From the Bench

Expectations Are High With Mallett’s Return

Robert Shields

Yo, what up shorties in the Razorback Nation, my name Ryan Mallett, you may have heard of me, I’m coming back to throw the football around a lil’ bit next season.

The return of Ryan Mallett is a huge boost for the Razorback Program. No individual is greater than the Program other than Frank Broyles, but some are larger pieces than others. Mallett’s return will be big in the way of creating more media buzz about the Hogs leading up to next season, if nothing else, and to Jeff Long, vice chancellor of athletics or whatever he calls himself, getting the brand out is the most important thing.

You can rest assured the Hogs will be on television a lot next year in good time slots because of who will be quarterbacking their team. Mallett will also start the season as a Heisman Trophy hopeful. (Note to Mallett: Don’t worry too much about the award because it has become less and less meaningful in regards to who is the best player. You win the Heisman by having your team make a run for the national championship.)

With the return of Mallett, Hog fans’ expectations are certain to soar. Mine already have. I predict 10 wins next year based a several things. One, Mallett is returning. Two, the schedule gets significantly better with Florida dropping off of it and Vanderbilt rotating on to it. Three, the Hogs won eight games this year and easily had the chance to win against LSU, Florida, and Georgia. And four, Ole Miss will not be the same next year. Its defense should not be as great. The Rebels are also going to lose most of its offense with Dexter McCluster and Jevan Snead gone. Ole Miss being at Fayetteville should give the Hogs a good chance to win. The Hogs also get Alabama and LSU at home.

What will really get the Hogs to 10 wins is defense. The Hogs will drop games they are not supposed to unless it finds so more defense. The defense should be improved and have more experience going into next season, but there are still areas that are very thin such as linebacker and defensive line.

To get to the SEC championship game, the Hogs don’t necessarily need a great defense --just good should get the job done. The defense needs to be ranked in the top half in the conference. If you look at the top four teams in the conference this year (Alabama, Florida, LSU, and yes Ole Miss), it mirrors who had the best defenses. The Hogs need to come in around fifth next year in defense to have a shot at winning the Western division. Mallett cannot do it all on his own.

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Basketball Back to Duddy Waller Days

Those who wanted Nolan Richardson run off should feel like their mission is complete. Any semblance of his mark on the Program is long gone. The destruction is so complete that even Eddie Sutton’s mark on the Program is gone. The Hogs are back to the Duddy Waller days.

Kids graduating high school this year probably were not even old enough to watch TV when the Hogs won their national championship game. It is actually very sad for those who remember great basketball with the Triplets, Joe Kleine, Darrell Walker, Alvin Robertson, May-Day-Miller, Scotty, and Corliss. Heck, I even miss the Joe Johnson years.

People often ask me what can be done. My response is that tradition and history are important and when things are bad you go home. The basketball program’s home is Barnhill Arena. It always was, and it was probably one of the most difficult places to play in the country. It is small, but I say move the team back into it. Move gymnastics over to Bud Walton. It will create a more exciting atmosphere. I know the Spirit of Barnhill was moved over to Bud Walton Arena in a crystal dish, but whenever I look in the crystal bowl it’s empty.

The reason this will never happen – the love of money.



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