Arkansas Blog

if nutt were more of a man he would not blame a 20 year old for the loss. he would say he called a bad game with superior players and somewhere in the 60 minutes lost the game. we gave up 21 points in the first quarter and looked like a stunned hog. our defense could have been a little better prepared. our offense never broke a big play the whole game. poor mcfadden had to carry the team on his back for 33 carries and if he has to do that he will be injured so badly it may hurt his nfl chances.

Does he have anything to do with the Razorback crop circles along the Arkansas river due South of Conway? Will try to snap some photos this weekend and send them in.

And there is one of my main reasons that I despise Nutt.

He never made a bad call. It is always in his stated opinions the players who mess things up. He has no problem however declaring to the world his success when he "called THAT play!"

The players have "got to execute better" is his retort.

I love my hawgs.....players like McFadden and Jones deserve much better..

GO HAWGS!

I am amazed at the kind of anti-Nutt alchemy that can transform words to the effect of, "I wanted to get the first down so I called a play that at least had a *chance* of picking up 12 yards -- kinda like we did in the same situation late against South Carolina last year -- and we told our player to run if the receiver wasn't open," coupled with "I wish he had run..." into--

it's Casey Dick's fault.

C'mon..."I wish ... we don't fumble that punt. . . line up offsides.... kick into the wind.... drop the slant over the middle..." The man didn't "blame" Reggie Fish for LSU and he's not "blaming" Casey Dick. Since when is *wishing* a play had gone differently the same thing as "blaming" the kid? Is it *blaming* McFadden if Coach Nutt says he "wishes" he had given the ball to Hillis inside for a loonnng gain instead of pulling it out to run for 5?

It was a risky, but not dumb call. Suuuuuuree....everybody can holler now that you run it into the teeth of a defense that has thrown your last few runs back at you. But it's not stupid to *want* the first down that will effectively give you a chance to end the game without ever having to play defense, and to run the one type play that has a chance of picking up 12 yards, yet preserves the opportunity to become a run.

If folk don't like Nutt they have enough ammo without twisting his words into something he clearly didn't mean.

And uh...Wally and others miss the point when they point out Dick hadn't run the ball before in the game. ***If the receiver isn't open and you want the QB to tuck it and run, IT'S NOT ABOUT PICKING UP THE FIRST DOWN ANYMORE ; it is about using up time just like the surrender plunge into the line would hve been.

Sheeeeesh....

A run would've ticked off more than 10 seconds - likely enough time for the Downy-soft prevent zone we ran for the rest of the game to live up to its name. That may be 20/20 in hindsight, but only because some things are pretty clear any way you look at them.
----
Are you suggesting that the score, as well as the pass-interference penalties, occurred while the Hogs were in either "prevent" or "zone" defenses? Wow; that's a surprise, but then I haven't reviewed film. Looked like when Herring tried to bring folks several times UA was in man, although the underneath stuff certainly was completed against a zone.... Very interesting.

OK, folks. Some love the Nutt and some think he is passe (old style Saint Frank). The Razorbacks have INCREDIBLE talent. However, one man cannot a season make. We have NO passing game to give McFadden a break. We have NO passing game to open up the line for Jones. We have NO quarterback. I don't want the Mustain controversy back, but I miss Gus Malzahn. The utilization of the strengths of the team, the creative plays, the totally new approach to winning, are all gone. David Lee is NOT OK. A coach doesn't run a player into the ground with a concussion, or was that Nutt or Lee? Dick has the ability to pass the play to someone else, the inability to read the defense and run himself, and the offensive play callers (Lee and Nutt) are clueless.
I wonder what Spurrier would do with all the Arkansas talent. Isn't that something to think about?

Curious,

Do you believe we had a passing game last year with Coach Malzahn--or with Mr. Mustain for that matter? I mean, Mr. Mustain wasn't exactly Oklahoma's freshman QB Sam Bradford (who tossed five TD passes against Miami a week or two ago).

Do you believe Coach Nutt proceeded to "run a player into the ground with a concussion" when he sat McFadden on the bench and wouldn't bring him back even to win the game, once he found out McFadden had a concussion?

Very interesting. . . .

TAP,
You chose to look at one or two sections of my post. McFadden should have been pulled from the game a lot earlier. Check out the game replay when McFadden needed help finding the huddle.
Again, what would a coach like Spurrier do with the exceptional talent at Arkansas? Mediocre coaches a mediocre season make.
We had the possibility of a passing game with Mustain. Which player do we have that can hit a target now? Was he a savior? No,. Was he a stopgap until recruiters got their heads out of their current thinking? Yes. Could Mustain have been successful? Only time will tell at USC.
The Razorbacks have so much talent. Do you think the coaching has been the best for the talent?

Curious,

Please be assured that I did not *elect* to single out some portion of your post over another in order to make a point. I'm sorry if it seems that way, and I don't think you are unreasonable in coming to that conclusion.

In my opinion Coach Nutt gets the most out of the talent he has. We differ in thinking that Arkansas had more talent than Alabama -- I think the final drive showed that the Tide wideouts made plays when the Ark. DBs couldn't, and assuming all were trying as hard as they could, I believe the difference was talent.

I believe John Parker Wilson is more talented than any QB Arkansas has had in a long while. I believe Alabama's linebackers and secondary are at least as talented, and probably moreso than Arkansas's.

I believe Spurrier and Saban are great coaches of teams more talented than their opponents; I believe Nutt is a better coach for a team that tends to be less talented.

But then, we all have our opinions. And I am no football expert.