With most of our staff scattered to the seven winds for the Thanksgiving holiday, we are operating with a skeleton crew here at RazorbackExpats. To help us keep things up and running, we have turned to one of our regular readers and commenters, the always entertaining Tab Prewett, who has graciously agreed to provide his analysis of yesterday's epic win against No. 1 LSU. Here now is his take:
Pre-Game Notes:
LSU looks fired up and confident prior to coming onto the field. How well Dick and Monk play are touted as keys to the game. For me, it’s our defense – can they stop LSU, ever? Nutt’s inspirational "Mamas, Granmamas, and aunts" speech doesn’t do much for me, but maybe it’s what players need. I hope we don’t get booted by Les Miles. He can’t even pronounce Arkansas.
After-Game Thoughts:
We stopped the slant pass!! We stopped the slant pass!! 50-48, 50-48, 50-48!!!!!! The boot is back where it belongs - and maybe Les Miles can pronounce Arkansas now.
Nutt must have asked also for some heroes because many stepped forward. In our best game of the year, the heroes weren’t just McFadden and Jones, but included Peyton Hillis, Casey Dick, Michael Grant, Materrial Richardson and the entire offensive line.
And did I mention Texas lost?
In the first half the defense saved us. Looking back, LSU should have been up by a few touchdowns after the first quarter. I have to give Herring and the defense credit. They shut LSU down enough that we were able to stay in the game and begin to wear LSU down. Consider how we turned the game around: We had only one first down in the first quarter and ended up with around 500 yards of offense.
Also, before the game I worried about Nutt’s play-calling. I thought we would move the ball but stop ourselves and maybe not score. Nutt went quickly to the WildHog and stayed with it for what seemed like 75 percent of the game. Only once did I question a call, and that was punting on 4th and 2 from about the 40 of LSU. Yet, that even worked out okay. I don’t think anyone could question Nutt’s play-calling yesterday.To imagine how dominant our offense was yesterday is difficult. We were on the road at a number-one ranked team known for its run defense and home field intimidation factor, a team playing for a national championship. But not only did we run some, we just pounded and pounded and pounded them.
How many LSU players were laid out from hits by our players? At the same time, I don’t recall any Hogs being helped off the field. McFadden blew up 27 once. Early Doucet had trouble getting up several times. Even Casey Dick got a pancake block on DMac’s 73-yard run. It’s called bringing the wood, now, after the "bat" motivational technique, and it sure worked. We owned the line of scrimmage, and LSU never stopped us. When they did, Casey Dick hit Hillis or Monk or Lucas Miller or Davies for crucial third-down conversions. Heroes were everywhere, and they were bashing Cajuns all game.
<!--more-->
Two more questions that loomed before the game were whether Nutt could keep his job with a win and whether DMac could win the Heisman with a magnificent performance. Since I know absolutely nothing about whoever or whatever the inner circle is in Fayetteville, I don’t know what Nutt’s status will be next season. I do know that firing him would be very expensive, look very strange in the eyes of a nation that just saw us upset number one LSU, and probably ruin a very respectable recruiting class for 2008. So I say he should stay.
On the Heisman, I was getting really upset with Lou Holtz and Mark May last night jabbering on about how McFadden hasn’t been consistent, according to May, and that he "even rushed for under 100 yards three times this season," as pointed out by Holtz. For me the Heisman is earned over not just a season. If it comes down to McFadden and Tebow, McFadden has had a better season than last year when he was second in Heisman voting. Better year equals first in voting this year.
Florida has three losses. We have four. Big deal. Tebow is nowhere as exciting or dynamic as DMac, and certainly is not as important to his team’s success. Let’s hope the voters know the best player in the nation when they see him. Yesterday, McFadden was not amazing; he was miraculous. Tebow can earn it next season, but will never be miraculous. And please, Chase Daniel? The quarterback from Kansas? Brennan from Hawaii? Put them in the SEC and see what they do.
A great day, a fantastic day, one of the top five in Razorback lore – and did I say Texas lost?