News Article: Arkansas preview: Razorbacks will serve as a good measuring stick [by JessN]

[JessN]

Arkansas preview: Razorbacks will serve as a good measuring stick
By Jess Nicholas
TideFans.com Editor-in-Chief
Sept. 15, 2008

Most people knew Arkansas would suffer through a transition period when Bobby Petrino took over for Houston Nutt as head coach. Most, however, didn’t think it would be this bad.

Arkansas barely skated by Western Illinois, 28-24, and Louisiana-Monroe, 28-27. Last week’s game against Texas was postponed by Hurricane Ike; had Arkansas played that game, Petrino would be coming into this game almost certainly with his first loss as Arkansas’ coach.

Instead, Arkansas will play the next four weeks against this lineup: Alabama-Texas-Florida-Auburn. Good luck.

For the full story, click here

 

[TiderinMiss]

Re: Arkansas preview: Razorbacks will serve as a good measuring stick

This is one of those games where I never know what to expect.

On paper, we should blow them out.

However, they always seem to be up to play Bama.

The one factor that's missign from this year's Arkansas team, however, is they don't have the great motivator, Houston Nutt.

The game may be tight at first, but Bama pulls away comfortably in the second half.

 

[BamaJeff]

Running Backs - Advantage Alabama

Wow...haven't seen that in a while vs Arkansas!!!

 

[bamanut_aj]

Re: Arkansas preview: Razorbacks will serve as a good measuring stick

This is one of those games where I never know what to expect.

On paper, we should blow them out.

However, they always seem to be up to play Bama.

The one factor that's missign from this year's Arkansas team, however, is they don't have the great motivator, Houston Nutt.

The game may be tight at first, but Bama pulls away comfortably in the second half.

you're reading my mind!

 

[Airborne Tider]

Nothing I love more than being able to dominate the line of scrimmage. If we can make that a priority every week, every year, we will win a LOT of games. RTR!:BigA:

 

[capnfrog]

I look for the hogs to blitz a lot off the corners in hopes of rattling JPW. I look for a few sacks but hopefully no fumbles, that would be the giant killer.

 

[Alanbama27]

Nice breakdown Jess and believe it or not I agree with the overall breakdown. I do have one minor disagreement (shock, shock) and that is the play of David Ross! Ross has graded out dramatically well all year and has done an outstanding job! While David isn't the starter I have been told that he has actually graded out better than Marlon in the games he's played versus the game and 1/2 Marlon played. I am not sure where you are getting an UP / DOWN performance so far because that's just not accurate or the opinion of the coaches.

If you are looking at the Tulane game, you've clearly missed where the breakdowns occurred. The problem in the Tulane game were on two shoulders...Caldwell, who has admitted he made some bad calls during that game and also on our coaches for not trusting people in the positions they were in. Even Coach Saban has admitted that it was a mistake to move the guys around so much and has said he won't likely do it again.

With that said, it's a minor disagreement and one that really isn't worth discussing. The point is that I agree Bama should be able to take care of business but we can't take anyone lightly regardless of how well or poorly they've played to date!

Oh, I guess there was one other minor item...your comment about Clemson is interesting considering that the only team that has beaten them is Bama and they are back in the top 25. Are they that bad or did we simply play our best game of the season and one of the most complete games we can play? Personally I'd give Bama a bit more credit for making Clemson look bad. I realize that since playing Bama they haven't played another great football team but they completely dismantled The Citadel winning 45-17 and did pretty much the same to NC State winning 27-9. Unfortunately we won't be able to completely answer this question for at least another week since they play South Carolina State and then finally they play Maryland...but even that may not answer it...I think we're three weeks away from knowing how good Clemson is when they play Wake Forest.

 

[Jazzman]

Instead, Arkansas will play the next four weeks against this lineup: Alabama-Texas-Florida-Auburn. Good luck.

Amen to that! ROLL TIDE ROLL!!! :biggrin2:

 

[ncbama]

Great job, Jess, as always. It must be very difficult for an Alabama fan to be dispassionate in analysis, but you pull it off very well.

I do have one suggestion. You rate 8 different categories. However, there is one category that may be as important, perhaps more so, than the position-by-position matchup. That is the combination of coaching and intangibles. I grouped the two as one because coaching normally creates the intangibles. A great coach/motivator can take a team that might be slightly inferior in talent and still win.

Case in point-Coach Grobe at Wake Forest. Wake plays FSU this weekend and is actually favored according to some pundits. However, I have read that not a single player on the Wake Forest team would have been offered a scholarship at FSU. Yet they have owned FSU for two years.

i would love to see you include coaching as the ninth category.

 

[Alanbama27]

That is the combination of coaching and intangibles. I grouped the two as one because coaching normally creates the intangibles. A great coach/motivator can take a team that might be slightly inferior in talent and still win.

Case in point-Coach Grobe at Wake Forest. Wake plays FSU this weekend and is actually favored according to some pundits. However, I have read that not a single player on the Wake Forest team would have been offered a scholarship at FSU. Yet they have owned FSU for two years.

i would love to see you include coaching as the ninth category.

Best suggestion I've heard in a long time! As was said (if I remember correctly) by Bum Phillips about Coach Bryant: "He can take his and beat yours and he can take yours and beat his." If that's not coaching and intangibles...nothing is!

 

[JessN]

Great job, Jess, as always. It must be very difficult for an Alabama fan to be dispassionate in analysis, but you pull it off very well.

I do have one suggestion. You rate 8 different categories. However, there is one category that may be as important, perhaps more so, than the position-by-position matchup. That is the combination of coaching and intangibles. I grouped the two as one because coaching normally creates the intangibles. A great coach/motivator can take a team that might be slightly inferior in talent and still win.

Case in point-Coach Grobe at Wake Forest. Wake plays FSU this weekend and is actually favored according to some pundits. However, I have read that not a single player on the Wake Forest team would have been offered a scholarship at FSU. Yet they have owned FSU for two years.

i would love to see you include coaching as the ninth category.

I've considered doing that in the past but it's too subjective. What the players do is plain for people to see, so if I were to do something like, say, give Ole Miss the nod at QB over Alabama, it would be easier for the fans to watch the actual performances and agree or disagree based on those merits.

There is no "execution" in coaching, however. So it's harder to observe for the casual fan. And, most fans can be reasonable about performances of individual players or groups, but cannot about coaching; any suggestion that Saban isn't the absolute best, at any given time, is going to draw so much opposition that people would be likely to tune out the entire preview I spent a lot of time researching.

 

[SirCrimson]

Re: Arkansas preview: Razorbacks will serve as a good measuring stick

This is one of those games where I never know what to expect.



The one factor that's missign from this year's Arkansas team, however, is they don't have the great motivator, Houston Nutt.

The game may be tight at first, but Bama pulls away comfortably in the second half.

How do you figure Nutt was a great motivator? He always wore his emotions on his sleeve and was far to inconsistent from Saturday to Saturday, but thats your opinion. Come on educate me please. He always reminded me more of a cheerleader than a motivator.