Hogs Blow It..

[Danimal]

The bad news --lack of quality depth on the line of scrimmage is our problem (even on the offensive line). We wear down late against upper tier teams. This is why we started throwing more late in the game (same thing happened at Auburn). The good news -- we're a young team and have already got verbal commits from several 4 star linemen (offensive AND defensive), tight ends, WR's, and a QB. Still need a couple of LBs and safeties. Hog fans are gonna be smiling a lot in a year or 2.

[Feathers and Fins]

I cannot tell you the last time I remember a hogs team playing four solid quarters against a quality opponent. That has always even in the years with Jones and McFadden been our Achilles heel we do not finish games off.

If you look at other teams in the division when they put a game away they have their second and even third lines come in to finish the game giving them true game experience and time and though they may not look like the first line there can be no doubt they are a Div 1 School. Arkansas DOES NOT have the depth to even think about doing that especially against another D1 school.

I do not think Bret can build that type of team unless he starts winning and he HAS TO BEAT AN SEC WEST SCHOOL! I see what he trying to build and believe it is the answer to the high power air attack offenses. However without the depth in both offense and defense to last 4 quarters he WILL NOT get the recruits to make that happen.

He inherited a team whose moral was nonexistent maybe even beyond that. I expected nothing in his first year; He did manage a cornerstone and good foundation on offense this year “he missed the dam net even”! looks very good, loose the kicker, hell let our Aussie kick it I bet he can at least hit the net from 50 yards out or more and give him some practice he might hit it from 60 and be very accurate, not to mention all the other teams would have to worry about him running a fake.

I do believe we will upset at least 2 SEC teams this year simply because we are Arkansas and they will take us too lightly and pay for it. Next year we will hopefully get the Defense we need with a pair of good safeties. If Brett gets left alone by his bosses I can see year 4 being a bowl championship year and a renewal of his contract year 7 being a National Championship Playoff Team. The guy took on a massive challenge and unless he is left alone to build a team and one that can recruit because of its ability to win and produce NFL players then Arkansas will remain a bottom level SEC West School. But him left alone and we can finally be something great.

[stlfisher]

I kinda think the future is pretty bright and Bret will build a good program. Depth is always the hardest the first couple years of a rebuild. They seem further along than I thought they would be this year and the SEC West is ridiculously loaded this year.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I think when it comes to grading the game was a win for the hogs. That might change if TAMU's season falters, but at this point it was a win in the progress department.

[Al Agnew]

Maybe it was always like this, but while it is quite possible to build a winning program in a few years, it's very difficult to build a program that can compete every year with the top 10 schools in the nation. The rich only get richer. If you're recruiting a top 100 high school kid and Alabama is also recruiting him, the chances are he's going to Alabama. The Alabama's get most of the top players and everybody else is left to fight for the second tier kids.

And really the only way you can overcome this is to win at least the SEC championship with the kids you get. Mizzou came close last year with a bunch of seniors who had played together in the system for a long time, but by losing to Auburn, they ended up probably not getting as many good recruits as they might have expected this year. But if you can catch lightning in a bottle a couple of years in a row, win a conference championship or two, maybe get into the 4 team playoff, then you start becoming an attractive program for some of the top recruits and the ball starts rolling.

[Wayne SW/MO]

My theory on that Al is that kids who are very talented, but not real confident or competative will end up at the "other" schools. They may well shine and build that confidence, but the ones who are ready to take on all comers for the starting spot end up at top schools. I belive that is why they contniue at the top year after year. I think that competative attitude comes out during the season and often carries them past teams that should beat them.