Here at RazorbackExpats, we're still trying to shake off the funk caused by Saturday's fourth-quarter collapse against the Wildcats. To try to comprehend what happened and why, we have turned to the post-game evaluations of Chris Bahn and Alex Abrams.
Bahn of ArkansasSports360.com gave the offense a D (but Michael Smith an A), the defense a C-, special teams a C, and the overall performance a C-. (Click here to read the full report.) Notable quote: "Does it get much lower than seeing your team's only consistent offensive weapon leave the game hurting? What makes it worse is that he left the game because of a concussion essentially stemming from overuse. Tailback Michael Smith was superb (192 rushing, 33 receiving, 2 TDs) and maybe that's why Bobby Petrino kept calling his number. Or maybe the back-ups are just downright pedestrian right now and the passing game is too inconsistent to not use Smith. Whatever the reason what appeared to be inevitable has happened - Smith's 5-7, 175 pounds finally took too much abuse."
Meanwhile, Abrams of The Morning News breaks it down as follows (click here for his full report) - Quarterbacks: D. Running Backs: B+. Wide Receivers: C-. Offensive Line: B-. Defensive Line: B-. Linebackers: C+. Secondary: C-. Special Teams: B-. Coaching: C-. Notable quote: "Arkansas’ playcalling got very conservative down the stretch, settling for simple runs instead of trying to get the first downs needed to run out the clock. There were questions about whether coach Bobby Petrino should have had Davis take a late safety like he did against Auburn instead of giving Kentucky a short field to work with. And defensive coordinator Willy Robinson must take some of the blame for another fourth-quarter collapse by his unit."