Page 9 - 2018 Arkansas Football

Sunday, August 26, 2018 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 9K
ARKANSAS FORECAST
Hogs put hammer down until Petrino gets in way
TOM MURPHY ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
FAYETTEVILLE — Welcome to Chad Morris and the new Arkansas Razorbacks coaches: This is our annual lighthearted game-by-game projections we call The Forecast.
Some of the events described herein are meant to be taken in a humorous vein, most certainly the “quotes” and preposterous scenarios. The actual outcome of the games is meant to be our best guesses.
Now on to the reckoning. The Forecast predicted 8-4 in the regular season last year, a reversal of the Razorbacks’ actual record of 4-8.
The crystal ball produced clear visions by picking victories over Florida A&M, New Mexico State, Ole Miss and Coastal Carolina and by predicting losses to TCU, Alabama, Auburn and LSU.
All of the missed games were losses by the Hogs: vs. Texas A&M, at South Caro- lina, Mississippi State and Missouri. We picked a bowl game in error, and what a bowl game it would have been, if T.J. Ham- monds had thrown a halfback pass that was tipped by Cheyenne O’Grady into the arms of La’Michael Pettway for a game winner
over Texas Tech and feisty Coach Kliff Kingsbury in the Texas Bowl.
Alas, no bowl game for the Razorbacks, who underwent a coaching change to Mor- ris and are widely picked to finish 6-6 ... or worse. We’re thinking the same, but we’ll see how that plays out.
The best run of picks last year was a 5-0 stretch that started with a predicted 34-17 loss at Alabama (actual score: 41-9) and ended with a 17-14 loss at LSU (33-10), with a home loss to Auburn, a road victory at Ole Miss and a projected 45-17 rout of Coastal Carolina (actual near catastrophe: 39-38) in between.
The worst run, which paralleled the Hogs’ actual descent, was projecting back- to-back home victories over Mississippi State and Missouri to end the year. Instead of defeating Mississippi State 54-46 and Missouri 31-24 as the crystal ball saw, the Hogs blew double-digit leads in both games and fell 28-21 to the Bulldogs and 48-45 to Missouri, with Coach Bret Bielema’s pink slip delivered minutes later.
The most accurate prediction was a 33- 31 victory at Ole Miss. The real score was 38-37 thanks to Connor Limpert’s 34-yard field goal, one stroke of good fortune in a
season laced with the other kind of luck. Worst pick: there were a few, but prob- ably a 24-14 victory at South Carolina. The Gamecocks won 48-22 with the aid of three
defensive touchdowns.
If we keep picking Arkansas to beat Tex-
as A&M, IT WILL HAPPEN at some point. Stay tuned for that.
SEPT. 1
Arkansas 41, Eastern Illinois 17
FAYETTEVILLE — Devwah Whaley has touchdown runs of 19 and 4 yards, and Chase Hayden breaks off a 65-yard score as the Razorbacks roll in the season opener.
Ty Storey and Cole Kelley combine for 288 passing yards and three touchdowns — to Jared Cornelius, Cheyenne O’Grady and La’Michael Pettway — as the Razorbacks defeat the Panthers, led by former Arkansas receiver Kim Dameron.
“I tell you guys, the hammer was down tonight,” says Chad Morris, who becomes the ninth consecutive full-season Arkansas head coach to not lose in his debut since Frank Broyles’ first team fell 12-0 to Baylor in 1958.
Not lose? Ken Hatfield’s debut in 1984
produced a 14-14 tie with Ole Miss.
SEPT. 8
Arkansas 30, Colorado State 26
FORT COLLINS, Colo. — Ryan Pulley returns an interception 55 yards for the go- ahead touchdown with 2:15 remaining, then Dre Greenlaw stuffs a fourth-and-1 run at the Arkansas 25 to seal the victory.
Gary Cross grabs a 70-yard touchdown pass from Cole Kelley on the final play of the first half, and Grayson Gunter catches a 12-yard score from Ty Storey.
“We had to pull into that left lane and pop the clutch right at the end, but that’s OK,” Chad Morris says.
SEPT. 15
Arkansas 34, North Texas 24
FAYETTEVILLE — The Razorbacks struggle to down the Mean Green, clinch- ing the victory on Rakeem Boyd’s 1-yard touchdown plunge on fourth down in the fourth quarter.
T.J. Hammonds rushes for 82 yards and Devwah Whaley adds a 35-yard touchdown v Continued on next page