Razorbacks' fans feel better about team despite Bama loss
FAYETTEVILLE - Bet a poll would show most Arkansas fans feeling better about their Razorbacks at 1-5 than they did at 1-2.
Because how the Razorbacks played in their 0-3 SEC start as heavy to the heaviest of underdogs in the 34-3, 24-17 and 65-31 losses to Auburn, Texas A&M and No. 1 Alabama prompts more promise than as the favorite losing, 34-27 and 44-17 to Colorado State and North Texas.
That fans exuded their approval from the game’s beginning through its end and even afterwards applauding the Hogs as they left the field had new Coach Chad Morris inspired. The crowd inspired those invited on a big recruiting weekend to join the effort toward reviving the Razorbacks.
““The support that our fans continue to give these young men is impressive and inspiring,” Morris said. “We mentioned earlier this was going to be a huge week for our program from a recruiting standpoint. We had an impressive amount of recruits here and in that locker room before and after the game. They know what we’re building here and the foundation is being laid.”
Arkansas fans, some so disenchanted with the Hogs play during the North Texas game they booed because true freshman quarterbacks Connor Noland and John Stephen Jones hadn’t yet played, showed Saturday their faith in Morris now starting fourth-year junior Ty Storey for three consecutive games. They approved bringing 6-7, 250 third-year sophomore Cole Kelley in for goalline situations for his bulk as a runner and height as a passer.
Noland and Jones, mopping up just against North Texas, remain on schedule to redshirt with a maximum four games they can play and Arkansas only having six left.
Redshirting them helps Arkansas’ future and focuses the present on Storey, giving the Hogs their best chance. Storey improves weekly. He showed it Saturday, completing 25 of 39 for 233 yards and two touchdowns against the nation’s best team.
“Ty Storey keeps showing his grit and his fight,” Morris said in the Alabama postgame. “He continues to get better. That’s what I shared with him on the sidelines, about how proud I am of him.”
Arkansas fans saw the offense score 31 points and amass 405 yards total, the most that any has scored and totaled on the 6-0 Crimson Tide this season.
Special teams, which had given up big plays in the previous defeats, especially at Auburn and yielding a game-opening kickoff return
touchdown against Texas A&M, played flawlessly the remainder of that game. They excelled against Alabama.
“Special teams, we executed our game plan,” Morris said. “I thought we got better in that regard. This is one of the best special teams that we’ve played against. They’ve got an electric return team this year and I thought that we did a really good job of containing their explosiveness.”
Arkansas’ fans already were getting impressed by what coordinator John Chavis has done with the defense holding Texas A&M to 17 points other than what was scored on the kickoff return and also playing better than Auburn’s 34 points given what the Tigers scored off special teams.
The Tide rolling for 639 yards and 65 points obviously didn’t signify a great defensive day but one touchdown resulted from a Storey pass deflected off a receiver’s hands into a pick six. And Alabama mounted two scoring drives off Storey fumbles and got a favorable review on a fourth and goal stop initially
ruled short.
Plus, Alabama's offense is the fastest, best quarterbacked and most run-pass efficient and proficient in the country.
Unlike how some viewed the Hogs vs. North Texas, nobody hints anything that Arkansas either side of the ball ever gave anything less than their all against Alabama.
““They’re not going to quit I can promise you that,,” Morris said. “There’s nobody in that building over there that’s going to quit. They’ll continue to fight.”
Now with that said, fans’ expectations are bound to rise as the caliber of the next three opponents, Ole Miss Saturday night in Little Rock, and Tulsa and Vanderbilt the next two Saturdays in Fayetteville, while no slouches, falls from the terrible trifecta of the three ranked opponents that just preceded them.
The Hogs know the score. “We’ve played a really tough schedule over the last few weeks but we’re getting better” Morris said. “These guys see it and they know we’ve got an opportunity now to come back in here and hit re-set and let’s go play a six-game season.”