Arkansas Coming in Hot?

Can this be a set up in the Blue Grass?

As Arkansas comes in to the Commonwealth, they look like a lower tier SEC school. The Razorbacks have been outscored by a season total of 112-212 and rank DEAD LAST in nearly all defensive categories. The Razorbacks have struggled to put points on the board in the opening quarter and have fell behind BIG early in games which is depicted by the mere 3 total points of offensive production in the opening quarter combined all season.

But are these numbers deceiving? Can it be that the Razorbacks are better than their record shows, and are they just subject to a tough opening schedule?

Up to this point, Arkansas has had to face three of the top 5 teams in the nation and four teams overall all that have been in the top 25. To this point in the season, Arkansas has had the second toughest in the nation, just behind another SEC team, the Georgia Bulldogs.

Thanks in part to a hurricane in Texas that moved a game to a bye week, the past month has been a constant struggle with no breaks in between. Arkansas has had to play Alabama(#2), go to Texas(#1), host Florida(#5), and face Auburn. Although Auburn is not ranked currently, when the Razorbacks went into the game Auburn was ranked #22. In this rough stretch of top tier opponents the Razorbacks went 1-3, with the win coming just last week in an emotional and season saving upset of the Auburn Tigers 25-22.

Now, with the toughest part of the schedule behind them, Arkansas hopes salvage their season. National pundits and odds makers feel that this team SHOULD be an underdog and not amount to much the remainder of the season. This is obvious by the 12 points they are projected to lose by this week against an inconsistent and nonexistent offense in Kentucky.

So, the Cats must be wary. Arkansas is coming in to the game off an emotional victory and is battle tested. With the Auburn victory last week, it can be hitting that Arkansas is peaking and hitting its stride at the right time….

This is a MUST WIN for Arkansas just as it is for the Kentucky Wildcats and so this game is likely to be a battle of wills and emotion.

The winner of this game will get to redeem their season and get one step closer to bowl eligibility and national respectability, while the loser of the game might be written off the remainder of the season as the hole in which the team will be in could be too deep to get out of in a rugged and vicious SEC conference.