. Smith 4 run.

2nd-and-goal, ULM 3. 5 yd penalty.

2nd-and-goal, ULM 8. Dick throws incomplete.

3rd-and-goal, ULM 8. Dick 8 pass to D.J. Williams for TD. ULM 24-12. 2 PT try pass to D.J. Williams is good. ULM 24-14.