Everyone is picking you guys in Saturday's contest, with good reasons.
As I've read around the recent blogs and articles, these seem to be the top 5 reasons given by the pundits in picking the Tide .
(I include my counter-arguments, as to why this will be a tight game, not a blow-out.)
I expect it will be another good game like last year.
#1 Arkansas too one dimensional since losing Knile Davis.
I believe we were actually more one-dimensional last year than this year. Last year, we lost our top RB, Dennis Johnson, just prior to facing you, and had not established Davis or anyone else at that point. We got caught without much of a run game and could not run late when we needed to. This year we have Dennis Johnson back, a better Ronnie Wingo, plus De'Anthony Curtis and Kody Walker. We are far better off at RB this go round then last. Add we have too very mobile QBs as well now, not a statue in the pocket. Our rush yards should be better.
#2 Arkansas Defense stuggled with Troy.
We've played extremely vanilla all year, a luxury afforded to us by a weak schedule. Yet, through the first 11 quarters of cupcakes, our opponents had scored 17 total points, far better than we have done in year's past with similar cupcakes. After building a 31-7 against Troy, we let up, and a spread offense, which our D isn't built to stop, got a couple of shots in late.
Arkansas's D has been built to stop teams like yourself and LSU, Saturday will be the first test of how well we have done in that dept. We've got the size, strength and depth now on the DL and LBs. Like our situation at RB, it's an improvement over last year at this point.
#3 Alabama's Defense too strong.
Your defense is too strong to beat conventionally. Excellent athletes, plus excellent coaching by a crafty schemer.
Fortunately we have a schemer as well, who scripted our one dimensional offense to a 20-7 lead last year.
Bobby know how good you guys are, and I imagine he'll try to script something to start Saturday's game where your D will hurt us the least.
Very vanilla on offense so far this year, and watching tape from last year can only help so much. This year Petrino has two very mobile QBs (a QB draw is now back in the playbook, post-Mallett), a stable of hungry backs, including one proven SEC stud in Johnson (who I think has been saved specifically for this game.)
And perhaps the best WR corp in the nation with Adams, Wright, Hamilton and Childs).
Petrino has more offensive versatility this year over last.
#4 Arkansas lost Ryan Mallett to the Draft.
Mallett may have been a liability in last year's game, due to the 3 INTs he threw, he wasn't neccesarily an asset. His off shoulder was still injured and it affected his velocity on his deep passes. Our offense was more of a big play offense last year, and we couldn't "big play" enough time off the clock with the lead.
This year, we have more of a ball control offense that still carries big play potential. Our first 3 possesions against Troy we had 31 plays, 270 yards, 3 80 yard TD drives, burning 11 minutes off the clock, mostly mixing the short pass and run game.
No one can sling it like Mallett, but with Wilson being mobile and being able to make almost every throw Mallett made, we are more versitile.
#5 Alabama is the better team across the board.
Arkansas has closed the gap every year under Petrino, the gap is closed again this year. Overall, you probably still deserve the edge when all depth is considered. The matchups we will be able to put on the field against you, athlete versus athlete for four quarters, will be better than it has been in quite some time.
I'm confident The Hogs can win, I know we can lose too, should be a great one.
As I've read around the recent blogs and articles, these seem to be the top 5 reasons given by the pundits in picking the Tide .
(I include my counter-arguments, as to why this will be a tight game, not a blow-out.)
I expect it will be another good game like last year.
#1 Arkansas too one dimensional since losing Knile Davis.
I believe we were actually more one-dimensional last year than this year. Last year, we lost our top RB, Dennis Johnson, just prior to facing you, and had not established Davis or anyone else at that point. We got caught without much of a run game and could not run late when we needed to. This year we have Dennis Johnson back, a better Ronnie Wingo, plus De'Anthony Curtis and Kody Walker. We are far better off at RB this go round then last. Add we have too very mobile QBs as well now, not a statue in the pocket. Our rush yards should be better.
#2 Arkansas Defense stuggled with Troy.
We've played extremely vanilla all year, a luxury afforded to us by a weak schedule. Yet, through the first 11 quarters of cupcakes, our opponents had scored 17 total points, far better than we have done in year's past with similar cupcakes. After building a 31-7 against Troy, we let up, and a spread offense, which our D isn't built to stop, got a couple of shots in late.
Arkansas's D has been built to stop teams like yourself and LSU, Saturday will be the first test of how well we have done in that dept. We've got the size, strength and depth now on the DL and LBs. Like our situation at RB, it's an improvement over last year at this point.
#3 Alabama's Defense too strong.
Your defense is too strong to beat conventionally. Excellent athletes, plus excellent coaching by a crafty schemer.
Fortunately we have a schemer as well, who scripted our one dimensional offense to a 20-7 lead last year.
Bobby know how good you guys are, and I imagine he'll try to script something to start Saturday's game where your D will hurt us the least.
Very vanilla on offense so far this year, and watching tape from last year can only help so much. This year Petrino has two very mobile QBs (a QB draw is now back in the playbook, post-Mallett), a stable of hungry backs, including one proven SEC stud in Johnson (who I think has been saved specifically for this game.)
And perhaps the best WR corp in the nation with Adams, Wright, Hamilton and Childs).
Petrino has more offensive versatility this year over last.
#4 Arkansas lost Ryan Mallett to the Draft.
Mallett may have been a liability in last year's game, due to the 3 INTs he threw, he wasn't neccesarily an asset. His off shoulder was still injured and it affected his velocity on his deep passes. Our offense was more of a big play offense last year, and we couldn't "big play" enough time off the clock with the lead.
This year, we have more of a ball control offense that still carries big play potential. Our first 3 possesions against Troy we had 31 plays, 270 yards, 3 80 yard TD drives, burning 11 minutes off the clock, mostly mixing the short pass and run game.
No one can sling it like Mallett, but with Wilson being mobile and being able to make almost every throw Mallett made, we are more versitile.
#5 Alabama is the better team across the board.
Arkansas has closed the gap every year under Petrino, the gap is closed again this year. Overall, you probably still deserve the edge when all depth is considered. The matchups we will be able to put on the field against you, athlete versus athlete for four quarters, will be better than it has been in quite some time.
I'm confident The Hogs can win, I know we can lose too, should be a great one.
