Fayette Villains

It wasn’t easy, but the Razorbacks are 3-0 after Saturday’s 38-27 win over Bobby Petrino and Missouri State.

Here’s a couple notes since the game ended:

Myles Slusher didn’t play again. He was apparently day-to-day but didn’t dress out for the game. Given how close he’s been for two weeks, it’s hard to imagine that he won’t be ready for the A&M game next week. Missouri State repeatedly attacked Arkansas’ safeties and nickel, just as South Carolina did the week before, so his return is needed.
No new injuries to report. It doesn’t sound like anyone suffered a new injury during the game, so the Hogs should be pretty healthy heading into the Southwest Classic. That’s what you want to see from FCS games.
Hogs lead FBS in sacks. The Hogs have the team lead at 17 sacks, and Drew Sanders is tied for the national lead with 5.5 himself. That’s especially impressive considering that Arkansas was at the bottom of the SEC in that category in 2020 and 2021. Those sacks are needed, as Arkansas has given up at least 320 passing yards in all three games this season and ranks last in the SEC in passing defense.
Polls should be unchanged. It was a quiet week in college football with no major upsets to report, so the Hogs will likely remain 10th. No one ahead of the Razorbacks lost, and no one behind them got a big enough win to justify a major move up.

Around the SEC

A few thoughts on the biggest games of the weekend.

LSU 31, Mississippi State 16

Okay, we have to take LSU seriously. The Tigers looked good in Brian Kelly’s SEC debut. Jayden Daniels isn’t an elite quarterback, but he’s pretty good, and the LSU defense is salty. They laid an egg against Florida State in their opener but thoroughly outplayed Mike Leach’s Bulldogs. The jury is still out on Mississippi State. They might be fine, but this probably another 7-5 team.

Penn State 41, Auburn 12

Thanks for playing, Bryan Harsin. The boosters who wanted him fired after last season are going to get their wish, and given how this likely to play out, I’m not even sure why Auburn brought him back. Penn State completely dominated this game. Auburn’s defense is fine but not amazing and got pushed around by Penn State’s line. And the offense – Harsin’s specialty – is still a mess. TJ Finley was replaced by Robby Ashford but both looked about the same: mediocre. The run game is nonexistent. Auburn plays Arkansas after back-to-back road games against Georgia and Ole Miss. There’s a good chance their players will have given up by then. Heck, Harsin might already have been fired by the time that one is played.

Georgia 48, South Carolina 7

Combined with the Missouri State game and Cincinnati struggling (for a while) with Miami of Ohio, this wasn’t a great day for the Hogs. South Carolina scored a garbage-time touchdown but this one was 24-0 at halftime. Spencer Rattler looked horrible. Georgia is incredibly good and just dominating everyone.

Ole Miss 42, Georgia Tech 0

I’m not sure how much to look into this result. Georgia Tech is one of the worst Power 5 programs, which is why I noted in the weekly preview that the 14.5-point opening line seems really low. Georgia Tech is likely looking at a 1-11 season. Ole Miss rushed for 316 yards and didn’t show us a lot of Jaxson Dart, who has been fine but lightly used so far. The jury remains out on Ole Miss.

Vanderbilt 38, Northern Illinois 28

Vanderbilt is 3-1! Down 28-14 to the Huskies, the Commodores rallied to score the game’s final 24 points. It’s the last game they’ll be favored in. Mike Wright is out at QB, and freshman AJ Swann is actually looking good. Clark Lea can at least promise hope when Vanderbilt (probably) loses their next eight games.

Florida 31, South Florida 28

Goodness, Florida. South Florida is incredibly bad – 2-10 last year, 1-8 in 2020, lost 50-21 to BYU to open this year – and the Gators were on the ropes in the Swamp. The Bulls were about to force overtime when a bad snap pushed them back and caused them to miss the field goal. Anthony Richardson looked awful for the second straight game, while Florida’s defense allowed Earle’s own Gerry Bohanon to move the ball way too effectively. That jump to 12th in the AP poll after beating Utah seems silly now.

Texas A&M 17, Miami 9

Well, the Aggies won. They gained just 265 yards and needed some good special teams and red zone defense, but they won. Max Johnson replaced Haynes King and completed 10 of 20 passes for 140 yards. He didn’t throw a pick, so he’s automatically an upgrade over the turnover-prone King. Texas A&M will be able to win more games like this on sheer weight of talent, but they are a long way from competing for any kind of championship.

The latest from Fayette Villains, straight to your inbox

Enter your email to subscribe and receive new post alerts and other updates. You can unsubscribe at any time.

the day after

The Day After: Week 3

Recent posts