Razorbacks offensive studs dazzle in heartbreaking loss to No. 17 Ole Miss

After such a painful loss to the No. 17 Ole Miss Rebels (3-0, 2-0 SEC), the Arkansas Razorbacks (2-1, 0-1), as the Hogs were on their way to scoring a touchdown before wide receiver Jalen Brown fumbled the ball trying to battle for additional yards, allowing Lane Kiffin's team to avoid an upset, are obviously disappointed in the outcome.

However, the Razorbacks have many reasons to be excited about their performance on the road in Oxford, Mississippi, against the Rebels. Before continuing with explaining why they should be excited about their performance against Ole Miss, it's vital to understand that this isn't an effort to articulate a moral victory for Hogs because the present writer is under no illusion that such a victory doesn't appear on the scoreboard, on a team's record, or in any statistics. What ultimately matters is winning.

Having said that, though, it's crucial to engage in a deep and honest analysis of a team's performance, regardless of whether the team wins or loses, especially when a team has nine games remaining in the regular season to play. Hopefully, after providing this context, one can recognize why highlighting the positive dimensions of Arkansas' performance is important.

Against Ole Miss, the Razorbacks demonstrated that they have an offense that can compete with any team in the nation. Bobby Petrino's offense is truly elite. Given how explosive Arkansas' offense is, the team has a chance to win every remaining game on its schedule, though, of course, it will not. One of the primary reasons the Hogs will not win the remaining games on their schedule is their defense. It's horrible. While Arkansas has arguably the best offense in the country, it has arguably the worst defense in the nation.

If the Arkansas Razorbacks can find a way to have their defense play at least 12 minutes of quality football, their offense is good enough to win the remaining games on its brutal schedule. However, the Hogs have almost no bright spots on the defense. This piece shines a light on several of the Razorbacks' studs who had excellent performances against Ole Miss and reveals a few duds.

Studs and Duds: Arkansas Razorbacks football vs. Ole Miss

Studs

Bobby Petrino

When an offensive coordinator calls a game as beautiful as Bobby Petrino did against the Ole Miss Rebels on the road at night in the SEC, he deserves to win the game. To be frank, his offense did more than enough to upset the Kiffin's team. Unfortunately for Petrino, his colleague on defense, Travis Williams, Arkansas' defensive coordinator, did him no favors by not putting a competitive defense on the field. Williams' defense isn't capable of being successful against any team in the SEC or its remaining non-conference opponents. His offense won the time of possession by a little over six minutes against the Rebels, which helped to take some pressure off Williams' defense.

Petrino's offense amassed 526 total yards against the Rebels, reflecting a well-balanced attack with 305 of those 526 yards coming through the air and 221 on the ground. All defensive coordinators he faces this season will struggle against his offensive schemes, and they certainly don't look forward to the challenges those schemes pose.

Taylen Green

Although Taylen Green didn't have a perfect game by an stretch of the imagination, he had an excellent game. Of the Hogs' 526 total yards, Green accounted for 420 of them.

To this point in the season, many have argued that Green hadn't played a quality opponent, so all he had accomplished against Alabama A&M and Arkansas State wasn't worthy of praise from their perspectives. Green and his offense didn't miss a beat from their previous two performances in this game. He did everything he could to secure a win for his team. Again, unfortunately for Razorback Nation, Arkansas' defense was terrible.

The Arkansas starting quarterback proved again that he's the best quarterback in college football and one of the first five quarterbacks who will be selected in the 2026 NFL Draft. Green must make better decisions each game, including throwing the ball to his receivers immediately when they're open, especially when he has adequate time, put more touch on his passes, and elevate his passes at appropriate times to prevent them from being deflected by defensive linemen.

Arkansas Razorbacks' offensive line

One of the most impressive and most encouraging dimensions of the game for the Hogs is how dominant the offensive line played. In the last two seasons, Arkansas' offensive line has been one of the reasons it hasn't achieved the success it was capable of obtaining. However, against Ole Miss, the offensive line triggered nostalgia for Sam Pittman's classic offensive lines, which were huge, athletic, physical, and dominant. Petrino's beautiful offensive schemes worked so well because of the outstanding offensive line play.

The offensive line didn't allow a sack, kept Green clean, and only surrendered two tackles for loss, which is a phenomenal accomplishment against the No. 17 Ole Miss Rebels in Oxford. One has to understand that this was the Hogs' first real test, a tough one at that, on the road at night in the SEC.

Mike Washington Jr.

Mike Washington Jr. demonstrated how much of a weapon he can be in the running game and in the passing game. Washington Jr. had 13 carries for 65 yards and two touchdowns, and two receptions for 53 yards. He's explosive with the ball in his hands. Look for him to be depended on more and more in the offense as the season progresses.

Duds

Travis Williams

For the second consecutive season, Kiffin's offense torched the Razorbacks' defense. Most of the blame for such a poor defense has to be attributed to defensive coordinator Travis Williams. While Williams is a man of great faith, discipline, and character, his defensive players need to reflect more of his personal discipline. Against Ole Miss, Williams' defense for the second consecutive season didn't look worthy to be on the same field to defend the Rebels' potent offense.

Arkansas' defense is too slow, lacks SEC athleticism, can't cover anyone of quality, and fails to generate pressure on the quarterback, which is a recipe for disaster in the SEC. Although many don't want to hear this, Williams must be placed on the metaphorical "hot seat."

As Brandon Baker, Arkansas basketball journalist for Best of Arkansas Sports, said, "Unbelievably bad defense all night long."

Finally, why in the world did Travis Williams continue to send the house on third down, making an already vulnerable secondary even more vulnerable? No matter his reasoning, or lack thereof, it was an awful and failed strategy.

Razorbacks' defensive line

The Arkansas Razorbacks' defensive line continues to fail to create pressure on the quarterback, which allows the Hogs' already weak secondary to be exposed, especially by the type of SEC talent on offense the Rebels present. When is defensive lineman Cameron Ball going to make a true impact this season?

Arkansas' secondary

As has been previously mentioned, the Razorbacks' secondary was a miserable failure against the Rebels. For most of the game, the secondary seemed lost. While the defensive line isn't manufacturing the pressure on the quarterback necessary to support the secondary, the secondary must at least show it comprehends the fundamentals of defense. The Hogs' secondary is the most embarrassing part of their pitiful defense.

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