I'm surprised. Their board was nothing like I expected. There weren't many threads about Arkansas or the matchup. Most of their stuff was about themselves, Aubbie, or GA. In the 10-12 threads related to our game, however, they were confident of victory while also being (mostly) complimentary of Pitt, Arkansas, and the fans.
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Jefferson is dangerous, especially with his legs, but he tends to hold onto the ball too long. We should be able to create negative plays on D, if we tackle well. Arkansas has the worst secondary in the SEC (yes, the worst). They will sell out almost every play to get to Bryce, and will most likely get home several times. When they don’t, Bryce should be able to make them pay downfield. We are a much better team than Arkansas, but they are dangerous, and we have not played particularly well on the road in our last few games. If our communication and blitz pickup is solid this week, it should be an easy Bama victory. If we see what we saw at TX, AU, second half of UF, etc, it will be a nail biter.
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My concern with Jefferson is we CANNOT lose contain on him. He's a huge guy and surprisingly shifty for a man his size. If Bama plays like they did last year and is mentally sleeping out there, it could be a close game.
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I know scout team is different than the real thing but thankfully we’ve got a back up who fits the Jefferson mold to model after.
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Don’t get me wrong - it’s going to be a tough environment and they will be ready to play; however, they don’t matchup with us very well. If we execute, we should win by 17-20 points pretty smoothly.
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For those that don't know, their backup QB is lightning fast. He has been used in some wildcat situations. Jalen Milroe is a good comp. Don't be surprised if Arky has some packages for him on Saturday.
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For what its worth, they tried those packages several times against A&M and it was a disaster each time.
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You won’t beat this defense on the ground and those packages rarely work vs competent defenses.
Meh
Their WRs matching up with our corners is the biggest concern but I think Kool Aid and Arnold are ready to show out.
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This will be a key game for the year. 2nd Road Game of the year. We will have a better Idea how much team has improved against top 20 team on the road.
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I sort of think the game may be a bust. Arky coming off an entirely deflating loss and a Bama team on the upswing. Could get ugly imo especially considering how atrocious they are in the secondary and their lack of explosiveness on offense
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Arky's defense has so many issues and their offense is pretty much one dimensional. I don't think we'll have much trouble.
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Arky is a bottom 5 pass defense in FBS. We should murder them.
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Arky fans think that Bama has a weak secondary
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Arkansas has a white corner.. therefore I do not pay attention to their thoughts on our secondary
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They also think it’s okay to marry cousins…
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Arky fans do know what a weak secondary looks like
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Fun fact; When dropping back against Arkansas, there’s a 12% chance you are sacked, but also a 10% chance you throw a 20yd+ completion.
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To support the age old adage, "when you're last you only have one direction to go." Arkansas improved that last place FBS position in passing yards allowed. They moved from last at #131 to #126. Will be interesting to see which direction they move after Saturday.
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If we blow them out I’m good. I just think it’ll be a closer than the spreads predicted. This will be my 3rd time going to this game there and the Arkansas fans expect to lose, so that’s a plus. I have always have had a good time as well.
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You'll be glad you went. One of my best road trips ever. Great college town.
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Arkansas is like the only fans in the SEC I've had overwhelmingly good interactions with.
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That place will be crazy. As long as we win by 1 I don’t GAF.
I went to the Texas game there last year and now that the end zone is closed, and it’s sit low against a hill the sounds was deafening.
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I prefer a blowout, but expect a battle. Pittman has changed the culture and the personnel there. They should have beaten A&M. If you look around the landscape of college football, I’m beginning to think it will be hard to find a team that will go undefeated throughout the regular season once it’s all said and done.
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I'm a LOT more worried about Arky than I am about A&M. The pigs should have beaten A&M by at least 2 TDs. Plus, we haven't played a good road game in a long time.
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Running qbs always give us fits. It will be one of those 3rd and Golding games.
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Everyone is focused on the offensive rhythm for both teams, or the sack numbers, but it's the overall defensive quality I keep coming back to - the statistical gap is SO large that I think it could single-handedly render this game a blowout. And if I'm right, I think we're all going to look back on this game by the end of the year and realize Arkansas was actually one of our easier SEC games. I expect Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, and Tennessee to all be tougher opponents based on what I know today.
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Their offense, much like last year, is predicated on chunk plays and athletic effort. Last year, they had a matchup problem at WR when Alabama was struggling with the CB position in terms of injury and inexperience, and of course, a QB who is going to make four-five "splash" plays a game along with the same number of busts and a lot of "meh". The QB is basically a single-wing TB with an above-average arm in terms of consistency and accuracy, and the OL, for a team coached by an OL specialist, is, at best, good.
I totally agree in terms of the disparity on defense. They are covering up a lot of "meh" with aggression and scheme, but anytime they are forced to play technique for several plays in a row the issues become apparent, and they do not tackle well in space. If Alabama is not productive on offense, it will probably be self-inflicted.
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If you could tell me right now that their crowd will not have any effect on us, I think we win by 4-5 TD's because Alabama is a bad matchup for Arkansas.
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I know several want to point to the close loss last year as evidence they could finish the job at home this year, but I don't put much stock in that. Two very different scenarios IMO. There's no Treylon Burks getting ready to abuse an injured Josh Jobe in late November the week before the Iron Bowl. It's the first Saturday in October, we're healthy going into the game, our defense is all-around better this than last by a long shot, and the offense has started to hit some deep shots the last couple weeks which should stretch Arkansas' already thin/suspect secondary.
Bama 45-20
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I really like Sam Pittman. He seems like a thoughtful and sincere dude.
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If you look up “Football Coach” there is a picture of Sam Pittman. Just a down to earth realist. I like him. He has fun, but in a very self deprecating way that doesn’t detract from his team or the opponent. I respect that.
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Pittman is just a great dude who is easy to root for. Hope he has success against everyone but us.
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Sam Pittman is fine, but this week I hope his beer is warm and WalMart runs out of HoHos.
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Jefferson is dangerous, especially with his legs, but he tends to hold onto the ball too long. We should be able to create negative plays on D, if we tackle well. Arkansas has the worst secondary in the SEC (yes, the worst). They will sell out almost every play to get to Bryce, and will most likely get home several times. When they don’t, Bryce should be able to make them pay downfield. We are a much better team than Arkansas, but they are dangerous, and we have not played particularly well on the road in our last few games. If our communication and blitz pickup is solid this week, it should be an easy Bama victory. If we see what we saw at TX, AU, second half of UF, etc, it will be a nail biter.
---
My concern with Jefferson is we CANNOT lose contain on him. He's a huge guy and surprisingly shifty for a man his size. If Bama plays like they did last year and is mentally sleeping out there, it could be a close game.
---
I know scout team is different than the real thing but thankfully we’ve got a back up who fits the Jefferson mold to model after.
---
Don’t get me wrong - it’s going to be a tough environment and they will be ready to play; however, they don’t matchup with us very well. If we execute, we should win by 17-20 points pretty smoothly.
---
For those that don't know, their backup QB is lightning fast. He has been used in some wildcat situations. Jalen Milroe is a good comp. Don't be surprised if Arky has some packages for him on Saturday.
---
For what its worth, they tried those packages several times against A&M and it was a disaster each time.
---
You won’t beat this defense on the ground and those packages rarely work vs competent defenses.
Meh
Their WRs matching up with our corners is the biggest concern but I think Kool Aid and Arnold are ready to show out.
---
This will be a key game for the year. 2nd Road Game of the year. We will have a better Idea how much team has improved against top 20 team on the road.
---
I sort of think the game may be a bust. Arky coming off an entirely deflating loss and a Bama team on the upswing. Could get ugly imo especially considering how atrocious they are in the secondary and their lack of explosiveness on offense
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Arky's defense has so many issues and their offense is pretty much one dimensional. I don't think we'll have much trouble.
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Arky is a bottom 5 pass defense in FBS. We should murder them.
---
Arky fans think that Bama has a weak secondary
---
Arkansas has a white corner.. therefore I do not pay attention to their thoughts on our secondary
---
They also think it’s okay to marry cousins…
---
Arky fans do know what a weak secondary looks like
---
Fun fact; When dropping back against Arkansas, there’s a 12% chance you are sacked, but also a 10% chance you throw a 20yd+ completion.
---
To support the age old adage, "when you're last you only have one direction to go." Arkansas improved that last place FBS position in passing yards allowed. They moved from last at #131 to #126. Will be interesting to see which direction they move after Saturday.
---
If we blow them out I’m good. I just think it’ll be a closer than the spreads predicted. This will be my 3rd time going to this game there and the Arkansas fans expect to lose, so that’s a plus. I have always have had a good time as well.
---
You'll be glad you went. One of my best road trips ever. Great college town.
---
Arkansas is like the only fans in the SEC I've had overwhelmingly good interactions with.
---
That place will be crazy. As long as we win by 1 I don’t GAF.
I went to the Texas game there last year and now that the end zone is closed, and it’s sit low against a hill the sounds was deafening.
---
I prefer a blowout, but expect a battle. Pittman has changed the culture and the personnel there. They should have beaten A&M. If you look around the landscape of college football, I’m beginning to think it will be hard to find a team that will go undefeated throughout the regular season once it’s all said and done.
---
I'm a LOT more worried about Arky than I am about A&M. The pigs should have beaten A&M by at least 2 TDs. Plus, we haven't played a good road game in a long time.
---
Running qbs always give us fits. It will be one of those 3rd and Golding games.
---
Everyone is focused on the offensive rhythm for both teams, or the sack numbers, but it's the overall defensive quality I keep coming back to - the statistical gap is SO large that I think it could single-handedly render this game a blowout. And if I'm right, I think we're all going to look back on this game by the end of the year and realize Arkansas was actually one of our easier SEC games. I expect Texas A&M, LSU, Mississippi State, and Tennessee to all be tougher opponents based on what I know today.
---
Their offense, much like last year, is predicated on chunk plays and athletic effort. Last year, they had a matchup problem at WR when Alabama was struggling with the CB position in terms of injury and inexperience, and of course, a QB who is going to make four-five "splash" plays a game along with the same number of busts and a lot of "meh". The QB is basically a single-wing TB with an above-average arm in terms of consistency and accuracy, and the OL, for a team coached by an OL specialist, is, at best, good.
I totally agree in terms of the disparity on defense. They are covering up a lot of "meh" with aggression and scheme, but anytime they are forced to play technique for several plays in a row the issues become apparent, and they do not tackle well in space. If Alabama is not productive on offense, it will probably be self-inflicted.
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If you could tell me right now that their crowd will not have any effect on us, I think we win by 4-5 TD's because Alabama is a bad matchup for Arkansas.
---
I know several want to point to the close loss last year as evidence they could finish the job at home this year, but I don't put much stock in that. Two very different scenarios IMO. There's no Treylon Burks getting ready to abuse an injured Josh Jobe in late November the week before the Iron Bowl. It's the first Saturday in October, we're healthy going into the game, our defense is all-around better this than last by a long shot, and the offense has started to hit some deep shots the last couple weeks which should stretch Arkansas' already thin/suspect secondary.
Bama 45-20
---
I really like Sam Pittman. He seems like a thoughtful and sincere dude.
---
If you look up “Football Coach” there is a picture of Sam Pittman. Just a down to earth realist. I like him. He has fun, but in a very self deprecating way that doesn’t detract from his team or the opponent. I respect that.
---
Pittman is just a great dude who is easy to root for. Hope he has success against everyone but us.
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Sam Pittman is fine, but this week I hope his beer is warm and WalMart runs out of HoHos.
