Today’s Sunday Sermon will likely feel all doom and gloom. I am spitting hellfire and brimstone. I’m seething as Arkansas football is now 0-16 against Nick Saban as the head coach at Alabama after yesterday’s 49-26 loss in Fayetteville.
Saban is 70 years old, and Arkansas football fans have to start wondering how many more opportunities the team will have to end this streak against him. 3? 5? Surely not 10?
Arkansas football squandered a chance to finally get a win over Nick Saban at Alabama. At this point, that win will never come.
Arkansas football let a golden opportunity slip away yesterday. The Hogs were down 28-23 and had the Crimson Tide in a 3rd and 15 situation with a redshirt freshman backup quarterback at the helm. The Razorbacks had all the momentum.
And 77 yards later, it was clear Saban would win again. I’m not even going to count all the other long runs. Jalen Milroe’s scamper broke the Razorback will.
I want to clarify that I’m not angry at Sam Pittman. Pittman is just the most recent in a long list of Arkansas football head coaches that could stop Saban’s Alabama Colossus.
Houston Nutt didn’t do it. Neither did Bobby Petrino. John L. Smith, Bret Bielema, or Chad Morris didn’t make it happen either.
Nor have I forgotten how bad it has been at times. I haven’t forgotten the back-to-back 52-0 games. But, I also remember those games where we made things interesting, like 2010 (24-20) or 2014 (14-13).
Still, I feel like yesterday was our best chance because of how much I believe in Pittman. But, unfortunately, I also firmly believe Pittman won’t get it done, either.
I am convinced that Saban will retire having never lost to Arkansas while coaching at Alabama.
Saban’s Alabama squads always find ways to demoralize Arkansas football fans. Backup QB? No problem. We’ll suddenly rediscover our running game.
The Razorbacks have had a stout run defense all year. Coming into yesterday’s game, Jahymr Gibbs had 25 carries for 172 yards and zero touchdowns. Yesterday, Gibbs rushed for 206 yards and two touchdowns.
What makes this all the more frustrating is that Saban blocks the path to all kinds of glory for Arkansas football. Division, conference, and national championships must go through the Crimson Tide.
But there stands Saban, the Tuscaloosa Bridge Troll, and for 16 straight years, Arkansas football has been unable to crack his riddles. Our only hope is that he retires when Pittman has the Hogs at their peak, but the hope that the timing works out for us is fading fast.