From the Bench

Bowls Not Kind to Razorbacks and May Not Be Again in Cotton Bowl

Robert Shields

Last week, Jim Harris at Arkansas Sports 360 did a great column on Razorback football bowl history. It was an excellent read and suggested reading for any fan. Needless to say, Arkansas’ bowl history has been very bad and its winning percentage hangs around one win for every two loses.

Harris pointed out that when Lou Holtz left the Razorbacks were close to .500 in bowls, which is what should happen statistically considering in bowl games teams are theoretically evenly matched up. Bowl officials want good games not blowouts.

One problem for Arkansas is that ever since moving to the SEC, if you make it to a bowl game it’s typically a good one against a very good opponent -- the exception being two years ago when the Razorbacks drew East Carolina in the Liberty Bowl. But anyone having done a little research into that game and the Pirates that season would have known it was not going to be an easy game.

The SEC often puts a team into the BCS championship game, which shifts every team up a bowl slot, again meaning you’re having to play up. I think this hurts Arkansas in bowl games.

It’s not uncommon for an SEC team to make a bowl game with six wins and have to play a team with eight or nine wins. Vanderbilt faced such a situation this year. Vanderbilt, probably the weakest SEC team to make a bowl game with six wins, had to battle the Big East co-champion that had nine wins. Vanderbilt almost pulled off the upset. Again, I said it was Vanderbilt.

Arkansas should win Friday in the Cotton Bowl against Kansas State, but anyone who knows the Hogs’ bowl history knows it won’t be easy.

Even in that cold Liberty Bowl previously mentioned, the Arkansas had to have a lot of luck as the East Carolina kicker kept bailing out the Hogs with missed opportunities. Conversely, Arkansas did everything they possibly could to beat themselves against Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl last year.

Ohio State has since had to officially vacate the win and still does not have a victory over an SEC team including their loss to Florida this year. Penalties were leveled against Ohio State, and in my mind Arkansas needs to count it as a win in the record book.

Ohio State clearly played players who should not have taken the field in that game. Everyone knew it yet it still happened. Such is the fate of the Razorbacks when it comes to bowl games.

If they can have some luck, especially in the kicking game, Arkansas could put up big numbers. But the Razorback bowl history tells me differently. In bowl games since Holtz, Arkansas will typically have uncharacteristic turnovers, penalties, and often do not look like the team that played through the regular season.

You can count on these facts. The Kansas State game probably will not be easy. Kansas State is ranked No. 8 for a reason. The Wildcats were the second-best team in the Big Texas conference behind Oklahoma State, which just barely escaped against the Wildcats. Kansas State will be a well-coached team that probably won’t make mistakes, which is why the Razorbacks can’t make any. Bill Snyder will have his team ready. The Razorbacks had to come back against Texas A&M and at times A&M looked like the superior team. Kansas State had to come back and beat A&M in overtime, by the way, if you like comparing opponents.

Kansas State will have a very physical offensive line. The Razorback defense struggled against a similar type of offensive line in its last game of the season. Kansas State’s quarterback is not Tim Tebow or even Matt Jones, but he is a similar type of hammer at quarterback meaning he will be able to pick up the tough yard for first downs and keep drives alive.

The Razorbacks will need a big day out of its explosive and experienced receiving corps. It’s also time for them to step up in their last big game. In its two games against top opponents, this receiving group tended to fade away in those big games. They will need to make the catches and the plays.

The Kansas State defense will without doubt bring lots of pressure, so these key matchups with the Razorback receivers against the Wildcat defense will be so important. The Hogs must have a big game from them. This Kansas State team is probably the most SEC-like team from the Big Texas conference.

It also disturbs me more and more that the Razorbacks enter the game without its two coordinators. In the Liberty Bowl, Arkansas entered without its offensive coordinator, Paul Petrino. The offense struggled all day. You have to hope that does not repeat itself in this bowl game.

I believe Arkansas to be the superior team, but if history is any indication, then it will be a fight to the end.



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 newest novel, “Daphne and The Mysterious Girls Secret Bathroom Society” is part one in the series. The book is available on Kindle, the nook, and Lulu for $4.99. He is not the mime who wrote “Cats, Fish & Fools.”


You can follow me on twitter @rsfromthebench
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