Hogs, Oklahoma State: The Good

By Jerry Meadows

FAYETTEVILLE — Before some lose their optimism for the season from a minority of vocal fans against Coach (Sam) Pittman, fans must remember the entire SEC season for Arkansas is before them.

And anything can happen. No. 5 Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois 16-14 as Notre Dame had 286 yards of total offense. Auburn lost to Cal 21-14, committing five turnovers.

In the next three days, the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly that came from the game at Stillwater will be the subject that all Arkansas fans need to consider. 

However, if you haven’t read Kevin McPherson’s story, “Football Hogs by the Numbers: Stats, trends that mattered…,” over the weekend, please read it. It is an eye-opener. Some of the numbers I will use will come from Kevin. Kudos to Kevin for his insightful research.

First, consider the Good the football world saw on display last Saturday at Stillwater, Oklahoma.

Arkansas’ offense amassed 648 yards of total offense against the #16 ranked team in the nation at their house. After putting 687 yards on UAPB in Little Rock, Arkansas’ Lamborghini offense had slowed down very little. Will the numbers from the Arkansas offense be criticized because of who they played at Stillwater like they were the previous week? For most, it doesn’t matter. They lost. Still, nothing stings like a loss to a team you knew you were the better than. So, adversity has arrived. Now, how will the coaches and players respond to it? Don’t expect UAB to roll over and play dead next Saturday at 3:15 pm in Fayetteville. 

#2. The offensive line of 2024 is not the offensive line of 2023. The first 2 of 3 possessions at Stillwater ended up with two touchdowns. At that point, in 13 possessions for the season, the Arkansas offense produced 12 TDs. On the next possession, Arkansas was driving for their third touchdown when their first turnover of the year reared its ugly head. Still, on Arkansas’ fourth possession, they would score another touchdown. Now Arkansas had scored 13 touchdowns in 15 possessions. Remarkable. No one had successfully stopped the Arkansas offense. As the Razorbacks clean up the individual miscues, the offense has proven to be a force to deal with. In the first half, Arkansas won the time-of-possession 20:55 to OKST’s 9:05. For the game, Arkansas’ time-of-possession was 36:19 to OKST’s 23:41.

#3. In two games, the offense has scored 11 rushing touchdowns compared to last year’s nine for the entire season. No team can run the ball for 232 yards against a top-20 team unless they have an effective offensive line.

#4. Arkansas may have its own Heisman candidate at running back in Ja’Quinden Jackson. Even while his body was cramping up in the second half, he ran for a game total of 149 yards on 24 carries for 6.2 yards per carry. Now, compare OSU’s Ollie Gordon II’s 49 yards on 17 carries for an average of 2.9 yards per carry. Jackson now has 250 rushing yards in 2 games, averaging 125 yards per game at 7.8 yards per carry.

#5. Anthony Armstrong lived up to his skill set. With ten receptions for 164 yards, it was evident that he was Taylen Green’s go-to receiver.

#6. The defense held OSU to 6 points for three quarters and shut down Gordon by holding him to 49 total yards rushing. The defense was so dominant it forced four punts and three 3-and-out possessions in the first half. Such dominance provided the offense the opportunity to shine, and for the most part, they did with 351 total yards to OSU’s total of 77 yards. Unfortunately, all those yards only produced 21 points, and they had another half of football to play.  

Looking for a silver lining after a loss is not what Razorback fans want. They want to win. The signs on both sides of the ball suggest that Arkansas has the personnel to get it done. Hopefully, the focus is on UAB as the coaches and players work to get back into the winning column.