Woo Pig Sooie! - A Warm SEC Welcome

The date: October 1st; the setting: the materialization of a billion dollars.  As the shouts of Aggie fans reverberate off the walls of the Dallas Cowboys Dome and eerily fill the vastness of space contained within the great building, the hearts of many Razorback fans sink.  It's the Southwest Classic, and Texas A&M has just scored one of its 5 first-half touchdowns.  Arkansas hangs around, but is playing dismal defense and faces an 18 point deficit at the half.  Their last points were a field goal that followed two dropped balls in the end zone with 3:10 left in the half.  The Aggies marched down field and scored another TD to extend the lead.  The Razorback half of the Dallas Cowboys Stadium is quiet, and many think it's over.  

 (The field just before opening kick-off)

But not all have given up hope.  It may be hard to believe, and maybe traveling to Arlington out of Fayetteville, or my brand new Razorbacks t-shirt had something to do with it, but I wasn't worried for a minute.  It wasn't just the excitement in the air that made me so confident - it was something much more concrete: a 17 point halftime lead blown by the Aggies at home just a week ago.  The Oklahoma State Cowboys overcame the deficit in College Station with their high-flying passing attack, and the all-star squad of Arkansas receivers was in position to do the same.  In order to win the game, it was pretty simple what the Razorbacks had to do: play perfectly in the second half.  And that's exactly what they did.

 (A&M fans eager for their defense to hold Arkansas to 3 and out on the first possession of the game)

Before I get into details, first let me pay my due respects to the wonder that is the Cowboys Stadium.  Upon entry I felt like a farm boy entering the city for the first time.  I took four escalators to my seat.  The temperature was high outside, but perfect in the dome.  The screen, oh, the screen!  The gigantic screen that hangs down in the middle of the dome was crystal clear high definition on every inch of its glorious 60 yards.  But even from the top where we were sitting I could see everything going on the field and spot Wilson's open receivers just as he did.  

And spot open receivers he did indeed.  Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson played one of the most fundamentally sound and impressive games I have ever seen from a quarterback.  He finished the day smashing Ryan Mallet's single game passing yard record at 510.  Admittedly Arkansas could not move the ball on the ground to save their lives until their very last drive of the game, but 510 yards is still impressive even if the run is abandoned entirely.  Wilson looked poised as he hit receiver after receiver.  He shook off the negative momentum of a few dropped balls and kept firing away.  But the most impressive aspect of his game was his football intelligence.  He had zero turnovers and only one close call.  When under pressure he threw the ball away, never forcing a single pass.  He got out of bounds or slid down when a sack was inevitable.  Wilson led his team valiantly, easily fulfilling his role required for a victory.  

 (Wilson ready for the snap)

It would take more than excellent quarterback play for the Razorbacks to earn a win, however.  The number one area of improvement that I'm sure Bobby Petrino was talking about at the half was defense.  Arkansas' defense looked terrible in the first half.  A&M running backs Gray and Michael made them look silly, turning what should have been 1 to 2 yard runs into first downs time and again.  Though Arkansas doesn't fit the usual SEC mold of tough defense and, well, slightly weaker offense, they were letting their conference mates down.  But the Razorback D improved in every way, tackling better and moving faster to the ball, holding A&M to only a field goal in the second half.  

 (Arkansas band at halftime)

But before A&M's last score of the game came in the 4th quarter, Wilson led his team to tie the game at 35.  The defense came up big time and again to get the ball in his hands, and he slowly chipped away at the 18 point lead.  The scoring started off with a field goal to make it 20 35, then one of Wilson's 3 TD passes to make it 27 35.  When the defense got another stop and Wilson took the field, the momentum had more than completely shifted to the Razorbacks. None in the stadium had any doubts that Arkansas would score again.  And score they did, but in quite an unconventional way.  Receiver Cobi Hamilton fumbled as he was hit from behind on the A&M 5 yard line, and fellow receiver Wright jumped on the ball just as it rolled into the end zone.  All of a sudden it was 33 35.  The offense took the field to attempt the 2 point conversion.

The play that followed was one of the most brilliant coaching calls I have ever seen.  It was obvious that Arkansas would pass, that's their bread and butter to begin with, and they were still sitting around 13 rushing yards for the day.  The ball was snapped… and pure pocket passer Tyler Wilson charged ahead into the end zone.  One half of the stadium roared with pleasure while the other fell silent.  I certainly wasn't expecting this call, and neither was the Aggie defense.  All game long Wilson would throw the ball away at any sign of pressure.  When he had opportunities to run, he looked like a kid who didn't want to go to the dentist and didn’t dare even tiptoe over the line of scrimmage.  He would slide to avoid even the slightest tackles.  But all of sudden he put his pads down and charged forward as soon as the ball hit his hands.  The game was tied. 

The Arkansas D came up big one last time by holding the Aggies to their only points of the half to reclaim the lead 38 35 with 4:22 to play.  And at no better time than when the Razorbacks needed to run down the clock and put up one last score, the running game got going.  They capped off their first lead of the game with a 3 yard score by running back Green.  The defense held A&M on 4th and 2 at midfield, and Wilson took the field in victory formation.  

 (Victory formation)

Arkansas had completed a nearly perfect second half to erase an 18 point deficit.  They won despite the lopsided halftime score and giving up 112 penalty yards, including 5 personal fouls.  The lack of discipline is disturbing, but the Razorbacks took care of the ball with 0 turnovers to A&M's 2.  (One forced fumble, and a Tannehill interception that led to Arkansas' first score after A&M's 14 0 lead.  The interception led to a 68 yard TD pass on 3rd and long, and both plays were some of the most exciting).     

As I left that fantastic place, adrenaline still running through my veins, voice hoarse from shouting, the only echoes heard were the calls of "Woo Pig Sooie!"  Texas A&M, welcome to the SEC.


(All photos taken by Z. Lynn)

Over and Under - A Look at Preseason Rankings for Two Big 12 Teams

The AP poll has been out for a while now, and while the top looks like most of us would expect, there were a few surprises I'd like to highlight.  Let's take a look at two teams, one underrated and one overrated.

The underrated team sits at number 21 in the AP poll, our very own Missouri Tigers.  First, I'd like to say that I am glad to see Missouri ranked in the preseason, as they haven't been the past two years.  But 21 is a little low.

The big question-mark is obviously at the quarterback position.  James Franklin "won" the job by default with the transfer of Tyler Gabbert to Louisville, but prior to this there was no clear-cut starter.  However, the past 3 Missouri quarterbacks are now in the NFL, and were very successful in college.  Brad Smith, now at Buffalo, does a little bit of everything in the NFL; Chase Daniel sits on the New Orleans sideline with a Super Bowl ring on his finger; and Blaine Gabbert is poised to start at Jacksonville.  Not only were all three of these NFL draftees successful in college, but they were very different types of quarterbacks.  What does all this mean for Franklin?  Well, he may not have been the clear-cut choice like his predecessors were, but Missouri knows how to produce good quarterbacks.  For now Franklin may be just a kid with a decent arm that can scramble well, but hey - if that's how his college career starts out he's in good company.

The rest of Missouri's offense is almost completely in tact.  MU returns 9 starters on offense, including star tight end Michael Egnew, who is atop many preseason all-American lists.   All 3 wide receivers from last year return, giving Franklin experience targets to throw to.  Missouri's running backs are all returning and will be more experienced, and a new blocking scheme at O-Line should give them some holes to burst through while Franklin gets adjusted to the offense.   

Missouri's defense was a big reason they were so competitive last year, knocking off teams like Oklahoma and Texas A&M (albeit before they got good), and despite the loss of Aldon Smith to the NFL, they look to be strong again.  While they only return 6 starters, defensive ends Jaquies Smith and Brad Madison look to improve from last year and lead a strong unit.  Linebacker Zavier Gooden is poised for a great year.  The only area of concern may be Missouri's secondary since they lose a lot of guys, but as a whole the outlook is still good.    

While Missouri may not end up any better than 21 in the polls due to their tough schedule in a smaller-but-still-strong Big 12, they deserve a better preseason ranking.  Since these rankings are a poll, it is important to consider the fact that teams are usually ranked based off of their success the previous years.  In 2010 Missouri went 10-2, beating Oklahoma and Texas A&M.  A slightly improved A&M team deserves a number 8 preseason ranking?  Top 15 at least would be respectable for this Missouri squad. 

That brings me to a very overrated team.  Texas A&M.

Don't get me wrong, I believe in this team.  I think that they will be very good.  I like what they did last year at 9-3, going 6-0 to close out the season, and all evidence suggests that they are going to continue that trend this year.  Despite the loss of star linebacker Von Miller to the Denver Broncos, the defense will be good - if nothing else for the fact that they are now more experienced running the 3-4 scheme.  And the defensive coordinator that changed to that scheme in the first is returning to A&M after all, despite talk of departure.  They have an experienced secondary and D line, and the only question-mark is replacing Miller.  On offense, quarterback Tannehill is experienced and should do fine, as they are returning almost everyone else.  So what's the problem then?

The problem is that this is basically the same Texas A&M team that went 9-3 last year and lost thoroughly to LSU in the Cotton Bowl.  They had big wins over Oklahoma and a struggling Nebraska team, both at home, but none of that warrants a number 8 preseason ranking.  9-3 may look better in College Station than it does in Norman, but it's still 9-3 (9-4 counting the bowl). 

As I said, in polls people tend to rank teams based on their previous year's success, but A&M's body of work should put them somewhere in the high teens or twenty's.  I know they will be more experienced and improved, but the hype seems a little ridiculous.  Who believes this team will be ranked top-ten at the end of the year? 

Texas A&M faces a brutal schedule, with Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Missouri, and Texas at home.  Yes, these are home games, but a very similar Missouri team beat them at home last year, and this is the same A&M team.  If Franklin pulls through, the Tigers could beat A&M at home for a second year in a row.  Arkansas will be tough as always (and is reasonably ranked, given that they have a new quarterback, at 15 - right around where both Missouri and Texas A&M should be).  Oklahoma State seems to lose steam down the stretch (did they make it to the Big 12 title game last year?) but will be tough regardless.  Texas won't stay down for long and looks to make a comeback this year, and while I do think A&M will win that game again, there are no givens in big-time rivalry games - or when playing a program like Texas.  A&M also faces Oklahoma in Norman, where A&M has dropped its last 6 visits (as has just about every other team, for that matter).    

To be fair, the worst-case scenario for this team would be about a 7-5 year.  Again, this rank is based on preseason, and I did say that Missouri will be around 21 at the end of the year and should be higher now, but 8 is a little extreme for a team that was 9-3 and could easily end up 7-5.  A&M won't be ranked anywhere near 8 at the end of the year, and they shouldn't be there now.  They can compete, and it is fortunate that they have most of their big games at home.  Despite facing OU on the road they still have a chance to be competitive.  A 9-3 year or better is very possible, but it's a long way away.   Texas A&M will be tough, but just how tough is yet to be seen.  They are not number 8 preseason tough.