[Editor's note: This article was originally written on Wednesday 11/22, but the right combination of computer malfunctions and laziness prevented its posting until now. Accuse me of editing things after the fact, but check the prediction first.]
Exciting week here at Hodson to Fuller. Blogging from The City That Care Forgot right now, with this dud of a laptop on its last legs. Still, we'd be remiss to not deliver the ever-accurate prediction. This week: perhaps the biggest game of the season, and we're having a tough time coming to terms with this. Arkansas? Really? Multiple BCS berths on the line in Fayetteville??
Googled 'Fayetteville' here. Seven women, ten chins. Um, Burt, is that you in the left corner?Arkansas fields a decent team every four years or so under Houston Nutt, but this team is hands-down his most talented. McFadden leads the conference in almost every individual offensive statistic, very nearly pacing JaMarcus for quarterback efficiency (McFadden has thrown five passes this year, three for touchdowns). Really, there's no ceiling for Darren McFadden-- or Felix Jones, for that matter. I vividly remember a freshman running back overshadowed by Auburn's Kenny Irons: equally difficult to tackle, but much faster. And he ran roughshod over us last year at home.
Previously, the only other McFadden I knew was Whitehead's partner. "Ain't no stoppin' us now..."So what's changed here? Not much, in fact, it seems like our defense against the run has gotten a notch worse with the departures of Kyle Williams and Claude Wroten. Two extremely elusive running backs against a team losing its attention to tackling detail season by season. Heck, even frickin' BenJarvus Green-Ellis looked a Shaun Alexander last week during the first half. Sure, we may have been looking ahead to the Razorbacks, but that seems hard to believe with this Miles staff. I can't foresee a situation that doesn't involve McFadden or Jones having a huge game.
Did not know that big BJG-E transferred from Indiana to Ole Miss. Let's all have a moment of silence for Ben.Nutt has talked about how his entire team (save for a few fifth-year seniors) has never touched The Boot; LSU has won the last three and last lost in 2002 in the final seconds of the game. Arkansas will probably be the most motivated squad we've faced this year; I just hope that early momentum doesn't blow us out of War Memorial Stadium.
The defensive key for the Tigers obviously lies in sending seven, eight, or nine in the box to contain the run early. Quarterback Casey Dick (comment with your favorite Dick/Nutt joke, please) has proven atrocious at worst and inconsistent at best, losing his job to freshman Mitch Mustain several times this season. The Arkansas receivers pose a threat in the open field, but can definitely be contained by Zenon and (gulp) Chev-Chev especially with the aid of Landry, Daniels, or Steltz.
No reason.Contrary to previous big games, the offensive key does not completely rely on JaMarcus's arm. Arkansas' defensive backfield is more talented than advertised, but their run defense is rather lacking. Mississippi State was able to generate legitimate runs last week; then again, Arkansas was definitely looking ahead to Friday, with their sudden 'BCS title game contention' on the line. Razorback fans: You are no longer in contention for the BCS Championship Game. It is impossible. You cannot read this blog. It cannot be read to you. Hopefully that changes the mood in northwest AR.
Is there anything more rewarding than photos of depressed rival fans after your team beats them? Come to think of it, LSU probably produced the only Arkansas loss this kid's ever seen in person.So instead we must rely on one of the Hester/Scott/Williams/Vincent/Broussard troupe to step up on the road with a good four or five yards per carry. Scoring early would decidedly take the crowd noise out of the game (Knoxville); not scoring early could turn this into another Arkansas/Tennessee bloodbath.
It seems like every year in this conference, a less-talented team ripe with unity and senior leadership rattles off a string of conference wins taking everyone by surprise. In 2003, you had Ole Miss. 2004, Auburn. 2005, Alabama. 2006, Arkansas... except there's not a senior in sight. We may be relinquishing The Boot for a long time here.
The prediction: Arkansas 31 LSU 21.
Definitely got this while searching images for 'Terrence Kiel.' Google might be getting a little too smart.Cotton Bowl bound. Hey Bubes, stock your cabinets full of cheap vodka, Sprite, and Robitussin. We're Terrence Kieling it on New Year's night.
- P.T.
No comments:
Post a Comment