Hog Calls ‘Very good win’ takes monkey off Petrino

Posted: October 12, 2009 at 6:02 a.m.

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FAYETTEVILLE — With one game Bobby Petrino shook more monkeys off his Arkansas back than Tarzan in a room full of Cheetah’s clones.

The second-year coach’sRazorbacks trounced the nationally 17thranked Auburn Tigers, 44-23 last Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

“That,” Petrino said smiling, “was a very good win for us.”

For many reasons. After a fruitless four Fayetteville tries since 2008 trying to win a SEC game, the coach could celebrate a conference conquest on campus.

Huge for the UA desperate to reestablish the winning Razorback Stadium tradition too often faded since the stadium’s expansion into the 72,000-seat Reynolds Razorback Stadium showplace.

That’s not the only monkey off Petrino’s back. Back to back his Hogs finally have defeated name teams, not just obscurely hyphenated or directional.

Nonconference narrow escapes over Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe were last year’s only consecutive victories for the Hogs.

Arkansas (3-2, 1-2) has romped 47-19 the then 3-0 Texas A&M Aggies of the Big 12 at the Dallas Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas the Saturday before whipping unbeaten Auburn

Unfortunately, the Hogs roll right into Florida, ranked No. 1 and the reigning national/SEC champion.

CBS announced Sunday it will nationally televise the 2:30 p.m.

(CDT) Saturday game in Gainesville, Fla.

Arkansas’ odds look foreboding. But beating the Aggies and then taking down now previously unbeaten Auburn (5-1, 2-1) at least should give Petrino’s Hogs belief going to Gainesville.

He didn’t believe they believed going into No. 3 ranked reigning SEC West champion Alabama walloping them 35-7 on Sept. 26 in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

“We should be a confident football team,” Petrino said.

“We’ve played well the last couple of weeks. We know we’re going to play a real good football team, but we’re all excited about the challenge.”

Malcolm Sheppard, the senior defensive tackle and 2-year team captain, remarked of going to Gainesville: “We know we can win the game. But it’s not just go ing to fall in our lap. We’ve got to go down there and put together four good quarters of defense and offense.”

Arkansas put together three quarters against Auburn.

The Tigers owned the third quarter outscoring Arkansas, 20-7 after trailing 27-3 at half.

“I hate to say we sat back and were comfortable with where we were standing,” Arkansas junior tight end D.J. Wiliams said. “We can’t let that ever happen.”

Maybe the Hogs got too comfortable, but credit Auburn with causing much of their thirdquarter discomfort. And credit the Hogs for regrouping and resolving.

Which brings us to another monkey for now off Petrino’s back.

As long as they remain in the SEC, Auburn offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn and Ole Miss head coach Houston Nutt will be monkeys on the back/elephants in the room for any Arkansas staff.

Expect mega doses of Arkansas vs. Nutt before next week’s Oct. 24 game at Ole Miss just like Arkansas vs. Malzahn this past week.

For those who may have just moved to Arkansas, Little Rock-born Nutt was Arkansas’ head coach from 1998-2007.

Fort Smith-born Malzahn, formerly a state champion Arkansas high school coach at Shiloh Christian and Springdale, coordinated the Razorbacks’ offense in 2006.

The soap opera atmosphere permeating the Nutt-Malzahn year fractured some of Arkansas’ fan base into conflicting camps decidedly pro one coach and anti the other.

First as offensive coordinator at Tulsa last year and now at Auburn, Malzahn has faced Arkansas twice. Arkansas prevailed 30-23 and 44-23.

So some will say Malzahn is 0-2 just as others would have gloated he’s 2-0 had Tulsa last yearand Auburn this year prevailed in Fayetteville.

In the weekly rush either to canonize or vilify, it seems fans and media tend to forget it’s a team game.

So while it’s nice to see Arkansas defensive coordinator Willy Robinson, a good man too often scapegoated, get props, this game didn’t boil down to Willy vs.

Gus or Bobby vs. Auburn defensively-oriented head coach Gene Chizik.

It came down, as it nearly always does, to the team best complementing offense, defense and special teams.

Arkansas’ offense keeping the ball 38:27 helped the defense hold Auburn to three points for three quarters.

Arkansas’ defense allowing Auburn to cross midfield just once in the first half greatly enhanced the Arkansas offense.

And the special teams, especially causing and recovering a fumbled Auburn kick return and springing Dennis Johnson for a 70-yard kick return right after Auburn closed from down 34-3 to 34-23, helped all things Arkansas.

“I think it’s our best game to date,” Petrino said, “as far as putting it together; offense, defense and special teams.”◊◊ ◊

Nate Allen's Razorback column appears Mondays in The Daily Record. The opinions expressed are those of the author.

Sports, Pages 7 on 10/12/2009

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