ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Another record day for Mallett

Ryan Mallett guided the Arkansas Razorbacks to another offensive explosion, racking up five touchdown passes in a 42-21 beating of Mississippi State in the final home game of the season.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes, Post-game Quotes
• ESPN.com: Hogs’ Mallett tosses for 313 yards, 5 TDs in win

Video

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Highlights, Petrino Post-game Comments

Articles

• Brandon Marcello: Mallett not shy admitting record-setting thoughts
• Chris Bahn: This Was A Bad Day For The Arkansas Offense?
• Jim Harris: Two-Minute Drill

This is a developing story that will be updated soon.  You can also get the latest breaking Razorback news by following @RazorBloggers on Twitter.

Seven games in the state of Arkansas including Southeastern Conference showdowns and continuing the Southwest Classic tradition in Arlington against Texas A&M highlight Arkansas’ 2010 football schedule, which was announced on Saturday.

Also:

• RBN: 2010 Arkansas Razorbacks Football Schedule

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Powell scores 29, Arkansas wins in OT

Marshawn Powell put together the first 20-plus point game of his young Arkansas career with a game high 29 points to lead the Razorback men’s basketball team to an 81-72 overtime win against Appalachian State at Bud Walton Arena on Friday night in Fayetteville.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats, Hogs down the Mountaineers in overtime (Video), Pelphrey Post-game Comments (Video)
• ESPN.com: Arkansas 81, Appalachian State 72
• Brandon Marcello: Powell goes big, lifts Hogs in OT
• Brady Holzhauer: Powell Helps Razorbacks Hold Off Appalachian State in Overtime, Full-Court Press

This is a developing story that will be updated soon.  You can also get the latest breaking Razorback news by following @RazorBloggers on Twitter.

But wait…it gets worse.  You see…Little R is my boss at work.  And it just so happens to be time for my annual performance review!  Yeah…uh oh.  Time to start groveling.  Great pick, Little R!

The good news is that yours truly now has a commanding lead (TipsterHog 5, Sunshine 2.5, HogBaller 2, HogBlogger 0.5) in our predictions contest between the RazorBloggers.  And I’ll have plenty of time to appreciate that, I’m sure…when I’m living in a van down by the river.

If anyone needs a quick refresher on how we judge the winner of our little weekly contest, you can check the rules here.  So here we go:

Walking on Sunshine: Dan Mullen is a good coach, and has State playing well in his first season.  The Bulldogs will be bowl eligible…but not this season.  Running back Anthony Dixon (120.2 yards/game) will get his.  But as hot as Ryan Mallett is right now, nobody is going to stop him.  Nobody.  Arkansas 42, Mississippi State 27.

HogBaller: The Razorbacks shut down the MSU running game and improve their bowl destination.  No trip to Shreveport for these Hogs.  Arkansas 38, Mississippi State 15.

HogBlogger: Hogs have a chance to improve their bowl position.  Can’t afford a letdown.  Arkansas 31, Mississippi State 17.

TipsterHog: The Dogs lick their wounds from the ‘Bama game last week…and look ahead to revenge against the Rebels next week.  Arkansas 38, Mississippi State 24.

Leave a comment with your name, e-mail address and pick.  And feel free to add your own take like “What happens when you cross a Bulldog with a Shih Tzu?” or “Dan Mullen uses the word “exciting” 18 times…when describing the Razorback offense after the game.  Hogs roll.”

Speaking of blowouts…what in the world has happened to the real “Men of Troy”…USC???  They go down in flames 55-21 to the suddenly surging Stanford Cardinal.  Hogs clawing their way back into consideration.

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at CBSSports.com. Here’s the RazorBloggers ballot for this week:

ESPN.com: Louisville cruises past short-handed Arkansas

Reginald Delk scored 20 points and sparked key surges in both halves, helping No. 20 Louisville open with a 96-66 victory over depleted Arkansas in the Hall of Fame Showcase on Tuesday night.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Arkansas falls to No. 20 Louisville
• ESPN.com: Louisville Beats Arkansas By 30 (Video)
• Brandon Marcello: Depleted Hogs fall hard to Louisville
• Matt Jones: Short-Handed Setback

The Good

• The Hogs grabbed three more interceptions Saturday night, making them plus-12 in turnover margin for the season.  A stark contrast to last year when they finished minus-9.
• In just 10 games, Ryan Mallett has rewritten the Arkansas record books.  After his 405 yard, five touchdown performance, Mallett has now set or tied five more school records — the most notable being the single season passing mark which now stands at 2,882 yards and counting.
• Congrats to Dennis Johnson for breaking the school record for most kickoff return yards in a little over two seasons.  D.J. now has 1,799 in his career.  That either means you are a great return man, or your defense is so bad that you get more chances than you should.  Both are true in Johnson’s case.
• We’re not sure we’ve seen a Razorback cover 83 yards faster than Ronnie Wingo, Jr. did Saturday night.  After taking a screen pass and getting a few nice blocks, Wingo turned on the afterburners and showed his sprinter’s speed into the endzone.  Undoubtedly the most exciting play of the evening.
• Good news that defensive coordinator Willy Robinson was able to return home after being hospitalized on Friday.  Robinson is being treated for an infection, and we wish him a speedy recovery and return to the field.  Linebacker coach Reggie Johnson called the defensive plays Saturday night.

The Bad

• For the third week in a row, there wasn’t a lot of ‘new bad’ to be found.  One that did stand out was the penalty monster rearing its ugly head for the first time in a while on Saturday night.  The Hogs suffered through nine penalties for 63 yards, many of which were 5-yard defensive offsides or offensive false starts.

The Ugly

• The official booth review of a third quarter Troy 30-yard reception down the sideline makes you wonder if a 5-year old child was the SEC replay official Saturday night.  Jumping up to catch the ball, the Troy receiver clearly landed well out of bounds.  The ‘non-reversal’ led to a loud chorus of continuous boos from the Hog faithful as Troy marched downfield for a field goal.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Mallett leads record-setting night

The Arkansas Razorbacks got bowl eligible with a night filled with record performances in a 56-20 drubbing of Troy University at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes, Post-game Quotes, Petrino Post-game Comments (Video), Mallett Post-game Comments (Video)
• ESPN.com: Mallett sets Arkansas passing mark, routs Troy
• Chris Bahn: Razorbacks Do It For Ailing Robinson, Two-Minute Drill
• Jim Harris: Troy Doesn’t Belong on Same Field With Mallett, Razorbacks
• Brandon Marcello: Razorbacks hand Troy 56-20 defeat, Hogs react after record-setting night (Video)
• Robbie Neiswanger: Bowl Bound
• Vernon Tarver: Coaches Fill Void
• Harry King: Mallett’s Big Day Assures Postseason Berth

Sophomore Rotnei Clarke scored a school record 51 points including a school and Southeastern Conference record 13 three-point baskets to lead the Arkansas Razorback men’s basketball team to a 130-68 win over Alcorn St. at Bud Walton Arena on Friday night.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats, Clarke leads Hogs to season opening win (Video), Post-game Press Conference (Video)
• ESPN.com: Clarke’s SEC-record 13 3’s leads Arkansas rout
• Chris Bahn: Clarke Has Record-Setting Night in Arkansas Victory
• Brady Holzhauer: Full Court Press
• Brandon Marcello: Clarke sets school, SEC records in Hogs’ win
• Robbie Neiswanger: Clarke Sets Scoring, 3-Point Records In Rout
• Nate Allen: Clarke sets new scoring mark, erupts for 51
• Gary Parrish: Yep, Rotnei Clarke can shoot it alright

The hiring of Pelphrey in April, 2007 was supposed to be the start of the return to a brand and style of basketball that Razorback fans had grown to love: “Hawg Ball.”  Or, as it became better known nationally: “40 Minutes of Hell.”

Razorback fans ready to put the Stan Heath years behind them looked forward to the return of the success of the early 90’s and even wanted to brand Pelphrey’s style as “40 Minutes of Pel.”

During his first season, Coach Pelphrey said and did a lot of things right.  He set the school record for wins by a first-year coach, going 23-12.  The Hogs were ranked as high as #18 in the polls, going 6-2 against ranked teams.  Arkansas finished 2nd in the SEC West, made the NCAA tournament and won their opening round game for the first time since 1999.

However, the decisions and actions that followed are where the train jumped the tracks.  And it’s led to a situation where the Razorbacks open season play tonight with eight players available.  Of those eight, one is a walk-on and another is a football player who joined the team last week.

So how did we get to this point?  Two reasons: not recruiting character guys and not running a disciplined program.

Pelphrey and his coaching staff had the opportunity to quickly turnover the roster after the 2007-2008 season with the graduation of six seniors.  They could have begun recruiting the pieces needed to get Razorback basketball back to prominence.

Instead, this staff chose a riskier path by signing players of questionable character and desire.  The problems in and out of the locker room, on and off the court last year are well-documented.  Suffice to say, recruiting individuals of good character and strong desire are half the battle — a battle of attrition that now puts this staff behind the APR eight-ball.

Granted…it’s not uncommon for coaches to bring in a player or two that need some ‘extra attention.’  Most of the time, those situations have happy endings.  However, a key ingredient in those success stories is discipline that is predictable and consistent.  Discipline that does not differentiate or vary between key starters and walk-ons.

This lack of predictability and consistency was also a frequently discussed problem last season.  Running a disciplined program is not for the faint of heart, and requires a commitment to principle over wins in order to set the right foundation.

So here we are in year three of John Pelphrey’s tenure and one has to wonder if any lessons were learned from last season.  I must admit…watching his press conference announcing the player suspensions was very persuasive.  Yet, I find myself wondering if any of the tough talk will last.

I hope I’m wrong, but only time will tell.  Until then, Pelphrey has become nothing more to me than “Big Hat, No Cattle” — he talks a good game, but needs to start backing it up.  Soon.

GolfHog will be receiving an RBN t-shirt soon that, unfortunately, was not made by either Adidas or Nike.  (We’re still negotiating the terms of our big deal.)  In the meantime, weekly winners will have their choice of Hanes or Fruit of the Loom.  Comfort fit!

If anyone needs a quick refresher on how we judge the winner of our little weekly contest, you can check the rules here.  So here we go:

Walking on Sunshine: Troy head coach Larry Blakeney now claims he “never, ever” predicted during the preseason that his Trojans would beat the Razorbacks.  We agree.  Hogs get bowl eligible, and have a little fun at the end.  Arkansas 45, Troy 20.

HogBaller: Troy coach wishes he hadn’t spouted off (or not?) and provided the Razorbacks with a little bulletin board material.  Bowl Eligible 42, Talk Is Cheap 17.

HogBlogger: This Hog team has a tendency to get happy with itself and let down.  Not this week.  Arkansas 49, Troy 24.

TipsterHog: Over the years, Troy has put a scare into several SEC teams.  But Halloween was two weeks ago, and now this confident Razorbacks team is focused on becoming bowl eligible and finishing the season strong.  Arkansas 49, Troy 27.

Leave a comment with your name, e-mail address and pick.  And feel free to add your own take like “Hogs sack Troy more than the Greeks” or “USC and Trojans defeated back-to-back.  Hogs roll.”

You can see the complete BlogPoll over at CBSSports.com. Here’s the RazorBloggers ballot for this week:

Answer:  The same as we always do — just look at the schedule and then take an educated wild ass shot in the dark.

In the wake of yesterday’s suspensions, Hog fans are at the point where they just hope there will be enough Razorback basketball players to tip-off the 2009-10 season against Alcorn State on Friday night in Bud Walton Arena.

It’s a difficult and embarrassing situation that John Pelphrey and his team now find themselves in.  But there will be plenty of time to talk about that in the coming weeks and months.

For now, just like we did last year before basketball season, here are our predictions for both the Razorbacks and the rest of the SEC.

Uh…yeah.  Not exactly a rosy scenario that we’re predicting.  Having said that, it doesn’t take much time watching this team to see who the best and most valuable player will be this season.  As for Rotnei Clarke, he finished with 83 three-pointers last season.  Can he make 20+ more this year?

Overall, the SEC West is not in the same class as the Eastern Division.  Shuffle the position of any of the bottom four teams and you might end up being right.  It’s very disappointing to think that the Hogs can’t be more competitive in this division.

For a team that finished 8-8 in conference and didn’t make the NCAA Tournament last season, we all sure seem to think that Kentucky is back.  But with a new big-time coach reeling in a big-time recruiting class, it appears the Wildcats are poised to reign supreme yet again.

So that’s what we think.  What are your predictions for this year?  Will the Hogs be better than expected or will they play another season to forget?

University of Arkansas men’s head basketball coach John Pelphrey announced the details of game suspensions made in conjunction with disciplinary actions for members of his team Tuesday afternoon.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: John Pelphrey Press Conference (Video)
• ESPN.com: Pelphrey suspends five players
• Chris Bahn: Pelphrey Exhibits Passion, Confidence in Detailing Mass Suspensions
• Robbie Neiswanger: Pelphrey Suspends 5 Players
• Nate Allen: Pelphrey’s Razorbacks open year with five suspended

I picked against the Hogs in the blog predictions post.  I normally don’t tailgate for 11 o’clock games, so I planned and executed a nice tailgate.  I wore official Razorback logowear from the RazorBloggers Fan Shop that had previously been involved in losing games.  I even mixed Nike and Adidas Razorback apparel.  Sometimes you just have to shake things up.

The Hogs have shaken things up a bit the last couple of weeks.  The starters have been determined by effort in practice, not by…okay I’m wondering…what was the other criteria?  But whatever…the new method appears to have increased the intensity of the gameplay.

Ryan Mallett seems to have been ‘coached up’ pretty hard the past couple of weeks.  He actually ran the Petrino offense more like we saw in the fall practices than what we’ve seen in the games up to this point.  Call it patience, maturity, ‘the film doesn’t lie,’ ‘tired of getting yelled at’…whatever…his field generalship was much improved against South Carolina.

Taking advantage of what the defense offered rather than constantly looking for the big play actually…created several big plays.  Making an effort to remember and involve D.J. Williams in the passing game certainly helps.  Mallett’s SEC offensive player of the week award was much deserved.

Following the 80-yard pass play that opened the second half, the Hogs had a chance to fall apart.  Instead, the offense responded with two touchdown drives totaling 153 yards in 18 plays, eating up over eight minutes of clock.

So what made the difference?  Take your pick:  a commitment to the running game.  Taking advantage of the short throws underneath the coverage.  Sustaining drives by minimizing the zero-yardage plays on first down.  Converting on third down.  Giving the defense a break.  Responding to the other team’s big play with strong, ball-controlling drives.  All these things will work much better in the long run than pressing to hit a big play every now and then.

The Hog defense did gather itself following the Gamecocks’ first half scoring drives and, except for the one big pass, got stronger as the game progressed while South Carolina got more flustered.  Having everyone staying in the right spots and trusting their teammates shouldn’t seem like such a big deal at this point in the season…but it is.  Makes a big difference.

USC East under Steve Superior haven’t been a good road team.  He’s obviously an offensive genius — stupid me would have just ran that quarterback sneak right away instead of taking two timeouts to set it up — but his teams have trouble after there’s a lot of film on them.

The Hogs appear to have multiple personalities…some good, some bad.  It’s hard to know which one is going to show up.  The confidence, intensity, discipline and execution we’ve seen in all phases of the game against Auburn, Florida and South Carolina lets us know the potential of the Petrino program.

It’s been a season of growing pains so far for this youthful team.  I expect there will be more before it’s done.

The Good

• Let’s start with Ryan Mallett, who torched the SEC’s best pass defense for 329 yards and a school-record 85.2 completion percentage.  USC defensive coordinator Ellis Johnson was determined to stop the big play by staying in ‘Cover 3′ most of the day.  Mallett was patient and took advantage underneath, especially to tight end D.J. Williams (8 catches for 137 yards).
• We’ve been harping on third-down efficiency all season.  Finally we saw improvement on Saturday, as the Hogs managed 10-of-16 on third down.  No coincidence…three of those 10 conversions were to D.J. Williams.
• With the Hogs up 17-16, Jerell Norton gave his team a big lift with his third quarter interception in the end zone.  The acrobatic play turned the game and stopped a good drive by the Gamecocks.  Mallett promptly led an 80-yard scoring drive, leaving the Hogs in control, 24-16.

The Bad

• What is it about the Razorback defense and the third quarter?  Stephen Garcia’s 80-yard touchdown strike to Alshon Jeffery on the first play of the third quarter gave the Gamecocks a 16-10 lead.  The Hogs have surrendered 95 points in the third quarter this season.  So much for halftime adjustments, I guess.
• It took the Hogs (and the crowd) most of the second quarter to get over the failed fake punt attempt.  It was a risky call by Petrino, for sure, inside his own 25-yard line.  But since it didn’t work and the Hogs still won, we’ll classify it as a ‘Bad.’  Of course, if you convert the attempt, grab momentum and win, we’d probably file it under ‘Good.’  Or if you fail to convert, never recover and lose the game, it’s ‘Ugly.’  Hmmm…anyone want the job of being a major college football coach?

The Ugly

• No doubt Steve Spurrier is a great offensive mind, but the Gamecocks looked like a team in disarray for much of the day on Saturday.  Clock mismanagement, burning through timeouts, delay of game penalties, flying clipboards and overall sideline mayhem benefited the Hogs, but was ugly to watch.

TipsterHog also contributed to this post.

ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Williams, Mallett, Green too much for USC

Junior tight end D.J. Williams caught seven passes for 137 yards and Broderick Green scored two touchdowns as the University of Arkansas handed South Carolina a 33-16 defeat in Southeastern Conference play.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats (PDF), Post-game Notes
• ESPN.com: Mallett’s 329 yards lead Hogs past Gamecocks

Video

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Razorbacks roll Gamecocks, Post-game Comments
• ESPN.com: Arkansas Tops South Carolina, 33-16

Articles

• Chris Bahn: Razorbacks Respond Well to Petrino’s Pressure, Two-Minute Drill
• Jim Harris: Comeback Kids Spark Arkansas’ Big Win Over South Carolina, Spurrier: Arkansas ‘Thoroughly Beat Us’
• Robbie Neiswanger: With Flying Colors
• Scott Faldon: Big Day For Williams
• Harry King: Mallett has best game as Razorback
• Clay Henry: Mallett Displays Touch

Opponent News

• The State: Coming unraveled: Hogs handle Gamecocks, QBs aim to be elite company, Oh, snap: O-line’s crumble continues, Morris: Lack of progress maddening for USC
• Charleston Post Courier: Autumn swoon: USC stumbling — again, QB Mallett lives up to hype against USC
• The Greenville News: Gamecocks hit bump on the road

Rotnei Clarke scored 21 points and was one of five Arkansas men’s basketball players in double figures on Thursday night at Bud Walton Arena which witnessed the Razorbacks eclipse the century mark in a 102-69 win over LeMoyne-Owen.

Also:

• ArkansasRazorbacks.com: Game Stats
• Chris Bahn: Communication Key To Victory For Razorbacks In Final Exhibition Game
• Brady Holzhauer: Full Court Press
• Brandon Marcello: Hogs react after win over LeMoyne-Owen (Video)

Seriously…we think Goporkers might be Mr. Spock.  The pure dispassionate logic of that prediction — fascinating.  Congrats, Goporkers…we’ll beam your RBN t-shirt to you via subspace channels.  Live long and prosper.

As for this week, it doesn’t take much logic to realize it’s ‘do or die time’ for the Hogs.  Win and the rest of the season stays interesting.  Lose and we all start going to watch Razorback basketball games.  Then again…maybe we don’t do that, either.

If anyone needs a quick refresher on how we judge the winner of our little weekly contest, you can check the rules here.  So here we go:

Walking on Sunshine: Injuries to the Carolina offensive line and secondary may really start to show up this week.  However, we should not underestimate Eric Norwood and the Gamecock front seven — they are very good.  If the Hogs can pressure Garcia and protect Mallett, it should make for a fun day in the Ozarks.  Arkansas 31, South Carolina 28.

HogBaller: The Hogs continue their march towards bowl eligibility with a big win over the Gamecocks.  Arkansas 42, South Carolina 24.

HogBlogger: The Ole Ball Coach calls up some ball plays that take advantage of the ‘give up the big play’ habits of the Razorback defense.  The Hog offense sputters a bit too much under pressure.  Hope I’m totally wrong.  South Carolina 31, Arkansas 24.

TipsterHog: Play this game in mid-September and it’s no contest.  But injuries and suspensions to the Gamecocks’ defense give the Hogs just enough of an opening to begin salvaging what’s left of the conference season.  Arkansas 28, South Carolina 20.

Leave a comment with your name, e-mail address and pick.  And feel free to add your own take like “It’s a morning game but Spurrier can still play 18 holes afterward” or “This time we pass for 541 yards.  Hogs roll.”

The phrase ‘late season swoon’ just doesn’t do the last two years justice for Coach Steve Spurrier and the ‘Cocks.  Some have more accurately described them as “complete collapse.”

In 2007, USC started off 5-1, and reached a lofty #6 ranking in the AP poll, before dropping their last five games and failing to reach a bowl.  Last year, the Gamecocks started 5-2, before losing four of their last six, en route to a 7-6 finish.

Like the Hogs early in the season, Carolina lost to Georgia 41-37, in what may have been the most entertaining game in the SEC this year.  Four straight wins followed, including a 16-10 exposing of the Ole Miss Rebels in an ESPN Thursday night affair.

But since then, the results have been a bit shaky.  Two-point and four-point wins over bottom feeders Kentucky and Vanderbilt are coupled with losses to Alabama (20-6) and Tennessee (31-13).

No doubt the Gamecock offense has struggled, only managing 21.9 points per game (11th in SEC).  Inconsistent play in the offensive line is the culprit — somewhat due to injuries, the rest a result of inexperience.  Sophomore quarterback Stephen Garcia, when not on his back, has been good, throwing for 232.7 yards per game with 12 touchdowns.  USC has allowed 25 sacks on the season.  Yikes!

On defense, the ‘bell cow’ is without question senior linebacker Eric Norwood.  The All-American has 54 tackles on the year, including 6 sacks.  You know you’re big time when you get your own web site — ewood40.com.  On the flip side, pro prospect free safety Chris Culliver will be MIA this week, according to ESPN’s Chris Low:

“The loss of Culliver in the secondary is a big blow.  The Gamecocks were already playing two true freshmen back there and don’t have any depth.  This is the last week you wanted to be short on defensive backs going against Ryan Mallett and the Arkansas passing game.”

Familiar faces are leading the Carolina defense, as former Arkansas defensive assistants Ellis “Here Today, Gone Tomorrow” Johnson and Lorenzo Ward will face off against Petrino and the Hogs.  Spurrier’s penchant for running off/through assistant coaches is legendary.  Five of his nine current assistant coaches are in their first year at South Carolina.

Vegas has the Hogs as a 5 1/2 point favorite in this one, which means they didn’t watch the third quarter film of winless Eastern Michigan scoring at will.  If the Hogs are to have success this week, getting pressure on Garcia will be one of the keys.  As bad as the Hogs pass defense has been, having Garcia get comfortable in the pocket will be a recipe for a long day.