Arkansas to have a 'gut check' after loss to Mississippi St.
FAYETTEVILLE - When you’re 2-9, you’ve usually lost most way imaginable.
But first-year Arkansas Coach Chad Morris never imagined the Razorbacks floundering like they floundered, flattened 52-6 by Mississippi State Saturday in Starkville, Miss.
Morris told the Razorbacks Radio Network postgame that he was “totally disgusted with the effort that was put out on this field all day long” and called the performance “completely unacceptable in all areas, coaching playing.”
The tone didn’t change in the gap between his postgame radio interview and his full press conference meeting with media.
“Just completely unacceptable,” Morris said. “Unacceptable in all areas. Unacceptable coaching. Unacceptable playing. Unacceptable effort. That’s not what we’re about. That’s not what this program’s going to be built on. It’s absolutely not accepted. We’re going to find out. We’re in a big gut-check time right now.”
Given the fight he’d seen from the Razorbacks the previous Saturday, rallying from down 24-3 to finish with a flourish their 24-17 loss in Fayetteville to LSU, Morris said he was blindsided by the surrender in Starkville.
“Absolutely not,” Morris said. “Not one time. We’ve had good workouts. Our energy level has been high. Our attitude’s been great.”
So how does he address this last game week that started with Sunday’s practice leading into Friday’s finale with the Missouri Tigers at 1:30 p.m. on CBS in Columbia, Mo.
“We’re going to find out,” Morris replied. “I mean, it’s a gut check. That’s what it is. It’s going to take a special person to come back in here tomorrow and put their best foot forward. And if you don’t have that, it’s okay - don’t show back up. From coaching to playing to equipment to training, it’s everything.”
It wasn’t like the now 7-4 overall, 3-4 in the SEC Bulldogs had nothing to do with Arkansas’ sorry showing.
The Bulldogs statistically rate as the SEC’s best defense and is the “fastest” he had seen this season this season, Morris said during the week of the Bulldogs’ game film.
Offensively, MSU 6-5, 230 senior quarterback Nick Fitzgerald is the SEC’s career leading rushing quarterback.
But for Arkansas to yield 475 Mississippi State yards , commit nine penalties, one voiding what would have been Arkansas lone touchdown and another voiding an Arkansas first down and instead forcing a punt, suffer five sacks, drop passes, fumble a snap on a would be punt to hand the Bulldogs a 4-yard touchdown drive …
It seemed like he summed that frustration just on a question about Fitzgerald’s prowess as the senior accounted for five touchdowns, four passing among his 9 of 14 for 127 yards without an interception, and one among his 14 carries for 85 yards rushing.
“I think I said all week long he’s a quality football player without a doubt,” Morris said. “But this is about the Arkansas Razorbacks and the unacceptable effort in all areas of this program. That’s what this is about. Yes, he’s a great football player, has a lot of records and won a lot of games. But this is about the Arkansas Razorbacks.”
Every Razorback, even those like fifth-year senior defensive tackle Armon Watts, a virtual non-factor in his four previous seasons under former Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema become one of the SEC sack leaders, knows their coach’s wrath.
“He was very disappointed in our actions and our body language,” Watts said during Saturday’s postgame interviews. He told us it would be a gut-check tomorrow and we’d see who would really be man enough to be able to come in tomorrow after this, move on and put our best foot forward.”
They all know their coach has cause for disgust and that disgust awaited discussion after they see the game film
“The scoreboard doesn’t lie,” Watts said. “Film doesn’t lie.”
GERALD SKINNER
Anyone knowing Gerald Skinner laments the passing last weekend of the 1973-1976 starting offensive tackle for Frank Broyles’ Razorbacks.
On the field, Skinner earned All-Southwest Conference honors for Broyles’ 10-2 SWC/ Cotton Bowl champion Razorbacks and opened holes for some of Arkansas’ greatest running backs, Dickey Morton in 1973, Ike Forte in 1974 and ’75, Jerry Eckwood in 1975 and ’76, and 1976 SWC rushing leader Ben Cowins.
Off the field Malvern native Skinner was a kindly, mischievous gentle giant remembered well by all fortunate enough to intersect his life’s path.