Misery on Markham 2: The MACtioning

Markham Street used to be where miracles happened..now it’s only misery.

From the opening drive on Saturday, September 12th, the Arkansas Razorbacks looked off sync. There was no, as Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien would say, juice from the Hogs. There was plenty of juice on the other side of the ball from Toledo. Or maybe it wasn’t juice. Maybe it was rocket fuel. Either way, the Rockets were able to outlast a Razorbacks squad that performed better on offense, defense, and special teams in every category except 3: Penalties, interceptions, and points. You know..ol PIP.

Dec 29, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks fan during the game against the Texas Longhorns in the 2014 Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The original “Misery on Markham” occurred in the same stadium, almost exactly 3 years ago. After firing one coach and before hiring our  current coach, the Razorbacks were left in limbo with two coordinators that spent the entire season faxing resumes instead of coaching. Looking back, the loss to University of Louisiana-Monroe was shocking in the moment, but not so much when the season ended. The loss to ULM sent the Hogs spiraling out of control on their way to a 4-8 season. And when you look at that schedule, oh man, what Bret Bielema would give for the circumstances that John L. Smith had. An 0-8 in conference Auburn team about to fire their coach, an 0-8 in conference Kentucky team about to fire their coach, and a talented by tiny Tulsa team. As it stand, Smith has a better road record in the SEC than Bielema thanks to that horrible Auburn team.

The Hogs just aren’t as lucky this time around. The Razorbacks have a schedule that is grueling, with each week containing a more difficult challenge than the last. (Until UT Martin) The Razorbacks will play host to the Texas Tech Red Raiders this Saturday. The Red Raiders are 2-0 after outlasting a talented Sam Houston State team and beating up on UTEP the same way the Hogs did. The Hogs will come into that game with something to prove. Not just to the college football landscape, and not just to the fans, but to themselves. It’s incredibly difficult to shake off a loss like the one to Toledo. The fall from rankings, the non-stop coverage from ESPN about the upset, and the ridicule from outside (and inside) the fanbase on social media can really get inside a players head.

But I’m not here to talk about that. I want to ramble and vent a little bit. I want to talk about the game that was just played. Other people, including other writers on this site, may have overlooked Toledo, but I didn’t. I very specifically said that the Rockets had a couple of really talented defensive lineman. I said that if the Hogs just executed and played smart, they should be able to shred the Rocket’s defense. And they did! Allen threw for a career high 412 yards against Toledo. With zero touchdowns. I said we needed to establish the running game. We certainly didn’t do that. 31 carries as a team for 101 yards. 23 of those from Brandon Allen. It’s almost like I said that the Toledo defensive line was legitimately talented.

The Hogs cost themselves this game by not playing smart. A punt return for a touchdown was called back by a penalty. A run to the half yard line by Alex Collins was called back by a penalty. The Razorbacks had 8 holding calls in this game. EIGHT. Among other penalties as well. The Allen interception happened because Keon Hatcher fell down making his cut in the endzone. Should we talk about the receiver’s and all their dropped passes? It was last season all over again. There needs to be some changes made in the linebacking corp. Brooks Ellis has not been effective as a weakside linebacker. He needs to go back to middle linebacker. Maybe Dre Greenlaw or someone else can play OLB, but something has to be done. We missed a field goal again. Shocking. And finally, our secondary didn’t give up a deep touchdown, which was nice. However, in order to prevent that, we were giving Toledo’s receivers 12 yard cushions on 3rd and shorts. How surprised we must have been when a 3 yard out was open in the flats for the 100th time in the 3rd quarter. Not only were the Hogs outplayed, but they were outcoached as well. 100%.

Sep 12, 2015; Little Rock, AR, USA; Toledo Rockets safety Rolan Milligan breaks up a pass intended for Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Keon Hatcher (4) during the second half at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

Look, I’m not saying I’m smarter than our coaches. I STILL believe in Bret Bielema as his system. I certainly believe in his recruiting. I’m not jumping onto the train of people who are calling for his job. That’s dumb. And I don’t want to be dumb. But I do want to be realistic.

As it stands right now, confidence must be pretty low for this team. However, I wouldn’t say that it’s at an all time low. The senior leaders on this squad have been through this kind of loss before. I’m hoping that they’ll be able to guide the younger players through this situation. But the fact remains, the Hogs lost to Toledo. And a game like Toledo is supposed to be a confidence building win for a team like Arkansas. It’s also supposed to help cement a bowl appearance at the end of the year. Now, as it stands, the Hogs need 5 more victories for a bowl, and 7 more victories to improve from last year. The turnaround needs to be quick for the Razorbacks if they want to right the ship.

Let’s get super negative for a moment. Let’s say that, just like in 2012, the Razorbacks are unable to get back on track. There are no easy wins on the schedule for this team. Hell, the two eastern opponents we face are predicted to contend for the conference title. If the Hogs fall to Texas Tech AT HOME, then maybe it’s time to truly start panicking. A loss to the Red Raiders would not bode well for the remainder of the season. After Texas Tech, the Hogs start a road stretch of 3 games against A&M, Tennessee, and Alabama before getting a bye week. You don’t have to be Nostradamus to see where I’m going with this. If the Hogs fall at home to TT, then I will have a hard time thinking they will win a road SEC game. Which means that, instead of heading into Knoxville for a potential ESPN Game Day matchup, the Hogs could be resting on their bye week with a 1-5 record. That would be the opposite of “never yielding”.

However…

I know a lot of you are (justifiably) in full panic mode right now, but consider the situation. In 2012, the Hogs followed up the ULM loss with a home game against #1 seed Alabama. This time (Oh God, there’s a “this time”) the Hogs get to host Texas Tech. The Red Raiders are good, but they ain’t “2012 Alabama” good. So, there’s a silver lining. Also, as Coach Bielema said in the post game press conference, this wasn’t a conference game. Which, for some fans, sends a shiver down their spine. But for optimists, it means that the Hogs can recover from this win and still be positioned well within the conference. Missouri lost to Indiana last year and won the SEC East. I will say this, I fully believe that Toledo is a better team than Indiana. The Tigers were able to turn it around. The Hogs can, too.

Honestly, I expected to wake up this morning feeling like I did in 2012: Hopeless. But I don’t, which is weird. I’m usually the first guy to go full Bill Paxton. GAME OVER, MAN. GAME OVER. And yet, I don’t feel that way about this season. There’s a real learning opportunity here for the Hogs. I feel, and I know others have echoed my sentiment, that the Razorbacks bought into their own hype too much. I know I’m guilty of that. The facts are, the Razorbacks overlooked Toledo (even though I, and others, told them not to. WHY DON’T YOU LISTEN!?) and have to start prepping for a Texas Tech team that is going to throw the ball all over the field. And while that will be a challenge for our defense, we match up well with the Red Raiders. It’s a winnable game for the Hogs. And it’s become a must win game.

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So maybe, just maybe, the loss to Toledo will wake up the Hogs. After a whole offseason of smoke being blown up butts, reality has set in. It doesn’t matter how big you are if you don’t execute, and no one is going to back down from the “biggest offensive line in football”. Last season, the Hogs imposed their will on people, and clearly, they forgot how to do that.

It’s time to remember how to play football. Because no matter how much fun Bret Bielema has been as the head coach of the Hogs, a bowl-less season and another campaign without a conference road win will result in a super hot seat for the mouthy midewesterner. And I don’t want that. I like his style and attitude. But that’s the reality. Reality checks suck, but it’s all about how you respond. Do we curl up in a ball on the floor? Or do we strap in, get back to the physical play that got us ranked, and take care of business?

That’s up to the Razorbacks.

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