Well, Razorback fans, we’re only 3 weeks into the season and already the sky is falling. I must admit, I did not foresee such a calamity in the preseason. I’m not very good at expressing emotions other than rage, hunger, and pain (because I’m a man), so instead I will let the internet’s ever malleable collection of GIFs do it for me. Make sure your arms and legs are inside the car before we take off. Get ready for the saddest roller coaster ever.
Beginning of 2015: Everything is dandy. The Hogs finish with a 7-6 season, which isn’t exactly the sort of thing we’re supposed to be happy about. However, the team made great improvements from the 2013 season, and ended the year with an awesome win over the Texas Longhorns. Bielema gets a contract extension. For the first time in forever, our players are being spotted in class instead of on the Washington County Mugshots page. Basically, a season that started slow ended strong with some nice saves against LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas. Hog fans are pretty happy, and Bielema signs a fat extension.
Offseason: We’re hearing good things about spring ball. Lots of freshmen showing up early. We have the best running back tandem in the country. Biggest offensive line in football. The Hogs sign a dandy recruiting class, and will finally be able to redshirt some non-skill players. Everything is coming up Razorbacks.
Preseason: Things are looking pretty great. In fact, you could say that everything in Fayetteville is borderline erotic. The Hogs are selected as the #18 in the AP preseason poll, and some individual players are starting to get awards buzz. Man…do you remember that? Like….a little over a month ago? When things were great and the world was made of sunshine and candy?
Dark Clouds on the Horizon: JOHNATHAN WILLIAMS BREAKS HIS FOOT. The Hogs leading rusher break his foot in practice. It’s ok though…right? We still have Alex Collins, who had 1000 yards rushing in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. Everything will be fine, we have the largest offensive line in all of football. We’re gonna line up and smash mouths! Yep. Eeeeeeverything will be just fine. Right? RIGHT?
UTEP game: Nothing looked like it was supposed to look. The offensive line didn’t get much of a push off the ball. The defense gave up big plays over the middle. I mean, yes, we had to replace 4 NFL players on our defense, but surely things aren’t that bad. Nope. They’ll get better with game experience. Just like last year. The defense improved with every week. What’s weird is that Brandon Allen threw for 412 yards and 4 touchdowns in the game. I guess that was a case of “taking what the defense gives you” and not that our running game is suffering without Williams. So…we win with relative ease. But the running game and defense looked suspect. But the passing game looked dynamic.
Toledo game: Mother. Of. God. How could this happen? It must be War Memorial Stadium. It’s been cursed since
More from Razorbackers
- Nike’s latest Arkansas Razorbacks shoes are a must-have
- Believe it or not, Arkansas football has never played these FBS teams
- Arkansas vs UConn Prediction and $1,000 BetMGM Promo
- Arkansas vs. UConn, NCAA Tournament Sweet 16: How to watch, odds, predictions
- When was the last time Arkansas won the NCAA Tournament? (Odds to win March Madness)
John L. Smith lost there in 2012. The fans sucked. (They did) We outgained Toledo in every single category. Penalties cost us 2 scores. 12 overall penalties in the game. The running game was stagnant. The passing game was decent but will not ever win us a game. Oh, and did I mention that the Hogs suffered another season ending injury to star receiver Keon Hatcher, as well as running back Kody Walker. So now the Hogs are without running back #1, running back #3, and receiver #1 going into Texas Tech.
Before Texas Tech: Hey, did you know that Cody Hollister broke his foot? Now you’re also without another starting receiver. That’s also 3 starters on offense with broken feet. So go ahead and throw away your third attempt at an offensive scheme, Coach Enos, since you keep losing key starters on a weekly basis.
Texas Tech Game: The first half the Hogs came out and looked ok. Defense made a couple of plays, and the offense looked more like we expected it to in the preseason. Alex Collin, bless his heart, was running hard up the middle. Brandon Allen looked crisp. Hog fans were maybe starting to feel like we had a shot at this game, and that Toledo was, indeed, a fluke. Razorback fans are starting to get back into it. Starting to feel like maybe, just maybe…everything will be ok.
Jared Cornelius injury: “HOLY CRAP HE BROKE HIS ARM. HE BROKE…HIS…ARM…” That’s what my living room sounded like after our #2 receiver went down with an absolutely gruesome injury. So now, to recap, 2 running backs and 3 receivers out for the Hogs. Seriously, that injury was terrible.
Texas Tech second half: The Razorbacks couldn’t have played any worse. The Razorbacks only managed to score 3 points in the entire half, while Texas Tech zipped all over the field, scoring several more touchdowns.
Basically, here’s Arkansas’ defense in the second half.
Just bad all around. So now the Hogs have to go into conference play with 1-2 record, and a pretty slim chance at making a bowl game. All of the smack talk and borderline eroticism has not played out in the season so far. Granted, there have been some bad injuries. But that’s no excuse for some of the playcalling and execution we’ve seen on the field. We got A&M in 5 days, y’all.
Next: Big Changes in Hogs Depth Chart for A&M
If you’re looking for a place for gifs like this, I’d recommend www.reddit.com/r/reactiongifs