Mike Roach
Staff
- Joined
- Dec 5, 2013
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What: Advocare V100 Texas Bowl
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks 6-6 vs. Texas Longhorns 6-6
When: Monday 12/29/2014 8:00 PM CST
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston TX. (ESPN)
Odds: Arkansas -6
The Good: In the second year under Bret Bielema the Razorbacks certainly had their ups and downs. At times Arkansas looked like an incredibly dangerous team who had the ability to play great defense while controlling the clock with a powerful running game that featured two 1,00 yard rushers in Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins. Arkansas also finished the season strong by posting shutout victories over LSU and Ole Miss. Bielema's Arkansas squad really started to resemble his Wisconsin teams as they played tough all year and had three narrow losses in which the games got away from them in the end. Recruiting has also picked up under Bielema who is diving back into the state of Texas where he has always recruited well.
The Bad: While moral victories can be nice for a re-building program, the fact is the Razorbacks had chances to record big conference wins over Texas A&M and Alabama and let them slip through their fingers in the waning moments of the game. The Arkansas air attack was also largely non existent which buried the Hogs when they fell victim to early deficits. While the run defense was strong against opponents, Arkansas features a sub par secondary prone to giving up big yardage. No matter how encouraging the close losses they faced were, a 2-6 conference record simply won't get it done.
The Uncertain: Like Texas, Arkansas has yet to show that they can consistently perform in all phases of the game. Both teams have a decided weakness at the quarterback position and will try to rely on their running games and strong defenses. Arkansas has been more successful running the ball this season, while Texas has had a little more success throwing it. Still, this game looks like it could be a defensive battle decided by turnovers and special teams.
What's at stake: Younger Texas fans didn't grow up with the heated rivalry from the Southwest Conference days, but older fans still harbor a lot of hate for the Razorbacks. This is effectively a rekindled rivalry matchup with two teams fighting for one last shot at momentum going into the offseason. Both coaches would like to finish their season with a bowl win to give some encouragement to fans and players going into spring.
Who: Arkansas Razorbacks 6-6 vs. Texas Longhorns 6-6
When: Monday 12/29/2014 8:00 PM CST
Where: NRG Stadium, Houston TX. (ESPN)
Odds: Arkansas -6
The Good: In the second year under Bret Bielema the Razorbacks certainly had their ups and downs. At times Arkansas looked like an incredibly dangerous team who had the ability to play great defense while controlling the clock with a powerful running game that featured two 1,00 yard rushers in Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins. Arkansas also finished the season strong by posting shutout victories over LSU and Ole Miss. Bielema's Arkansas squad really started to resemble his Wisconsin teams as they played tough all year and had three narrow losses in which the games got away from them in the end. Recruiting has also picked up under Bielema who is diving back into the state of Texas where he has always recruited well.
The Bad: While moral victories can be nice for a re-building program, the fact is the Razorbacks had chances to record big conference wins over Texas A&M and Alabama and let them slip through their fingers in the waning moments of the game. The Arkansas air attack was also largely non existent which buried the Hogs when they fell victim to early deficits. While the run defense was strong against opponents, Arkansas features a sub par secondary prone to giving up big yardage. No matter how encouraging the close losses they faced were, a 2-6 conference record simply won't get it done.
The Uncertain: Like Texas, Arkansas has yet to show that they can consistently perform in all phases of the game. Both teams have a decided weakness at the quarterback position and will try to rely on their running games and strong defenses. Arkansas has been more successful running the ball this season, while Texas has had a little more success throwing it. Still, this game looks like it could be a defensive battle decided by turnovers and special teams.
What's at stake: Younger Texas fans didn't grow up with the heated rivalry from the Southwest Conference days, but older fans still harbor a lot of hate for the Razorbacks. This is effectively a rekindled rivalry matchup with two teams fighting for one last shot at momentum going into the offseason. Both coaches would like to finish their season with a bowl win to give some encouragement to fans and players going into spring.
