MCGEE: Are the Hogs done for the year?
has a chance to win this week is, believe it or not, Berryville. Berryville lost a close 6-0 battle to 5A Huntsville last week and is going to next door neighbor Green Forest. Green Forest has generated little offense in their two games this season and may have a tough time against the Bobcats. I pick Berryville in a close one.
The last two games will probably be blowout losses. Gravette is playing 7A-6A Siloam Springs at home. The Panthers probably know this is the last chance they will have to win this season as they start a string of seven straight 7A foes, including state overall powers Bentonville and Fayetteville. Gravette had very little offense last week and probably will come up short in every facet of the game against Siloam. Siloam will win big.
Gentry will most likely lose as they make the long trip to Heber Springs to take on the Panthers. Heber is ranked in the state’s top 10 and had the honor last year of whipping Shiloh twice in 2011. The Panthers play in a tough, tough league and have depth and skill although they lost some top players to graduation. The Pioneers will lose and could lose big after such a long trip. I know. If Wilson can’t play this week against Alabama, it might get real ugly. If Wilson can play at his best, we will probably be able to score a lot but the Tide hung 41 points on Michigan, a team with a better defense that Arkansas possesses. Alabama runs more than it passes which would help the Arkansas defenses, but after Tide coach Lou Saban sees the ULM/Arkansas video, he might decide to go to the air.
From believing in a chance for a national championship, to hoping we can win enough games to qualify for a bowl game somewhere, is quite the comedown. Maybe the Hogs ultimate salvation may rest with the new coach over at Arkansas State. He will be there at least two years before he would consider leaving for Fayetteville. Gus Mahlzahn, besides being an offensive genius, is also a coach who would come to build something and would not be the type to get into the kind of trouble that the last three head coaches have gotten into.
••• Editor’s note: John McGee is an award-winning columnist and sports writer. He is the art teacher at Pea Ridge elementary schools, coaches elementary track and writes a regular sports column for The Times. He can be contacted through The Times at prtnews@nwa online.com. The opinions of the writer are his own, and are not necessarily those of The Times.