Arkansas Fight: All Posts by

Pump the Sunshine and Drink the Kool-Aid; Texas is Coming to Town

2021-07-02T10:30:25-05:00

Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images

DISCLAIMER: This is not a preview of Arkansas’ matchup with the Longhorns next season. We at Arkansas Fight will have plenty of stories leading up to the game. This is my manifesto…

If having a second-year head coach won’t get you excited for Arkansas football then I don’t know what will. Not only that, but how about the job Sam Pittman did in his first season with the Hogs? Did you see the difference in energy and effort from one season to the next? It was night and day.

Maybe the fact that two of the top coordinators in football are standing on the Razorbacks’ sidelines every Saturday will get your blood pumping. Barry Odom was one of the most sought after defensive coordinators in the country this offseason after an exceptional turnaround a season ago. Head coaching experience and a high FBI (Football Intelligence) will do wonders for a defense that was the laughing stock of the football world prior to Odom’s arrival. Not to mention, one of the brightest young minds in the game in Kendal Briles is ready to take Arkansas’ offense to a level that Hog fans haven’t seen since the Petrino family roamed the sidelines inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

You still think Arkansas is going to stink? How about a quarterback that proved he can light up an SEC defense? Put a signal-caller with the raw talent that KJ Jefferson possesses in a Briles’ offense that is wired to put up points and that equals entertainment. That alone should equate to wins, but we know at the very least it will make for some unbelievable moments.

KJ’s stats in his lone start last season against Missouri (FINAL MIZ 50 ARK 48): 18-33 passing for 274 yards with three touchdowns and zero interceptions…Also, a rushing touchdown on 13 rushing attempts for 32 yards…

You’re still not excited? I’ve gotten that a lot from Razorback fans recently. “Bleh, I don’t care. Show me the wins.” Well, let me reintroduce you to Arkansas’ own Treylon Burks. This Warren (Ark.) native can take over games from the wide receiver position with his shear physicality. Only one dude, a little guy named Darren McFadden, has demanded the attention of fans on the gridiron since the turn of the century more than Burks has. With two years of starting full-time under his belt, saying the sky is the limit for Burks may very well be an understatement. Not to mention, the Hogs also have a sleeping giant in Trey Knox at the other wide out spot, a shifty running back ready to carry the workload in Trelon Smith and a tight end with a legacy to protect in Hudson Henry.

Are you old school? Is defense the only thing that wets your whistle? The best player on the defensive side of the ball for the Hogs is Jalen Catalon, a safety. Talk about somebody with all the tools…Catalon is a ballhawk, he proved that last season. He is one of the better cover safeties in the SEC, he also proved that in his first full season playing every snap. Most importantly, the kid is an enforcer that can absolutely lay the wood. Put Brian Dawkins’ clone alongside an experienced duo of blood-thirsty linebackers with valuable years of experience between them in Bumper Pool and Grant Morgan, and you have got yourself a very solid defensive core.

Anything else I can say? How about experience and depth along the offense line? Yes, Arkansas lost some key players (see Jonathan Marshall and Feliepe Franks), but the Hogs are returning the bulk of their starters. Are there still some question marks surrounding the team heading into a season in which Arkansas will once again play the hardest schedule in college football again? Absolutely. However, for the first time in a long time, I see more answers than questions heading into the throws of summer.

If you follow the Hogs and you’re a glass-half-empty kind of guy or gal, then I’m in in no position to judge you. I’ve spend my entire career as a journalist covering disappointment on the football field. Generating excitement was never my job, but as a fan, I felt obligated to bring us together and give the football team everything we have to offer as one of the greatest fan bases in the nation. What follows? Failure after failure after failure. If you’ve given up, and you are unable to buy the hype after everything I’ve mentioned up to this point, I can’t blame you. That being said, give me one last chance to draw you in.

I’ve tried to type this out using my best Chuck Barrett or Bruce Buffer impression, but there is no other way to say this…the Texas Longhorns come to Fayetteville to play the Razorbacks on Sept. 11, 2021. If that doesn’t put the fire into your loins, then I give up. One of the oldest and most hated rivals of the Razorbacks with their hoity toity traditions will storm onto the Hill with the nation watching. Now, I don’t know why Texas football is still relevant, but they are tagged by national media as “back” due to Steve Sarkisian taking his coaching “talents” to Austin. The nation will be watching, and Arkansas will be in comfortable territory as the underdog.

I can already hear it on the airwaves for years to come, “The turnaround point for this program came on Sept. 11, 2021 when Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks took it to Texas on the national stage.” It’s music to my ears. There is no better way for Arkansas to reintroduce themselves and earn the respect that was thrown away by Chad Morris than to beat a perennial “powerhouse.” Not just any blue-blood program, freaking Texas.

There is no need to worry about the passion and hatred being there for these players after years of not playing the Longhorns. A lot of these guys were born in the Natural State, a place where burnt orange is considered the devil’s cloth. Not to mention, Pittman spent his high school years coming to camps in Fayetteville as an impressionable kid from Oklahoma. If anybody can ignite the spark, it’s Pittman.

Allow me to leave you with this…DWRRS will be at full capacity after a year (Stupid COVID) in which Hog fans were deprived of putting their passion into practice. Arkansas has a chance to turn things around and restore a once proud program against the Longhorns to ignite what could be a statement season. If you don’t care about THAT, you are absolutely not allowed to call yourself a Razorback fan.

P.S. If you can’t excited about the product on the field, at least look forward to the tailgate. I know that I’ll be there. It’s the first can’t-miss football game that we’ve experienced in what feels like an eternity.

Follow me on Twitter: @hogfan42069

Follow the Pod: @beersonheads

Arkansas baseball knows what it takes to win a Championship

2021-06-15T13:07:41-05:00

I’m absolutely sick and tired about hearing from other fan bases around the country that Arkansas baseball doesn’t know how to win a College World Series. Trust me, I think that the Razorbacks know better than anybody how to get the job done. I know that doesn’t make sense considering how there isn’t a single NCAA Title sticker on the outfield wall inside Baum-Walker Stadium, but please allow me to explain…

Here in God’s Country, a.k.a. the Natural State, things don’t come easy. One day it’s so hot that granny breaks wind just to feel a breeze then the next day it’s so cold you could chip a tooth on some soup. Not to mention, the price of lumber is up 300%, and we don’t know when they’ll ever finish the Sharp County Dollar General. Same is true for Arkansas athletics.

Take that into consideration, but today I’m not here to get into a discussion about recruiting and in-state talent compared to other Power 5 programs. I’m also not gonna talk about coaching pedigree and decisions made by athletic directors. No, not today and not when it comes to baseball on The Hill. That being said, let’s discuss what has happened when the rubber meets the road with the players the Hogs have had, especially on the diamond because that’s fresh on the brain.

In 2021, The Diamond Hogs proved time and time again that they were the best team in college baseball. Playing in the best baseball conference in the country, the Razorbacks literally swept the competition, not losing a single SEC series all year long. Not to mention, they had a secret weapon in super human closer/reliever/starter Kevin Kopps. After winning the crown in Hoover, they were the run-away favorite to win the whole damn thing following consecutive trips to Omaha behind Hall of Fame head coach Dave Van Horn.

What happened? The bats went cold two days in a row and Arkansas was eliminated by NC State in Fayetteville during the Super Regional on Sunday despite the outing of a lifetime by Kopps, 3-2. This all comes on the tails of an absolute thrashing by the Razorbacks on Friday, 21-2, which allowed the Wolf Pack to save their only two capable relievers for duty the following two games.

Talk about a brutal way to go out. Most fan bases would mark that down as the most disappointing way to lose in program history. For Razorback fans? This is just a walk in the park. It’s just another bullet on a long list of Hogs gon’ Hog moments.

Now, imagine not having the best team in the country, but the hottest team in the country. Let’s take you back to the Midwest in 2018 when Arkansas was one out away from beating Oregon State and winning the title. The hottest team in the country, the Razorbacks couldn’t capitalize on a pop-fly out of play, leading to an epic come back for the Beavers, who went on to win the CWS.

Let’s recap really quickly. The Razorbacks have been the hottest team in the country, and they have been the best team in the county in recent history. Both resulted in some other squad heading home from Omaha with the hardware. Alright, now what if they were neither? It’s baseball, right? All you need is some special outings from a few pitchers and for the bats to heat up at opportune times, correct?

Let’s go down one more trip through memory lane, shall we? In 2012, the Arkansas Razorbacks were not the best team in college baseball college, nor were they the hottest team. However, there was something special about that squad. After going to Waco and upsetting Baylor to advance to Omaha, the Hogs took two straight game at TD Ameritrade Park. Maybe this is the recipe! Low expectations and just playing with house money. That’s just not the case, but why? There was an umpire named Perry Costello who drops more calls than AT&T that unbiasedly ended the Hogs run.

Im not being petty when I tell you this as a lifelong Hog fan… Often time the best team in the country wins the CWS and a lot of times the hottest team comes out on top. The Hogs have been both and everything in-between without a single championship to show for it. This just proves my point, Arkansas fans know what it takes to win a CWS Title more than any other fan base in the country. ANSWER: The winner every year is whoever the Baseball Gods decide gets to win. Don’t call it luck, call it divine intervention. There have been countless times that the Diamond Hogs could have easily had fate swing in their favor. However, for whatever reason it hasn’t.

Let me finish by saying this…Good luck to the eight teams in Omaha this year. Players need to pitch their tails off, hit their spots, work the count and not crumble in the face of immense pressure. Coaches absolutely need to press the right buttons, change the lineup if needed or make that controversial call to the bullpen. All of those things need to happen for you to leave Omaha with a smile. Nevertheless, take it from an Arkansas fan that knows how to win the big one, you’re going to need a little help from the heavens.

Follow me on Twitter: @hogfan42069

Follow the pod too while your at it: @BeersOnHeads