And why? I know Arky has played the alleged beasts tough, but what else am I missing, tough to see through my orange glasses.
If I was our def cord I'd sell out on the run. Arky can't pass worth a flip. Same with with our Off, they are in a conference that just runs the ball mostly and pass when they have to. Make them cover the whole field. They aren't use to that.
If I was betting I would anticipate arky playing Swoopes like TCU did - granted they are not as good as the frogs on D. Load the box and dare him to beat them with his arm. Now will he throw 4 picks and fumble once like he did vs. the toads? That is hard to predict. I do not have a good feeling about this one ya'll... I hope I am wrong.
It's going to be very difficult to run on the Piggies. That's what the teams do in the SEC. No team in the SEC (only Missouri) can pass so they are use to playing against QBs that can't pass. Swoopes can pass, but only against teams that don't defend the pass well. Not so much though against teams that are good at defending the pass like TCU then he's horrible. I don't think Arky falls in the category of being a good defense against the pass. So I think Swoopes will do well against the Pigs. This is more of a statement that the Pigs are bad against passing teams than Swoopes being a good passing QB.
I'm afraid of the 6 because of Swoops. If Swoops hasn't improved by at least one leap and bound, we could be in trouble. If he plays well and the offense does its job, then he will earn the "e" back into his name.
The hogs will load the box and blitz, blitz, blitz. With most blitz's being run blitz's. With eight in the box, its tough to run. Can Swoopes finally read it, check off and communicate with a receiver to burn them? That will mean the difference between a W and an L.
Arky is tied with TCU in scoring defense at 20.3 ppg. Good for 15th (tie) in the nation and tied with the best we've faced all year that ate our lunch. They give up 7 more rushing yards a game (124) than TCU. That's why giving Texas the points still looks inviting on the Arky side. Vegas expects the Horns run game to be stuffed and Swoopes to make similar mistakes pressing the issue like against TCU. I expect the same to a lesser degree with the turnovers. We may hang tough on defense and keep it tight, but coming out on top will take a monumental effort and be a surprise.
It's really miss leading stats when comparing two teams from two totally different styles of football. SEC doesn't face teams that can actually pass the ball well. That league plays mostly between the tackles and veers outside their comfort zone when they have too. Big 12 teams can't stack the box to stop the run because pretty much every team in the league can pass the ball from good to great. I think the SEC is so overrated and it sucks because Bama is playing a team that is from the worst conference that has no business in the final four. I believe they will be exposed to Oregon when they play in the Championship game. I think TCU would have exposed them too. I think Baylor would beat them too but not like Oregon and TCU would. Baylor would have on Offense but their defense is kinda shaky against the run so that would be a closer game. Just my opinion on what I see.
The SEC might be slightly overrated, but compared to what? Not like some other conference is better. And Alabama is a very good team under any measure (at least in comparison to this year's teams); they could possibly lose a game to one of the top four teams in the country, but they aren't going to be "exposed" for anything. Top talent. Top coaching. What can be exposed?
We've played three teams that are at approximately the same level as Arkanasas - a 21 point win at Oklahoma State, a 17 point win at home against WVU, and a 5 point loss to Oklahoma. Our other losses - UCLA, BYU-with-Hill, Baylor, TCU, and K-State - are all to clearly superior teams to the Hogs. Doesn't mean we'll win, but 6 points in their favor seems generous.
