From the Bench

Last Two Seasons as Good as It Will Get Without Defense and Running Game

Robert Shields

Arkansas may actually be the No. 3 team in the nation. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, they had to play No. 1 and No. 2 this season.

After Arkansas took a 14-0 lead against No. 1 on Friday, the Razorbacks were outscored 41-3 the rest of the way and that’s all you really need to know.

Amazingly the score was only 24-17 going into the fourth quarter. The Hogs were within a touchdown with only a quarter to play. Before the game, I would have taken that scenario. Arkansas had been very dominant in the fourth quarter all year, but not this game.

Predicated on the fact the Hogs might win, I told lots of people to not worry about the BCS. I said that LSU was clearly the best team in the nation and if Arkansas actually beat them in Baton Rouge everything else would take care of itself. In the end, the Razorbacks never had to worry about any of it. LSU took care of it all and all the hand-wringing over a three-way tie was nonsense.

I wrote the same thing after the Alabama game. The SEC is a defensive league. You win with defense. Some might call Arkansas’ defense average, but what it is certainly is not great.

You can take this to the bank – you win in the SEC by running the ball and playing great defense. Time and again, you see that great defenses beat great offenses in the SEC. All this has come to pass twice for the Hogs this year in its losses.

Some wonder if Bobby Petrino has accepted this fact yet or if he still thinks his system is superior to what has won the SEC the last five (soon to be six) national championships. This isn’t Conference USA or the Big East. Petrino is a great coach, but he has to accept this fact about the league.

The Hogs have an exceptional offense. But great defenses in the SEC will always find ways to beat it and probably dominate it.

With Arkansas’ current formula, the last two years is probably as good as it will get, which is still quite good, and better than fans have been accustomed. The Hogs were the third best team in the SEC this season, but without finding a dominating defense it will struggle to get to the pinnacle of the conference.

The Razorback defense plays really hard. It came up with crucial stops during the season and is greatly responsible for winning 10 games. But the defense is not on the same level as LSU and Alabama, which are faster and bigger and create a chasm of difference on the field. Arkansas may be a 9, but LSU and Alabama are a 10.

Arkansas has a record of 20-5 over the last two years. All five losses came to teams that were ranked No. 1 at some point during that season. The Razorbacks are a top 10 team, but they still have a lot of work to get into that very top group. Arkansas needed this win against LSU in a bad way to earn national respect. But Arkansas has folded in these big matchups time and again. Why did we expect anything different this time?

The biggest disappointment was how the Razorbacks lost their composure and became very frustrated. Championship teams respond to adversity, and those only striving to become one get frustrated when failing. After falling down by 14, LSU immediately responded with a long drive and a touchdown. The Tigers never panicked or showed frustration.

This was Tyler Wilson’s worst game. It was the only time this season that he appeared frustrated, and it even looked like he was talking to his receivers in a different way than he had all season. He was sacked four times and pressured almost on all other passing downs. His interception was out of desperation.

The coach was not far behind in his frustration, and he’s the one guy who has to be in control. The gesture caught on camera toward the end of the game was not one of Bobby Petrino’s finer moments. This was a bad example to set for the players and did not reflect well on the university at all. I am hopeful that he regrets it, and anyone can lose their temper especially under the stress he had been under all week with the death of a player.

So on to a bowl game for the Razorbacks, who desperately need to win it to end a great season on a better note. Arkansas has not won 11 games in a long time. It would be a great way to end the season and erase the losses with more than likely a top 10 finish, which also has not happened in a long time.



Robert Shields is the bestselling author of “Scarlet Fever: A Razorback House Divided” and “The Economics of Sex” and has written the weekly “From the Bench” sports column for the last 14 years. His upcoming novel, “Daphne and Her No. 2 Ticonderoga,” will be part one in “The Mysterious Girls’ Secret Bathroom Society” series. He can be reached at fromthebench@yahoo.com.


YOu can also follow me on Twitter @rsfromthebench

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