Mitch who?
We don’t want to jump the gun on this, but it sounds like Mr. Coach Bobby Petrino’s meal ticket has enrolled at the University of Arkansas. Oh yes, all 6-6, 220 lbs. of him. We’ll have more on this once it becomes official.
Wish you would have come back, Felix, but thanks for giving everything you had for three years. You could have started for any other team in America, but you were a team player and helped the Hogs become that much better.
Second fiddle? We don’t think so. Good luck on Sundays.
D-Mac and Felix’s press conference is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Thanks for the memories.
2-time Heisman Runner-Up
2-time Doak Walker Award winner
2-time All-American
2-time SEC Player of the Year
He was the best we’ve ever seen, and likely the best we ever will see.
You’ve represented yourself and your state incredibly well for the last three years, and we have no doubt you’ll do the same in the future.
No worries, his trash doesn’t work in the SEC.
This is quite literally too good to be true.
According to the Tulsa World, officials have agreed for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane to make a trip to Fayetteville on Nov. 1, 2008. Don’t bother checking your calendars, fans, that’s next season.
Hopefully we don’t have to remind anyone who still patrols the sidelines for Tulsa, but with the new regime of Petrino and Long, a loss doesn’t hurt anyone’s ego, and now an otherwise meaningless out of conference game becomes the second or third-most anticipated matchup of 2008. Malzahn’s offense at Tulsa lead the nation in total yardage in 2007, averaging 542.5 yards a game.
Although it could be argued that Arkansas has nothing to gain from the contest, the entertainment value alone is worth the price of admission. Also, with Broyles gone, you have to wonder how long until a certain tribe of Indians make the trek north.
Wow, just wow. If only Ole Miss would agree to play them now…
Sonny Weems putting in 17 on the road in conference always helps.
Playing as poorly as the Hogs did last night and still escaping with a win is actually encouraging for us. Like we mentioned yesterday, Auburn’s roster was depleted and devoid of talent, so let’s not get carried away patting this team on the back. They still have plenty to prove. Let’s not forget it’s been nearly a decade since the last time one of the great college basketball programs (yes, we mean Arkansas) won an NCAA Tournament game.
That needs to change.
Somehow, this seems like a start, though. You can probably count on at least one inexplicable loss this conference season (check Jan. 26 on your calendars), but as long as it’s one as opposed to three, this team still has a great shot at grabbing a 5-6 seed come March.
A few parting shots:
To Patrick Beverley’s jump shot: Welcome back. We missed you.
Casey Dick > Gary Ervin
Emo Steven Hill making his first appearance on national television? We miss the Cave/Mountain Man. Bring back the beard at least.
Don’t expect to make one of your last nine shots from the line and still win too often.
The Final Four could be more than just a hazy memory if Pelphrey can get this train rolling.
Much was made of Stan Heath’s road troubles during his time here, specifically in conference. For every win over Tennessee that vaulted the Hogs into a position to make the tournament, there were plenty of losses to middling teams like Ole Miss and South Carolina. Obviously, John Pelphrey is a completely different coach, but with memories of Heath fresh in most Hog fans’ minds, the comparisons are inevitable.
So tonight, despite being just the first conference matchup of the Pelphrey era, we’ll find out a lot. Auburn is not a good team, and if Xavier can walk on the Tigers’ home floor and blast them by 23, there’s no reason the Hogs can’t head home tonight 1-0 in the SEC.
That’s why this game is so important. Has Pelphrey shook the Heath out of these players, or will it take new blood before Razorback basketball can return to what it once was? Fast-paced, solid wins over Mizzou and Baylor tell us yes, but frustrating losses to Oklahoma, Providence, and Appalachian State make us wonder.
Sure, in the grand scheme of things, a win over Auburn only goes so far, but it will definitely tell us a lot of what we want to know about Pelphrey.
Time to play.
We’re going to get our word in quickly before the onslaught of rushed character judgments.
Yes, Darren McFadden was in a “bar fight,” according to several sources.
However, D-Mac isn’t just a “thug” or some gangbanger. Everyone always assumes the worst when they hear “bar fight” so we’ll wait to comment until after we hear the full story. Let’s not forget, the same thing was being said when he got into a “bar fight” before the USC game in 2006, and it ended up just being him trying to stop a guy from stealing his brother’s car.
According to some sources, McFadden reportedly punched a bouncer. KARK 4 News spoke with McFadden today and he had this to say:
“They’re talking about I struck a bouncer. I know that’s wrong because I didn’t strike anyone. I was trying to get out of the place when I saw everyone tussling and things,” McFadden says.
It is also important to note that McFadden has not been charged with any crimes.
That said, we’re hoping for the best.
John White, UA Chancellor and a man who seems to have a knack for sticking his nose where it probably doesn’t belong, has announced his retirement.
Here’s the press release. After June 30, consider the house officially cleaned.
John Beck, get ready for some ladders.
Former offensive coordinator David Lee has been hired as the quarterbacks coach for the Miami Dolphins, reuniting with Bill Parcells, who was recently hired as vice president of football operations. Lee had originally planned to follow Houston Nutt to Oxford, but Parcells offered him the job Monday, despite the fact that he has yet to hire a replacement for Cam Cameron.
Not much to say other than good riddance, but here’s one of our favorite David Lee memories from 2007, a quote from an article about the Florida International game:
The first snap of the game sailed over Dick’s head. Center Jonathan Luigs said he didn’t hear the snap count. Dick said he was checking the defensive alignment, a must to start the game.
“At least this one didn’t turn out to be an Appalachian State deal, a loss,” he said. “We weren’t there. I had a bunch of things scripted as far as plays to start the game and after that first snap, we dumped it.
Quality coaching at its finest.
Fact: There need to be more pictures of Petrino in Arkansas gear.
Bobby Petrino has finally solidified his staff (hehe) for 2008, and it’s quite the grab bag.
We don’t know a whole lot about most of the guys taking smaller positions, so how does a list sound?
OFFENSE
Paul Petrino - offensive coordinator (Atlanta Falcons)
Garrick McGee - quarterbacks (Northwestern)
Tim Horton - running backs / tight ends / recruiting coordinator (Arkansas)
Mike Summers - offensive line (Atlanta Falcons)
DEFENSE
Ellis Johnson - defensive coordinator (Mississippi State)
Reggie Johnson - linebackers (Atlanta Falcons)
Lorenzo Ward - defensive backs (Oakland Raiders)
Bobby Allen - defensive tackles (Arkansas)
Kirk Botkin - defensive ends / special teams (Louisiana-Monroe)
ADMINISTRATION
Director of High School Relations - Dean Campbell
Director of Football Operations - Mark Robinson
Strength and Conditioning - Jason Veltkamp
Recruiting Coordinator - Tim Horton
On the whole, we really don’t know a whole lot about any of these new guys, other than where they came from, which is largely irrelevant. Thus, we won’t comment much further on them until at least halfway through next year. Don Decker, James Shibest, you will not be missed.
So, until then, well done Coach Petrino, it’s time to get this thing started.
