JR and Henry: Time for Houston to go

Arkansas's most popular and influential sportswriters JR and Henry have a column up today at Arkansas Sports 360.com where they call for Houston Nutt to be fired. They also predict a sound victory over North Texas.

Latest Edition of Razorpod

Is available for download. The whole crew is back for one of the few times this season. Click on the link to listen. Yes, Johnny Fayetteville's pick 'em lead evaporated quicker than it began, but it was sweet while it lasted. However, his ASU sleeper pick over Memphis State came together with some second half heroics from the Tribe.

http://www.switchpod.com/p131.html

U of A Student Newspaper Calls for Nutt's Head

A sportswriter for the Arkansas Traveler, the on-campus student newspaper, has called for Nutt's firing. It's not anything new, and in fact, is reminiscent of Wally's article right before Ford was canned in 1997. However, nothing will cure the situation other than a bunch of wins. Quickly.

There are some wistful memories lamented by the writer about the bygone Springdale days. Heaven that they were . . .

Follow the link.

http://media.www.thetraveleronline.com/media/storage/paper688/news/2007/09/28/Sports/Enough.Is.Enough.Its.Time.For.A.Change-2998210-page2.shtml

Bobby Petrino

He's coaching the Atlanta Falcons. They're 0-3, have no Mike Vick, have Joey Harrington starting, and really have no future to speak of. Let's say Houston, for whatever reason, doesn't come back. Any chance Petrino could be lured back to college ball (specifically, Arkansas) before his inevitable firing by the Falcons in 2009 at the latest?

19

The number of LSU starters who were recruited by Nick Saban.

http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/202620

Razorbacks with no late game comebacks since 2003

Per this article. Houston blames youth and the loss of Marcus Monk.

http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/202596

Hogs Punt return average measured in inches

7.2 a return, to be exact.

http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/202618

Arkansas Sports 360 - Interesting Break Down by some guy named Randy Reece

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/sports_blog_post.asp?pid=2151

Negative, Ghost Rider, the Pattern is Full

As further proof that some of our fans are the biggest morons in the world, apparently a group of disgruntled Razorback fans have raised enough money to hire an airplane with a banner saying "Players and Fans Deserve Better -- Fire Nutt!" to fly over the tailgate areas and around the stadium this weekend before the North Texas game.

Look, don't buy tickets. Get on message boards until your eyes cross. Herd your family into the basement, hold them at gunpoint, have a personal crisis, and call in to whatever show you want and go all Mike Gundy on Houston Nutt. But c'mon. This is ridiculous. I am sure this will insure whatever coach you think we deserve will come here immediately.

Sometimes I am embarrassed to be a Razorback fan. This is one of those times.

http://razorbacktalk.com/board/index.php/topic,7880.msg134139.html#msg134139

Razorpod Week 5 Games

West Virginia at South Florida
Michigan State at Wisconsin
Alabama vs. Florida State (in Jacksonville)
Cal at Oregon
North Texas at UA
Sleeper Game

The crew will pick the games this week tonight on Razorpod. Look for it here tomorrow. My picks are easy: West Virgina, Wisconsin, Alabama, Cal, Arkansas and for a sleeper I like Georgia Tech (+3) over Clemson.

What, no Danny Nutt in the coaching booth?

It seems that Houston Nutt and the U of A athletic department can't read a rule book. The SEC issued a determination yesterday that Danny Nutt, brother of head coach Houston Nutt, can't sit in the coaching booth wearing a headset and, you know, coach? Why? Nutt resigned his position as running backs coach citing health reasons. Since that time, he's been spotted dressing and now acting like a coach, despite not being a formal member of the staff (there are reports that he's still being compensated from the U of A).

If anything, this makes the U of A, an already foolish-looking football program, appear even more foolish. What possible reason is there for Danny Nutt to be involved in the coaching operations of the football team, especially when Tim Horton was hired to replace him?

Of course, this is Arkansas where they have a have a "Director of High School recruiting," and a "Director of On-Campus recruiting." They probably even have a "Director of Travel Entertainment" or whatever it was that Michigan had during the Fab 5 days (his job was to set up nintendo's in each of the hotel rooms where the players stayed). Ye Gods.

Sad But Probably True Heisman Breakdown

CFN does their Heisman breakdown. McFadden no longer the lead dog. We have to get to 9 wins for him to have a chance. Unlikely.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/678204.html

CFN picks the Hogs in a rout.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/682482.html

ESPN Bowl Projections

Hogs back home in Shreveport.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?page=bowlprojections4

Razorpodders > Defensive Coaches

As called for by the Razorback crew weeks ago, Marcus Harrison is moving back inside. Why does it take two SEC games to figure out that Marcus is too slow to play DE now that he's over 300 pounds?

http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/202520

Stockholm Syndrome Occurs in Canines, Too, Researchers Say

Researchers from the Institute of Canine Studies recently discovered that "Stockholm Syndrome," the phenomenon in which a kidnapping victim identifies with his or her captors, has crossed species from humans to canines.

"We are discovering more disturbing links every day between Man and Man's Best Friend," stated Gunner Schlocke, head researcher on the project. "Its amazing what dogs can pick up from humans and vice-versa."

Robert Shields Predicts Nutt's Demise

Robert Shields says that this weekend's loss will prove to be Houston's demise. Good insight into the effect that Nutt's emotions seem to have on his team. Plus, what seems as a waste of two of the best players to ever wear the cardinal and white is simply unacceptable.

http://www.hogville.net/yabbse/index.php?topic=158633.0

Kentucky 42 Arkansas 29

Think about this, with the best player in Razorback history and the best running back duo in college football, Houston Nutt has managed a record of 15-13.

JR and Henry predict Kentucky win

Arkansas's favorite sports columnists JR and Henry, writing for Arkansas Sports 360.com filed their Kentucky preview column. In short, they predict an offensive shootout with the Wildcats coming out on top. It's always worth a read.

Extra! Extra!

Newest edition of Razorpod is up. Follow the link, or download it directly into iTunes. Listen to the crew lament the Alabama loss, plus look ahead to the Kentucky game. Johnny Fayetteville comes back to the pack in the Razorpod pick 'em, and Tom Logan solidifies his lead. Lot of season left, however.

http://www.switchpod.com/p131.html

Baffled

"His eyebrows furrowed, Arkansas coach Houston Nutt shook his head when informed of the trend. Mike Marksuon, the Razorbacks’ offensive line coach, had a similar reaction," writes Ryan Malashock of Stephens Media. The "trend" he's talking about is Houston Nutt's streak of losing the conference game immediately following the first conference defeat.

“I’m not worried about that,” Nutt said. “It’s brand-new news to me. I’ve never known that stat. I hate that I even heard it. But you know what, now that I have, we’re going to break it.”

FW: Nutt pic

A picture is worth a thousand words-

Hope

The good news is that the future of Arkansas' football team is apparently doing quite well in practice. The bad news, Mitch Mustain is now at USC. Without McFadden, where will Arkansas be next year? .500 maybe? One thing is for sure, the Hogs would be alot better off if No. 16 in red wasn't now Nathan Emert.

http://www.pe.com/sports/college/usc/stories/PE_Sports_Local_D_usc_notes_20.3ea90ab.html

I miss Gus

There's hasn't been much talk on Razorpod lately about the incredibly hot start of the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. As many loyal readers know, the offense is orchestrated by former Arkansas offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn (no "a" Houston). Tulsa whipped up on Louisiana-Monroe in the first game of the season, amassing an impressive 523 yards of total offense (216 rushing, 307 passing). In a game no one thought Tulsa could win, the Golden Hurricane beat BYU 55-47 in what was another very impressive offensive performance (595 yards in total offense). But I'm not the only one who's picking up on this. ESPN.com's Ivan Maisel writes in his column today,

At first glance, Tulsa's 55-47 victory over BYU appears incredible enough. The Golden Hurricane and the Cougars combined for 1,289 yards, yet played enough defense to force 10 punts.

A closer look, however, shows just how explosive the Tulsa offense is. Six touchdown drives averaged 1:27 in length (a seventh touchdown came on Roy Roberts' 49-yard interception return). In fact, Tulsa (2-0) held the ball for only 24:56. BYU, in its 35:04 of possession, snapped the ball on 94 plays from scrimmage.

SEC Round-Up

Good article by Neal McCready of the Mobile Press-Register covering all the goings on around the SEC this week. One tasty nugget concerns the possiblity of up to six schools changing coaches after the season. Arkansas is mentioned. Butch Davis is said to be in the mix if Houston Nutt steps down. . . as well as - wait for it, Terry Bowden. Yikes!

http://www.al.com/sports/press-register/nmccready.ssf?/base/sports/1190280141288950.xml&coll=3&thispage=1

Razorpod Game Predictions - Week 4

Texas A&M @ Miami: PW - TAMU, JF - TAMU, TL - Miami, JG - Miami
Penn St. @ Michigan: PW - PSU, JF - PSU, TL - Mich, JG - Mich
Georgia @ Alabama: PW - Bama, JF - Bama, TL - UGa, JG - UGa
S. Carolina @ LSU: PW - LSU, JF - LSU, TL - LSU, JG - LSU
Kentucky @ Arkansas: PW - Ky, JF - UA, TL - Ky, JG - UA
Sleeper Game: PW - Indiana, JF - NMSU, TL - Iowa, JG - Minnesota

Hogs Picked to Win in Shootout

The folks over at http://www.collegefootballnews.com/ pick the Hogs to defeat Kentucky in a shootout 38-34. Home field and (of course) McFadden and Jones make the difference. This game is huge, as CFN points out, because it would pretty much guarantee a 4-1 start leading into the Auburn game. I'll take the Hogs at home in a close game.

http://www.moviewavs.com/php/sounds/?id=bst&media=WAVS&type=Movies&movie=Tombstone&quote=huckleberry.txt&file=huckleberry.wav


More on the jump.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/651709.html

Every Day should be Saturday standing behind the Hogs

Under Orson's holds

http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/?p=3862

Cleveland on His Way to Redshirt

After much speculation, it looks like Cleveland's done for the year.

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/09/19/razorback_central/091907uafbcleveland.txt

Ernest Mitchell Suspended for Kentucky Game

Arkansas head football coach Houston Nutt suspended junior defensive tackle Ernest Mitchell for the Kentucky game this upcoming weekend. Mitchell was ejected from Saturday's game against Alabama for ripping offensive tackle Justin Britt's helmet and throwing it at him. Addittional information on the jump.

http://www.hogwired.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=6100&ATCLID=1242585

No place for what Mitchell did, although I can understand why he was upset. His leg was caught underneath him, and all 325 pounds of Justin Britt was on top of him, with one hand on this throat and one on his facemask, grinding him into the turf several seconds after the play was whistled dead. Britt did his best soccer player imitation, acting like his head had been nearly severed and limping to the sidelines Brodie Croyle style only to sprint back onto the field on the very next play.

It's always the second guy that gets caught.

Gut Punched in Tuscaloosa

The Hogs took one square in the solar plexus last night with their last second loss in Tuscaloosa to the Alabama Crimson Tide, 41-38, on a touchdown pass with :08 remaining in the game.

My thoughts are wide and varied, including being pretty upset with our decision to pass the ball with 2:31 left. An incompletion stopped the clock and prevented about 30 seconds from running off. However, in retrospect, we lost the game on the little things.

1. Special teams. Fumble on a kickoff, giving Alabama great field position. Allowing an Alabama punt return down to our five yard line in the second half. One play, touchdown.

2. Turnovers. Tipped pass interception gave Bama a 9 yard field in the first half. 2 plays, touchdown.

3. Tough breaks. Alabama's field goal with 4 minutes remaining came after the play clock expired. A flag would have moved the distance from 42 to 47 yards and a 4th and 11. May have changed the game and the decision to kick at all. Kevin Woods' pass interference call in the end zone was questionable at best. The clock stopping for a measurement with :21 left, although the ball was clearly 2 yards short of a first down basically gave the Tide a 4th second half timeout. Had they simply wound the clock, I would have expected a 6-8 second rundown. As tough as these breaks are, they're part of football, however.

The bright side?

Darren McFadden. He may not win the Heisman, but he's the best player I've ever seen. No superlative is enough.

Casey Dick. He got very little help from his wide receivers, with dropped passes and fumbles. However, he looked downfield better and made some nice throws.

The bad?

Our pass defense has to get well in a hurry before Kentucky comes to town. If we start slowly in the secondary next week, we may get down early.

Dennis Dodd on Arkansas/Alabama

In his Weekend Watch List column, Dennis Dodd of CBS Sportsline.com has this to say about the Arkansas - Alabama match-up:

• Alabama is looking at a 7-0 start. It gets Arkansas (Saturday) and Georgia in back-to-back home games, followed by Florida State in Jacksonville, Houston and Ole Miss. That's one true road game in the first six.

Look out if 'Bama comes in undefeated for the Tennessee game on Oct. 20.

• WWWWL Do? (Or What Would Weekend Watch List Do?) Forget quarterback Casey Dick at Arkansas. Line up Darren McFadden or Felix Jones in the Wildcat formation on every play. Leading receiver Marcus Monk is out with a knee injury. Why risk Dick's scatter-shooting at 'Bama? At least you know what you're getting with D-Mac and Jones.

Jim Donnan likes the Tide's chances on Saturday

In his ESPN.com chat today, everyone's favorite "former" coach Jim Donnan wrote, "I really think they (Alabama) have a good shot, playing at home. A lot of the same guys who played against them last year in the disappointing OT loss to them, know they can play with them this year. The key will be not to give up a lot of easy throws from the QB. Offensively, keep the ball away from McFadden. This is a game I look forward to seeing from both teams. Neither one has been challenged so far. Everyone's excited about Saban, but the next two weeks will give you an idea of how they stand."

JR and Henry predict Bama victory

JR and Henry the popular columnists over at Arkansas Sports 360.com have weighed in on the Arkansas - Alabama game, and the outlook isn't good for Razorback fans. They predict a 38-30 loss in Tuscaloosa by virtue of Arkansas's inability to move the football in the air. That, and the 92,000 plus screaming Roll Tide, Mike Price style.

Latest Edition of Razorpod is Up

The gang discusses the upcoming Alabama game, as well as all the latest news and notes out of Fayetteville. Big game this weekend for both teams, and will likely set the tone for the rest of the season.

You guys make sure to let me know how it goes.

http://www.switchpod.com/p131.html

Studio Jimmy G - Saturday Sept. 15

Early Games
TV 1 - Mississippi State @ Auburn
TV 2 - Pittsburgh @ Michigan State
TV 3 - Iowa @ Iowa State

Afternoon Games
TV 1 - Tennessee @ Florida
TV 2 - Notre Dame @ Michigan
TV 3 - Ohio State @ Washington

Evening Games
TV 1 - Arkansas @ Alabama
TV 2 - USC @ Nebraska
TV 3 - Boston College @ Georgia Tech

Heading down to the beach for one last day. Taking Elisha with me and the new razorpod for entertainment. See everyone on Saturday.

EDSBS at it again

It's favorite subject, Houston Nutt.

http://www.everydayshouldbesaturday.com/?p=3830

Maisel Picks Pigs

In his online chat on ESPN.com. He believes lack of depth on Alabama's defensive line will tell the tale.

http://proxy.espn.go.com/chat/chatESPN?event_id=17206

Razorblade? Check. Salt? Check. Lemon Juice? Check

Just rub it in, why don't ya? It has been well documented in the world of Razorpod that Johnny Fayetteville has "commitments" this weekend, and will miss the Bama game in its entirety.

No big deal, per www.collegefootballnews.com. It's only anticipated to be one of the best games of the day, with an exciting finish to boot. I disagree with their final score, but it's good to know what I'll be missing.

Excuse me while I go cry.

http://cfn.scout.com/2/651708.html

We're all fans, but come on

According to police, 32-year-old Texas fan Brian Christopher Thomas walked into Henry Hudson's Pub [in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma] on June 17 wearing a Longhorns T-shirt and quickly became the focus of football "trash talk" from another regular, 53-year-old Oklahoma fan Allen Michael Beckett.

Thomas told police that when he decided to leave and went to the bar to pay his tab, Beckett grabbed him in the crotch, pulled him to the ground and wouldn't let go, even as bar patrons tried to break it up. When the two men were separated, Thomas looked down and realized the extent of his injuries.

"He could see both of his testicles hanging on the outside of his body," said Thomas' attorney, Carl Hughes. "He was wearing a pair of white shorts, which made it that much worse."

It took more than 60 stitches to close the wound, and police interviewed Thomas at a nearby hospital emergency room.

The virtue of the spread

Spencer Tillman, writing for CBS Sportsline.com notes, " the spread wreaks havoc with defensive schemes, particularly if it's run by highly skilled athletes, boosted by overall team speed and precise execution. Not that long ago, the spread was seen as a gimmick, but today's oddball approach often is tomorrow's genius. The spread is effective because it allows teams to create one-on-one matchups, take advantage of speed, limit the defense by formation, cut back on blitzing and reduce the number of blocks that are needed."

Not to dig up old business, but I think a few of us on the RAN made similar arguments when Gus Malzahn was hired (and subsequently fired, I mean demoted, I mean quit) at Arkansas. Observes Tillman, " The centerpiece of any good offense is the ability to match your approach with the talent you have. In effect, size and strength are at best compromised. Florida conducted a clinic in quickness over bulk in last year's BCS Championship Game. The lesson didn't fall on deaf ears."

Tillman concludes," Once upon a time, smash-mouth, three yards and a cloud of dust was the norm. A running game is still the foundation of great football, however today we're seeing another era. The spread is flattening the competitive playing field." I wonder if Houston Nutt is listening?

Jimmy G's Week 3 Predictions

Sorry I have to miss this week's Razorpod show. Maybe Buford will fill in for me this week after doing such a good job last week in place of Logan. Here are my week 3 picks:

Georgia Tech 31 Boston College 17
Kentucky 42 Louisville 35
Florida 23 Tennessee 13
Nebraska 28 USC 24
Alabama 30 Arkansas 24
Sleeper Game: Notre Dame 20 Michigan 17

All in Alabama

CBSsportsline's expert picks all take Bama. Amazing.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/expertpicks

Harmon Forecast

He has Bama 27-22.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/8820391

Our New Athletic Director . . .

Is Jeff Long, formerly AD at Pitt. I honestly don't know the first thing about him. Big shoes to fill, following Frank Broyles, to be sure.

KATV has the story. Apparently he takes over in January.

Good luck. At least there won't be as many Player/AD meetings as last year. http://www.katv.com/news/stories/0907/454489.html

Whither Charlie Weis?

I got shouted down earlier in the season for even suggesting it, but Pat Forde out and out says it:

Charlie Weis is overrated and only won games at Notre Dame with Tyrone Willingham's players. He is on track to have a MUCH worse season this year than Willingham's worst season, but Ty got canned and Weis got $30 Million. Why?

Forde thinks it was a combination of panic by the Domers when Weis again flirted with going back to the NFL, a good showing against a great USC team at home (although the result was a loss), and handling an otherwise easy schedule with veteran players. If they start out 0-8, which is a REAL possibility (and seemed much more certain before the freefall that has become Michigan), will Notre Dame apply the same tough standards to Weis as they did Willingham?

Forde dances around it just a bit, but he at least hints at the racial issues that seem to be just below the surface.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3013932&sportCat=ncf

Stewart Mandel continues his beat down of the Hogs

Arkansas and Auburn are his "leaders in the clubhouse" to turn out to be frauds this year.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2007/writers/stewart_mandel/09/11/power.rankings3/index.html

McFadden still No. 1 in ESPN's Heisman watch

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/heisman07/index

Arkansas 19th in the Power 16!

Better than 11th in the Bottom 10.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/powerranking?season=2007&week=3

Hogs Avoid Bottom 10 Again!

The Irish and the Wolverines aren't so lucky.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3013809

Arkansas-Alabama game among Pat Forde's credibility games this week

Notes that one of the two will be contenders in the West. The other, well, we know what happens to the loser in this series.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?columnist=forde_pat&id=3013932&sportCat=ncf

Arkansas is Not Necessarily a Tough Place to Play, But . . .

It's a hell of a hard place to coach per ESPN. No wonder Houston is aging like he is. The writer places Bama at the top of the list of hard places to coach, but the Hogs are not too far behind at number five.

We're number five! We're number five! We're number five!

Oops, that's actually not a good thing.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=feldman_bruce&id=3012827

Bama Fan Site Preview

He has the Tide 27-24.

http://tidefans.com/forums/showthread.php?t=61682

Bama's Game Not Living Up to Preseason Hype

I'm sure that means JP Wilson is scheduled for a breakthrough performance Saturday.

http://www.al.com/alabamafootball/huntsvilletimes/index.ssf?/base/sports/1189415793192420.xml&coll=1

Baker's Dozen - Week 2

Tough start for SHS. No Baker's Dozen next week. On with this week's picks:
Predictions
Springdale over Alma
Columbia Rockbridge over Har-Ber
Fayetteville over Russellville
LR Catholic over Benton
PA over CAC
Ashdown over Hope
Morrilton over Booneville
Harrison over Mountain Home
Newport over Gosnell
Carlisle over Episcopal Collegiate
Clarksville over Huntsville
Texas High over Texarkana
Malvern over Glen Rose

Team of the Week: Warren

Top Five
1. LR Central
2. Bentonville
3. Bryant
4. Warren
5. Fayetteville
6. FS Southside
7. Texarkana
8. West Memphis

Last Week: 8 Wins 5 Losses

See ya in two weeks,
Jimmy G

It's good to be 1-0

Here's a photo of HDN enjoying the first JUCO football game in Little Rock in 50 years.

What Are You Lookin' at, Butthead?

The latest episode of Razorpod is up. Check it out at http://www.switchpod.com/p131.html. You can obviously download it through iTunes and subscribe there as well to avoid weekly downloads. The crew discusses the Troy game and some upcoming games at the national level. Oh, by the way, the clubhouse leader in the Razorpod pick 'em is Johnny Fayetteville. Total domination.

Luckily for Tom Logan, the Razorpod crew doesn't believe you should lose your position due to injury. Therefore, he'll have his spot to Patrick Williams' immediate right when he returns from sabbatical. However, Buford Tannen, ostensibly pictured above, stood in and did a very good job last night. Good analysis by Buford. He should stop by more often.

http://www.moviewavs.com/php/sounds/?id=gog&media=WAVS&type=Movies&movie=Back_To_The_Future"e=lookinat.txt&file=lookinat.wav

Razorpod Game Predictions - Week 2

Miami @ Oklahoma: PW - OU, JF - OU, TL - OU, JG - OU, BT - OU
South Carolina @ Georgia: PW - UGa, JF - UGa, TL - SC, JG - UGa, BT - UGa
TCU @ Texas: PW - Texas, JF - Texas, TL - Texas, JG - Texas, BT - Texas
Alabama @ Vanderbilt: PW - Bama, JF - Bama, TL - Bama, JG - Vandy, BT - Bama
Virginia Tech @ LSU: PW - LSU, JF - LSU, TL - LSU, JG - LSU, BT - LSU
Sleeper Game: PW - BYU, JF - Arkansas St., TL - Nobody, JG - Ole Miss, BT - UNC

Week One Standings: JF (5-1), TL & JG (3-3), PW (2-4)

Thank You, Sir, May I Have Another!

This is likely how Arkansas State felt when the Big 12 admitted today that the Big 12 officials made the wrong call on ASU's onside kick with a minute left on Saturday night against the Texas Longhorns. The Indians were down 21-13 with :56 left when they onside kicked the Longhorns and recovered at midfield. The play was nullified when the officials huddled after the play and threw a late flag for illegal formation, which gave the ball to the Horns and effectively ended the game. Several days later, the conference admitted that the play was legal.

Not to say ASU would have definitely scored, but they had Texas on the ropes. We almost had two huge upsets of top 5 teams at home this weekend. Steve Roberts is a good coach.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3005873

Get ready for Razorpod

The boys of Razorpod convene tonight to talk about this week's games. The Hogs are off - - learning how to pass in anticipation of their trip to Tuscaloosa next week. Here's the line-up of games the guys will be discussing. Tom Logan's out of town (he's on the beaches of Hawaii with Jessica Alba, a huge fan of Razorpod).

Miami at OU
South Carolina at UGa
TCU at Texas
Alabama at Vanderbilt
Va. Tech at LSU
Sleeper Game

Jim Harris says UA behind cancellation of "Sports Week"

Jim Harris of Arkansas Sports 360.com writes that the UA's pressure on KATV President Dale Nicholson led to the cancellation of Sports Week, a popular weekly sports show featuring David Bazzel and Bruce James.

That KATV general manager Dale Nicholson hasn't returned our phone calls tells us what we already knew: KATV has let Nutt and the university dictate its sports programming and has dropped the show. There is no other reason why a television station would cancel so popular a show in the Sunday night ratings. While the show wasn't seen in Fayetteville all these years, there were enough comments by James and Bazzel in Little Rock that made their way to the university, enough to displease the powers-that-be. And, we're told, Nicholson for several years could always count on a call from the coach's father, the late Houston Nutt Sr., anytime his son's coaching was taken to task on "SportsWeek."

There is justice in the world

The USA Today/Coaches Poll is out and Michigan, ranked #5 last week, fell out of the Top 25. I think it was ESPN's Reece Davis who said that any coach who voted Michigan in the Top 25 should have their card yanked. Michigan still received 132 votes, putting the Wolverines just 22 votes shy of 25th.

Clemson, who whipped a Top 20 team, didn't make it. Georgia Tech, who didn't, did. Huh? Tennessee also hangs around at 24 after taking a beating at Cal.

Hogs are 18th, up 2 spots from last week. Climb that mountain, Houston!

Just cuz

Nicole Kidman on the new cover of Vanity Fair. I'm pretty sure she's a Hog fan. If not, she's certainly interested in getting an invite to Rib Party X along with Ms. Witherspoon and Ms. Cuthbert. Keith Urban can stay home.

Nice . . .

Here is a link to the killer block McFadden threw to spring Felix Jones for a touchdown on the kickoff return. Lets see the other Heisman Trophy candidates do this. It's about a minute into the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UMHUHXrINHE&NR=1

What's next? New Coke, Max Headroom, and Tight-Rolled Acid-Washed Jeans?

I swear to God, the next person sitting next to me that does the wave is going to get gut-punched. How dorky are we that we do the wave at home games? Didn't that go out of vogue in 1985? What are you folks? Seven?

I Voted For the Hogs Before I Voted Against the Hogs

A good number of Razorback "fans" predicted (and probably more accurately and truthfully, hoped) we would lose to Troy. They said how we couldn't stop the pass and how horrendous we were. They thought Troy would come here and stun us. They cited Stewart Mandel's pick of Troy over the Hogs on SI.com as proof.

The actual result? One bad defensive quarter with a two touchdown lead against a Sun Belt team and, finally, a 20 point victory. The game was actually a four touchdown spread until a true garbage touchdown at the gun. Quiet any skeptics or "hataz" to the north? Nope, not really. More fussing that we didn't beat them badly enough and that Troy, world beaters at 5:59 PM, was horrible at 9:30.

Note to the nattering nabobs of negativism: You can't have it both ways. Are we going to be pretty good, or do we suck? Was Troy a good team with a chance to beat the Hogs like you claimed? If so, where is the credit for beating a dangerous team fairly easily? Take a position and stick to it, but the recurring flip flops remind me of the claims made against the junior Senator from Massachusetts. Just finding something you don't like and blaming it on Nutt while penning Valentines to players on other teams is just sad.

By the way, 73,000 attended the game. Saw 4 Mustain jerseys, all on 45 year old men with mustaches. One "16" hat in the stadium worn by a guy, swear to God, who also wore a Springdale Bulldogs jersey. No riots in the stands. No big protests. Great day on the Hill.

CFN's updated rankings

Arkansas in at 35. Didn't CFN at one time love us?

http://cfn.scout.com/2/675514.html

Jr. and Enrique strike again

On Arkansas Businesses's Arkansassports360 website.

http://www.arkansasbusiness.com/sports_blog_post.asp?pid=2036

Born Red, Nebraska's got their man.

Bill Callahan and Nebraska agree to an extension. Was the Huskers' performance against Nevada that impressive? Guess so.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/news/story?id=3003879

FSU-Clemson

I think Johnny made this same point last night, Florida State is talent poor. Good read by Mark Schlabach.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/columns/story?columnist=schlabach_mark&id=3003519

Does Anybody Take Anything the Coaches Say Seriously?

Here's David Lee after Arkansas receivers caught three passes (one from starter Casey Dick, one from Darren McFadden, and one from Nathan Emert) against Troy:

“I remember telling Houston that [ Marcus ] Monk would catch 12 balls in the first game.”

Do they even believe that themselves?

http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/200484

Rocky Top won't like this.

Dennis Dodd's column on Cal's "mauling" of Tennessee. I don't remember it being that one sided. Props to Cal though, they've got a good team.

http://www.sportsline.com/collegefootball/story/10328834

ESPN's Heisman Watch

Updated every Tuesday.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncf/heisman07/index

Don't worry about Dick's performance

He was just nervous. Yeah, that's the ticket.

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/09/03/razorback_central/090207henry.txt

Hillis back as punt catcher?

Maybe so, after Michael Smith's three fumble adventure against Troy.

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/09/03/razorback_central/090307uafbtroyfllwntebk.txt

Houston Nutt: Winner of this week's "No S***" award

With this comment from Sunday's press conference:

"Did we execute totally, just perfect in the passing game? No," Nutt said.

http://www.nwaonline.net/articles/2007/09/03/razorback_central/090307uafbtroyfollow.txt

Hogs add another formation with McFadden behind center

The Racehorse. Creativity, thy name is Houston Nutt.

http://www.wholehogsports.com/adg/200428

Arkansas 46 Troy 26

Obviously, everyone knows this by now. But I figured it needed to be posted. Good to be 1-0, Chuck