It’s been a while since we’ve talked about the Hogs. In fact, the last time was when the Razorbacks fell to Ole Miss in Oxford. The basketball team has the week off, but that hasn’t stopped news from happening there and in other facets of Arkansas sports. Let’s catch up with what’s going on.
From Big 12 Beast to SEC Least — Razorbacks Lose Again
Last Saturday, the Hogs dropped their third straight SEC game, this time to the Florida Gators. The Razorbacks were in it for one half while Florida shot horribly, but in the second half our defense couldn’t stop Nick Calathes, or other three-point shooters, and the Gators won 80-65.
Player of the game honors went to Mike Wash, who turned in another great performance (21 pts, 8 reb). Step up player of the game was Marcus Britt (9 pts off the bench). While we shot well at the free-throw line (except Fortson, again), our three-point shots were not falling (2-14 as a team, Fortson, Clarke and Walsh were a combined 1-11). The Hogs need to step up their defensive intensity and start knocking down shots. Again, as fans, we need to remember this is a young team and playing away from home isn’t easy in conference play.
Brandon Moore Suspended Indefinitely
Fresh off the loss at Florida, Freshman Forward Brandon Moore decided to get a little drinky-drinky action going on. To one-up that action, he then took a car out for a drive. Besides having a .10% blood alcholol level and driving while intoxicated (as a minor, to boot), Moore also was charged with reckless driving, no proof of insurance, failure to register a vehicle and fictitious vehicle license or registration.
So Moore has been suspended indefinitely, but is still practicing with the team. In his game playing time absence, fellow Freshman Andre Clark will be called upon to help out down low. Shame on you Moore and good luck to you Clark.
Petrino Hires Old Boss
As many of you may have heard by now, Coach Bobby Petrino has hired his former boss/mentor, John L. Smith, to coach Special Teams and help out on the defensive side of the ball. Smith has been head coach at four programs — Michigan State, Louisville, Utah State and Idaho. Many see this hire to be an excellent one. Smith, 60, has a ton of coaching experience and has had to make the hard decisions time and time again. To have someone like that on the sideline to throw ideas around with can only make our team better.
Arkansas Recruiting News
The Razorbacks continue to compile an impressive recruiting class according to several critics. As of right now, the Hogs rank #22 according to ESPN (good enough for #6 in the SEC, damn, our conference is good), #16 according to Rivals, and #19 according to Scout. National Signing Day is Wednesday, February 4, that’ll be the day all of these recruits make it official and sign on the dotted line. Keep your fingers crossed for no bolters and some last-minute steals.
Hogs Make Top 20 in ESPN’s College Football Team Prestige Rankings
In the oddest of the most recent news, the Arkansas Razorbacks have landed at number 19 on ESPN’s Prestige Rankings. This surprise ranking puts us at #6 in the SEC, ranked higher than Auburn (21), Ole Miss (24), Kentucky (T-69), Mississippi State (81), South Carolina (83) and Vanderbilt (119). A bit crazy, right? Well, apparently the Hogs were judged greatly on their body of work between the 50s and 60s. And this nugget — between 1968 and 1989, Arkansas never suffered a single losing season. Wow.
