It's Getting Better... Sort Of

I think if you asked any Hog fan going into September, they would've taken 4-4 at this point in the season. Too many people, myself included, got too caught up in some of the hype that surrounded a completely unproven team. Subsequently, we got our hopes ripped limb from limb after watching a win against Auburn bookended by back to back SEC losses. But it's got to be looking better, right? In a few short words, I really think it is.

1. For starters, Arkansas has beaten the teams they were supposed to beat, and they've done so in style. The game this past weekend proved that our offense is one of the most dynamic in the nation, and I hope scoring at will will give this team the confidence they need going into the final four games of the regular season.

2. Bobby Petrino is really starting to get away from the stigma that surrounded his exit at Hotlanta, and has started to be a coach fans can get behind. Maybe this will come back to haunt us in the future, but that's like worrying about your Playboy playmate girlfriend cheating on you... no need to worry about the future as long as she's yours now!

3. Joe Adams is back! Wow. I honestly didn't realize how incredible this kid is, but it is evident in his playmaking abilities that he displays week in and week out. I'm not saying we would have beaten Ole Miss had he played that game, but I think Florida is a definite W. He is a gamechanger, and it's wonderful to see him back on the field.

4. We have an actual home stretch. Four games in a row at home is HUGE after having to play at Alabama, at Florida, and at Ole Miss. And let's not forget the fact that we also played in the Death Star, which wasn't exactly a 100% Hog friendly environment. I'm glad this team gets to play several games in a row without traveling and without having to deal with the hazards of the road.

5. Ole Miss sucks. I actually got up on Saturday morning and started drinking at 11 a.m. just to root for Auburn. I'd like to think that Springdale Holiday Inn and I helped to cheer on Gus Malzahn to victory over HDN. While I know my alcoholism had nothing to do with Auburn's win, I know that I loved that Ole Miss loss as much as I loved the Hogs beating up on a terrible opponent.

It's been a nice and quiet week in Hog headlines (except for a that whole special prosecutor investigating our basketball team thing) and I think it's exactly what I needed going into the final four games of the season. I'm looking forward to being in God's country for game on Saturday, and I can't wait to kick of Thanksgiving week with a good old fashioned tailgate at War Memorial Stadium. It may not be exactly what we had hoped for Hog fans, but honestly... it's getting better.

Go Hogs!!!

Saturday Night Spooktacle

I'm over it. I'm over it. I'm over it. Dammit, not matter how many times I say it I just can't make myself believe. This has been one of the toughest weeks of Razorback fandom for me in many many many years, and it just doesn't get any easier. We are to the point that no matter how many wins (I'll say four) that we get in the next five games, the season is still a tough pill to swallow. I wanted a win against Georgia, Bama, Florida, and certainly Ole Miss, and we went 0-4. Boom... Roasted.

There comes a time when you have to just move on, and hopefully this week the I'll be able to do that. Luckily, the Hogs get what will hopefully be their easiest opponent of the year in Eastern Michigan. I know very little about this team, but from all sources they should be a nice cupcake to give this team a little dose of confidence they so greatly need. And for once, we actually get a night time game. This means that I won't be forced to get up at the crack of dawn and start taking pulls out of a bottle of Stoli, rather I get to do it out of my own free will.

No matter what happens Friday, as long as the Hogs destroy the visitors from Detroit (pronounced De-twah if you want to be fancy), it's going to be a good day. At some point I'm probably going to decide that I actually do want to participate in Halloween festivities and I'll head to the store to pick up candy for trick-or-treaters. I might even dawn a costume and make my way to a bar to see how many Dallas girls are dressed as french maids. At the end of the night I'll realize that it's daylight savings time, and instead of enjoying an extra hour of sleep, I'll decide to enjoy an extra hour of drink. So, to pay my respects to the coming Day of the Dead, I present an extra spooky, sort of terrifying, mostly unoriginal, SEC Predictions from Beyond the Grave.

• Arkansas v. Eastern Michigan - The scariest thing on the field for this one is going to be the re-introduction of the ugliest uniforms the Hogs have ever dawned in a game. I saw these pants in person at the Cotton Bowl where Mizzou EMBARRASSED the Razorbacks for 60 minutes, and from the second the team took the field I knew it was going to be a long day. If the game on Saturday is remotely close, please take my advice and burn these pants. On a side note, there is not a day that goes by that I don't miss seeing #5 running the ball from our backfield. We miss you DMAC!!!
• Ole Miss v. Auburn - It looks like the ghost of 2008 has decided to raise from the grave, as the Auburn Tigers once again got off to a blistering pace, but have since done absolutely nothing. I'm not sure if it's team chemistry (there are rumors that some players aren't happy that Cody Burns got benched... you can read between the lines there), lack of preparation, or opponents figuring out Saint Malzahn's scheme, but they're hurting. This week would be a perfect example of a typical HDN letdown game, but if they stick with the gameplan of All Dexter All The Time they should take this one pretty handily
• Kentucky v. Mississippi State - The thought of these two teams battling it out is scary enough to make me want to gouge my eyes out. I can honestly say that I do not care about any aspect of this game, other than I hope Mississippi State loses so that we might bump ahead of them in the SEC West
• Florida v. Georgia - This guy... THIS GUY. There is something about this game that I absolutely love. Maybe it's because it's the Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party on Earth, or maybe because it's played in a neutral field, but I love it. I wish I could witness this in person (if for no other reason than to see UGA girls in their Halloween costumes), and hopefully one day I'll get the pleasure. Alas (and alack), I just don't see the Tebows having a letdown this week. Florida takes this one 2 touchdowns
• Tennessee v. South Carolina - Both teams need this win! Tennessee needs it to help vindicate their hiring of Layne Kiffen, and the Old Ball Coach has to have it to keep his solid bowl hopes alive. I think this game goes ugly early, and the turnover numbers are going to be the story of the week out East. In the end, Old Ball Coach keeps his teams good bowl hopes alive by taking down the Vols
• Tulane v. LSU - Blow out in Death Valley! If LSU wins out and takes the SEC Championship, they will play in Pasadena... I realize this is a big "if," but don't rule it out

We are about 27 hours away from kickoff in God's country, and I will not be in attendance to this affair. However, next week I'll be taking a nice three day weekend to head up to God's country to meet up with 72,000 of my closest friends. Hog fans, it's time to take care of business.

As always... GO HOGS!!!

Why I am the Bad Guy

Again, painful. I'm the bad guy because I acknowledge that life goes on after a loss...even to HDN. Again, I'm not ready for humor yet so here it is. Losses are never fun, but we now know that some losses are less fun than others. We talked about what could have been in Florida until Thursday, and were convinced we were a better team than Ole Miss. We were wrong. Oh well, Houston Nutt isn't our head coach, and we got that going for us. 

A win will be nice this weekend against some directional school that's not even worth talking about. It's homecoming, and it's the best time of the year in Fayetteville, AR. Those of you attending will hopefully be treated to some changing leaves and a nice fall chill in the air. 

DJ Williams?? Is he still on the team? 

Somebody get our receiving corps some Stick-em. (At least bring a couple toilet paper rolls to practice. Props to those who understand this). 

I just saw a preview for movie about Michael Oher's life. From what I understand, he's a great guy with truly great story. Drawbacks of the film: HDN is in it as...wait for it...the coach of the University of Arkansas; that's sure to incite nausea. That's officially my last HDN bashing until next season, I promise I'll find some new material.

On an unrelated note, I'm really pumped about this:

Hoculied

It's been three days and I believe I'm finally ready to come to terms with what happened. I'm only going to write two paragraphs, as that's all I have left in me when it comes to thinking about what the nation saw on display at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. I'm pretty sure if I had actually been in attendance I would have had not choice but to start my favorite high school chant... "Nuts and bolts, nuts and bolts, we... got... SCREWED!!!" I have never in seen a game that was officiated in such a biased manner. It was so bad that even Gary Danielson managed to stop talking about Tim Tebow long enough to comment on how Arkansas was the better team on the field, and how the refs obviously had no idea what they were doing.

So here's what it comes down to. Arkansas was the better team on the field last Saturday, plain and simple. Our defense was better. Our offense was better. Our coaching was better. The Hogs had that win from the get go, and it was only because of a bunch of jackass zebras that they were cost what was rightfully theirs, a W. What makes it even worse was the SEC's response to the whole deal, merely saying that there was no reason the Personal Foul should have been called. But the fact of the matter is, there were about 45 yards worth of penalties that the Gators were given out of utter stupidity and love for the team that was supposed to win. These guys have been shown to be incompetent on many levels, and there is no reason why they should still have their jobs. But alas, this exact same crew will be in Oxford on Saturday making sure that Houston Nutt has a chance to win (just like they did last year in Fayetteville). Mike Slive, I HIGHLY question what on earth is going on over there in Atlanta.

Painful...but time

Well, I think we've all been avoiding being the first to post after the tough loss this weekend, for obvious reasons. I guess I'll be the one to tackle it. It's too early for me to joke about the loss; sorry if you're looking for me to be jovial.

I think we all feel the same about the game, and I can say, honestly, I wasn't at all surprised about the results. I told you I was drinking the Kool-Aid last weekend and gave you at least 4 good reasons why you guys should have been drinking also. I really don't want to dwell on the game because it hurts, but here's just a few points that stayed with me after the game.

1. Whether it's Vanderbilt or Florida, you can't leave points on the field in the SEC. By my conservative calculations, we left 18 points on the field. I feel unbelievably bad for Alex Tejada, and knowing some of his family, I can't imagine how hard it is for him to wake up in the morning after a game like that. I'm still behind the kid and know he just needs to get his head right and could be a great kicker (this probably isn't the predominant opinion of all the contributors to DSD). Just as much blame for this loss should be left on the shoulders of Ryan Mallett. He missed at least two open guys in the end zone, and could have made Tejada's job much easier. Don't forget the play at the end of the first half where our receivers knocked each other over in what could have been a TD and what could have been a great catch made by Greg Childs in the end zone. Sure, Florida left some points on the field too, but it was probably only 14 points at best. That still gives us the win.

2. The Hogs D is SO much better than they were in the first three games. Granted, the whole defense is better, but having Elton Ford back from injury has totally changed the swagger of the Hat Tappers. Jake Bequette has been playing like a man since the TAMU game much to my surprise. I get to talk to his high school coaches often, and they seriously don't believe how far he's come. Stadther, Sheppard, Franklin, Nelson, and Burton all deserve a few slegehammers on the helmet. The pressure our D-line and blitzing linebackers are getting on QB's is giving our fairly weak secondary a nice cushion.

3. Going into this game, I really did expect a close game. I truly believed we had a chance of winning the game, but it was for all different reasons than those which kept us close. I would have said that Mallett and the receivers would be the stars of the show, not our defense. Shows what I know.

4. It's hard to beat Florida in the Swamp, but it's even harder to beat them when the officiating crew is clearly protecting their #1 rank. The personal foul on Sheppard should be reviewed by the league and the man who called it should lose his job. This is coming from a man who VERY rarely complains about the officiating because I can usually see it going both ways. Not so this weekend. That wasn't the only bad call, but I just can't bring myself to keep dwelling on what should have been.

Let's look forward. This weekend we face, what I consider, our biggest game of the year, and while that loss was heartbreaking, I think we'll come out incredibly confident. I'll leave the Jevan Snead predictions to Crown Pub, and let you know that we'll be ready. Look for this to be a big week on DSD considering the this coaching match-up.

Donna Bragg, The Freedom of Information Act & Ole Miss

I have a good friend that attended the University of Mississippi. We speak on a regular basis about Razorback and Rebel football. Before the 2008 NCAA football season, I honestly could have cared less about Ole Miss football unless Arkansas was about to play them. In my mind, they were in the lower echelon of the SEC. Yes, down with Mississippi State, Vanderbilt and Kentucky. However, something very interesting happened prior to the 2008 season. Houston Dale Nutt decided to take a head coaching job at another SEC school and that school happened to be the University of Mississippi. Hotty toddy ya'll!!!

I will admit that I do feel bad for the fans of the Miss that is Ole. They're good people that fell for THE Car Salesman. He can talk a good game, but when it comes down to having something under the hood, the engine is that of a '72 Ford Pinto and it will almost assuredly explode somewhere down the road. In my metaphor though, the Pinto actually slowly implodes by means of poor (repetitive) play calling, bad recruiting and just being an idiot.

In my various communications with my Ole Miss friend after the initial announcement of HDN, I was surprised to hear that Ole Miss fans were excited to have him! I asked him if he had been paying attention to the last decade of Arkansas football. I asked him if he had been paying attention to the repeated excitement and certainty that our football team was on the edge of being a regular in the top 25 rankings, only to be crushed by the recruiting and coaching of HDN.

Sure, we remember the good times with HDN: Matt Jones, Peyton Hillis, D-Mac, Felix and just not being Danny Ford. Sure, we remember being ranked sometimes (only to be knocked off by running the option two or three times in a row, to the same side, on third and long.) Sure, we remember going to bowls (only to lose to the Minnessote Golden Gophers or the Wisconsin Badgers after we'd talked up the SEC to all of our friends in other conferences.)

After almost a decade of hope, followed shortly thereafter by crushing disappointment, it came time for HDN to leave Arkansas. How, though, did you get rid of someone who shortly after a terrible football related move, seemingly completely redeemed himself, by either beating Texas, any number of ranked SEC teams or even a little Miracle on Markham? (Sidenote: Any and all terrible football related move by HDN that was followed by an amazing win, was undoubtedly immediately followed by another terrible football related move. A discerning Arkansas football fan knows this as HDN gospel.) In order to get an entire state against a coach that will never allow you to grow past a certain point as a football program, apparently all you need is the Freedom of Information Act. Thanks George W. Bush!

I'll leave the steamy details to the dossier, but let's just say my screen name isn't Springdale Holiday Inn because of their wonderful turndown service and excellent food. However, I do hear that their staff is very discreet.

The Freedom of Information Act and homely looking Northwest Arkansas newscaster Donna Bragg combined to allow Arkansans a chance to see the human side of the coaching equation: HDN is a d-bag. The FIA/Donna Bragg attention was the push that HDN needed to get rolling off of the Hill. Even though personal things should probably stay personal, I'm happy that HDN was revealed for the d-bag, liar he was/is so that the Natural State could finally come together in our hatred of the highest paid person under state employment.

My Ole Miss friend and I have continued to talk about Ole Miss and Arkansas football, but I must admit I have let up significantly on the trash talking, mainly because HDN does the work for me as Ole Miss nation is learning the ways of the Nutt on their own. I'll hold the details of Ole Miss' journey until my end of season HDN post entitled either "Ole Miss, Meet Houston Nutt" or "Ole Miss, Welcome to your Mediocre Era."

In summation, the only time HDN will rise to the occasion is when he is alone with a newscaster in a classy hotel. Hey, at least it was better than the Holiday Inn Express!

Hotty toddy Donna Bragg, hotty toddy indeed,

Springdale Holiday Inn

48 Hours and Counting

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Currently, we are a little less than 48 hours from game time in the Ozarks, where the Auburn Tigers will try to improve their perfect season to an impressive 6-0 against the Arkansas Razorbacks who sit at 2-2. This may seem like a no brainer win for the Tigers, but their previous five wins have come against a weak notch Big East squad, two no names, and two of the worst teams in the SEC (sorry Tennessee, you still suck, even with $5m + coaching staff). This matchup leads us to an interesting crossroads for two teams and their very young 2009 seasons.

Scenario 1: If Auburn wins, they are already bowl eligible, and head into the Kentucky game looking to secure their 7th win. They then get the heart of the SEC (LSU, Ole Miss - sort of, Georgia, and Alabama). Their season could end 8-4 or 11-1.

Scenario 2: The Razorbacks give Auburn their first true test of the season, and the explosive Tigers running game gets shut down by a much improved Arkansas defense. The Hogs win will give them a ton of confidence going into the Swamp, where a post LSU letdown will leave the Florida Tebows vulnerable to an upset (see Ole Miss 2008). The Hogs would likely end their season 7-5 or 8-4, and a New Years day bowl would be a possibility.

So now that we've documented what's on the line, it's time to go over what we should expect from the game on Saturday.

• Gus Malzahn will still be loved by the Razorback faithful. He will enter Fayetteville looking to avenge his loss last year while coaching Tulsa, and will manage to make all Hog fans happy by either losing, or by getting our hopes up that his prolific offense will some day lead our team into SEC battle. Gus is a great coach and a class act, and everyone will recognize this fact by the end of the game
• Traffic will be bitched about by everyone that has the unfortunate task of driving into Fayetteville for the 11am game. Exits will be backed up for miles, and the Fayetteville and Springdale Police departments will do nothing to alleviate the problem that will leave the stadium half empty until the beginning of the second quarter
• Ryan Mallett will get his chance to shine at home against another unproven defense. If he is given enough time, he'll get his fair share of opportunities to exploit the Auburn D, and barring our receivers having a bad hands day, should have very efficient (note: not prolific) passing numbers
• The Running Backs will finally get the game they've been looking for. Texas A&M was not a good team, and by the end of the game the offense had worn them down. This allowed for a solid 62 yard TD at the end of the game which might have been what the offense has been looking for all season. In order to truly prove themselves, they're going to have to be able to get that 2 yard touchdown run they've been missing
• The Defense will likely get torn to pieces. While I do believe the Jerry Franklin TD runback against A&M was the turning point in the defensive season, they're still not there yet. Look for the running defense to be truly tested, and if they don't respond, look for the secondary to be tested just as much. It might be a very long day for these guys However, if they carry over some of what they had while playing in the Death Star, they might be the heroes of the game
• If you're watching on TV, expect to see the gayest commercial in the SEC on at least 200 times. If you're not sure what I'm talking about, it's the one where someone is fishing on a boat in Alaska, and a plane lands on the water with the Auburn Tiger tail flying off of the back of it. The jackass flying right into the middle of the guys fishing spot leans out of the plane and yells "WAR EAGLE," and the fisherman responds in kind. This commercial is so stupid it hurts my head to think that a marketing degree at Auburn might actually be worth the paper it's written on
• Arkansas fans will cheer whenever they hear the score of the Alabama v. Ole Miss game. While Houston Nutt may have avoided a loss at Vanderbilt (congrats on that one!), there is no way he defends his home turf against arguably the best team in the nation. Hootie is on the record as saying that if the Rebels make it to the 4th quarter they'll be good. Guess what guys, Jevan Snead is going to show off that Heisman arm and throw 2 picks... in the first quarter. Not only will they not make it to the fourth quarter, they likely won't make it to halftime before it's a blowout. Have fun Ole Miss, you're really going to enjoy that new coach of yours
• People will have a tough time rooting for anyone in the night game. Nobody likes Florida, and everyone hates LSU. It's a lesser of two evil situations, and either way, rednecks in some white trash city will be celebrating after the game is over. The only question is if they'll smell like corndogs or not

I'm sure there is plenty more that will transpire during what will be a perfect weekend in God's Country. Other highlights might include Orange Peel jell-o shots at a tailgate in the pit (http://bit.ly/1NQIXn), people celebrating on Dickson with a post game pub crawl, a pint at the pub and some pub bowling, and undoubtedly a few drinks at Razorbelle's favorite bar with a Big Ass Fan.

Enjoy the weekend Hog fans. And remember, nothing is better than a game day on The Hill.

GO HOGS!