Despite effort, Hogs let another one slip away

FAYETTEVILLE — It takes a team effort to win.

Alas, these 1-6 Arkansas Razorbacks have learned losing takes a team effort, too.

Effort isn’t the proper word as implying that the Razorbacks don’t try. These Razorbacks try hard. Particularly in their 0-4 SEC start after losing nonconference games, 34-27 at Colorado State and 44-17 against North Texas at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, the site of Saturday’s 11 a.m. nonconference finale against Tulsa.

Effort here refers to the cohesion of offense, defense and special teams required taking a lead and keeping it to win.

The Razorbacks never led against North Texas nor in their 34-3, 24-17 and 65-31 SEC losses to Auburn, Texas A&M and Alabama, respectively.

They led 27-9 during the third quarter at Colorado State. Last Saturday, hosting the SEC West Ole Miss Rebels in Little Rock, the Razorbacks led 27-17 at half and 33-24 after three quarters. Arkansas lost, 37-33. Especially post-embarrassing themselves against North Texas, the Razorbacks as SEC underdogs encourage.

First-year Coach Chad Morris, trying to build from the rubble of last year’s 4-8 overall/ 1-7 SEC end to the five-year Bret Bielema era, a demise commenced the previous year blowing season-ending fourth-quarter leads to Missouri and Virginia Tech, has stressed every SEC silver lining.

They include scoring more points and amassing more yards on Alabama than any team thus far. Arkansas battled back from Texas A&M scoring on the opening kickoff to make it a seven-point game with the ball for one last futile chance. Arkansas outplayed Ole Miss until Rebels quarterback Jordan Ta’amu couldn’t be stopped in the fourth quarter.

Meanwhile Arkansas’ offense, by then minus injured starting quarterback Ty Storey and injured top running backs Rakeem Boyd and Devwah Whaley, couldn’t sustain drives to run the Rebels out of time.

John Chavis, Arkansas’ veteran defensive coordinator, takes it personally that Colorado State rallied from down 27-9 with 2:46 left in the third quarter and that Ole Miss from 2:02 to 42 seconds left launched its seven-play, 97-yard drive from down 33-31 to win 37-33.

“I am looking forward to the day I can come in here and smile a little bit,” Chavis told Monday’s press conference. “I am not gonna repeat how disappointed I am and we are. We’re gonna continue to work, push what we need to push to continue to get better.”

Morris, an offensive coach, and offensive coordinator Joe Craddock ditto take it personally that the offense hasn’t increased the leads seized nor seized its last chances.

At least the special teams improved immensely.

Obviously at 1-6 they aren’t much, these rebuilding Hogs, but they show better than their record.

So does Tulsa, 1-5 but with down-to-the-wire losses to No. 7 Texas and No. 21 South Florida.

Colliding Saturday, seems one of these two finally will achieve beyond another close-but-no-cigar.