From the Bench

A Long Way to Get to 10-2

Robert Shields

This time of year, I get to write pretty much whatever I want since the Razorback footballers are on holiday until August and there are no current scandals that used to provide me with such easy subject material. Yeah, baseball is still going on and the turnout at Dickey-Stephens Park for the Diamond Hogs was impressive. Fans were obviously excited to see the first return of Razorback baseball to Central Arkansas in almost a quarter of a century, but let’s be honest – the only reason anyone talks about Razorback baseball on the talk shows is because they don’t have anything else to talk about.

This is the time of year when statewide columnist Wally Hall starts writing about his pastor and the same group of do-gooders he always likes to kiss up to every year. Why? What else is he going to write about? He’s even already resorted to defending Tiger Woods in a column recently.

Even though I gave Jeff Long a C+ on his report card just a couple of weeks ago, I appreciate the fact that he sees the value of marketing the Hogs in Central Arkansas by playing in the area and creating a presence. He obviously smells the money.

Speaking of money, Notre Dame is not going anywhere. I don’t know why this talk always comes up about the Irish joining the Big Ten. Notre Dame has never shown an interest in it, and new coach Brian Kelly has even said he likes being an independent. Some say if the Big East loses football teams to the Big Ten expansion, then Notre Dame might have to do something. I think Notre Dame will just stick its other sports wherever Villanova and Georgetown go. I don’t think they worry that much about where the other sports play, especially the women’s. Do they even have gymnastics?

I like Notre Dame to do something in football next year. I think they have talent that was underutilized with the last coach. I like their schedule next year with really only three true road games and the tougher games at home. Many past Notre Dame coaches started fast out of the gate with a lot of wins, and Kelly was an even better hire for the Irish than those lame-os. So in conclusion, Notre Dame is not going anywhere unless being moved by a higher power, and in this case a lot more money would qualify as that higher power.

I received a large response from my column last week about shooting down anyone who brings up moving Arkansas into the Big 12 or anywhere out of the SEC. Most seemed to agree that was a terrible idea and that the love of the SEC runs deep throughout most of the state. Hopefully, nobody actually had to slap anyone talking about switching conferences, as was my suggestion that still stands any time you hear someone talking this nonsense at the Chili’s or wherever you hang out.

That said, it might be kind of fun to be in the same conference with Texas, Texas A&M, TCU, Oklahoma, and Oklahoma State. Too bad a move to the Big 12 would throw the Razorbacks into the north end of that conference with Missouri, Kansas, Kansas State, Iowa State, and Nebraska thanks to the geography of where the campus in NWA is located. So just say no to the Big 12.

I was slow to predict the outcome of the football season last year and I may be equally slow to predict with certainty this year. I typically give two preseason predictions so that I can cover all areas and draw more criticism. One prediction comes in the early summer when I am in need of a column so I don’t have to resort to writing about my preacher, and another later when two-a-days in August are in full swing following the fan fest also known as “media day.”

I do two predictions because things often change dramatically between those two periods, such as players getting arrested on Dickson Street, kicking their toe into sidewalks outside a club, or late-in-the-year surgeries because something was not healing on its own. This year will be easier to predict than last season thanks to an easier schedule. The team will be better, but better enough for the fan expectations is really the question.

The hold-up is still on the defense. If the defense moves from being the worst in the conference to middle of the pack, it should be a great year. (A quick way to do that for Bobby Petrino would be to move to the Big 12.) If the defense is only marginally improved, you may only see marginal improvement in the team overall. I am also scared to death still about special teams. I won’t have a better feel for it until the freshman kickers show up and their ability is revealed. So, I am not ready to roll out a 12-0 at this moment, at least until Clay Henry issues his judgment on the defense at the Little Rock Razorback Club dinner.

To get to a record that will keep the fans who fly banners at bay, I think the Hogs need to start well with a victory over Georgia in Athens. It is the game that could put the Hogs on their way to a great season. It will also be the first real test of the defense as to whether it has improved over last season, which surely it has. But we said all that last year about the Georgia game, which was at home.

Long story short, 10-2. But that’s not my official prediction. It’s a warning.



Count how many topics I covered and how many people I managed to insult in one column and send it to fromthebench@yahoo.com