What is with all the Arky love?

[preachermatt83]

Arky will be what they were last year... a hard nosed physical football team and they will still finish last in the west. Mark it down.

[Leroy Jenkins]

It's based on the way they finished the season last year. People see the improvements from Belemia's first year and project that forward. That's all.

[WPS]

-5th year senior QB that went 20-5
-Good OL and a 1,000 yard rusher back
-Upgraded weapons at receiver plus a great TE
-Second year DC that upgraded the defense from #76 to #10 in total defense last year
-Ended last year hot and were in pretty much every game but two

[preachermatt83]

why we letting Razorbacks on the board now.. MSU only I thought with the only exception being tusk... and even tusk walks a strait line.

[preachermatt83]

-5th year senior QB that went 20-5- WHOSE COMPLETION PCT IS LIKE 12
-Good OL and a 1,000 yard rusher back- HAD THE SAME LAST YEAR, WHERE DID THEY FINISH? PLUS DOWN ONE RB
-Upgraded weapons at receiver plus a great TE- AND LOST A GREAT ONE
-Second year DC that upgraded the defense from #76 to #10 in total defense last year- DEFENSE WAS GOOD LAST YR WHERE DID THEY FINISH
-Ended last year hot and were in pretty much every game but two- MORAL VICTORIES!

Just sayin

[WPS]

Just sayin

It's not like we're picked to win the conference, we're at #18 at most fans expect us to go 8-4 or 9-3 this year. Typically a coach's 3rd year is when they really start to get things going.

[archdog]

It's not like we're picked to win the conference, we're at #18 at most fans expect us to go 8-4 or 9-3 this year. Typically a coach's 3rd year is when they really start to get things going.

Arkansas will be 7-5 at best.

[Johnson85]

-5th year senior QB that went 20-5
-Good OL and a 1,000 yard rusher back
-Upgraded weapons at receiver plus a great TE
-Second year DC that upgraded the defense from #76 to #10 in total defense last year
-Ended last year hot and were in pretty much every game but two

What does 20-5 mean? Obviously not his record. 20 tds, 5 interceptions?

How many defensive players were drafted last year? I think that's going to be Arkansas' question mark. As we have learned the hard way before, losing a player that can command a double team can cause a pretty big downgrade in performance of a D even when it looks to stay solid across the board otherwise.

[Mjoelner34]

What does 20-5 mean? Obviously not his record. 20 tds, 5 interceptions?

20+5= 1 yard less than his career rushing total.

[preachermatt83]

Arkansas will be 7-5 at best.

yup

[WPS]

What does 20-5 mean? Obviously not his record. 20 tds, 5 interceptions?

How many defensive players were drafted last year? I think that's going to be Arkansas' question mark. As we have learned the hard way before, losing a player that can command a double team can cause a pretty big downgrade in performance of a D even when it looks to stay solid across the board otherwise.

Yeah. He had like two rushing TDs too I think.

We had 4 drafted. Spaight, Flowers, Philon and Mitchel (our nickelback, was pretty surprised he was drafted). But we had the same players in 2013 and were awful. We don't have any superstars on the DL but are deep, we have former 2014 army all-american Bijhon Jackson at DT and he's splitting time with someone else for second team. Secondary should be the best it's been in years. Bielema is really the first defensive head coach we've had in decades so there is a lot more focus on it. Linebacker is a concern though. Pretty thin there.

[Covercorner2]

- They return most everyone on offense. But it was a mediocre offense. And its not like they are gaining playmakers....
- Lose best players on D. Not replacing them with All-SEC caliber players....
- Brutal schedule

I agree. Just because a team returns a lot from a 6-6 team does not mean they are going to be good, epecially in the SECW. People are just searching for the "next big thing"

[Johnson85]

Yeah. He had like two rushing TDs too I think.

We had 4 drafted. Spaight, Flowers, Philon and Mitchel (our nickelback, was pretty surprised he was drafted). But we had the same players in 2013 and were awful. We don't have any superstars on the DL but are deep, we have former 2014 army all-american Bijhon Jackson at DT and he's splitting time with someone else for second team. Secondary should be the best it's been in years. Bielema is really the first defensive head coach we've had in decades so there is a lot more focus on it. Linebacker is a concern though. Pretty thin there.

I think that's going to be Arkansas' problem. The offense had room to improve, but the defense was already pretty damn good and it's going to be hard to just maintain losing players like Spaight and Flowers. Just depends on whether the offense develops another dimension this year so you can survive a step back on defense. I think Arky fans are going to be disappointed when they realize that those close losses last year were not a stepping stone to winning those games this year, but a missed opportunity to overachieve while in the building process, and that it's going to take Beliema another year or two to really get rolling, if at all. I would assume he will b/c he's a good coach, but I'm not sure there's a bad coach left in the SECW and somebody has to finish in the bottom half of the division.

[Jack Lambert]

-5th year senior QB that went 20-5
-Good OL and a 1,000 yard rusher back
-Upgraded weapons at receiver plus a great TE
-Second year DC that upgraded the defense from #76 to #10 in total defense last year
-Ended last year hot and were in pretty much every game but two

They lost most of their defensive stats to the draft.

[Bubb Rubb]

-5th year senior QB that went 20-5
-Good OL and a 1,000 yard rusher back
-Upgraded weapons at receiver plus a great TE
-Second year DC that upgraded the defense from #76 to #10 in total defense last year
-Ended last year hot and were in pretty much every game but two

Um, 5th year senior QB that is best when he's turning around and handing the ball off.
Lost your best RB to injury
Upgraded = one more year in the program?
Defense lost a ton to the draft - that's the reason they were so good last year
More like your schedule got easier toward the end of the year.

Don't misunderstand, I think Arkansas is going to be tough as hell this year. But it ain't all roses as you seem to indicate.

[WPS]

Upgraded = one more year in the program?

That and we added JUCO WR Dominique Reed (offers from Texas, Auburn, Florida, Oklahoma, Lousiville etc) who is supposed to be the fastest player on the team now. And we have 4* JoJo Robinson who redshirted because of an injury last year. He was committed to Florida State for a while in the 2014 class. I know those two haven't proven anything yet but they're more talented than what we've had.

Defense lost a ton to the draft - that's the reason they were so good last year

But the defense wasn't good with them before Robb Smith came along. Spaight came out of nowhere. I'm sure you guys don't think you'll take much of a drop off after losing McKinney and Preston Smith. Smith's defenses at Rutgers always sent a ton of guys to the NFL despite not being the most talented. I think half of them are with the Patriots lol