As we will try to do with the other SB Nation blogs of opponents we face this year, we exchanged 5 questions with Arkansas Expats, the Arkansas Razorbacks blog here on SB Nation.


1. How is your run blocking this season? I noticed that Arkansas is currently last in the SEC in rushing, and I wondered if that was a function of y'all playing from behind and abandoning the run for portions of the Georgia game and all of the Alabama game, or is your offensive line struggling? Michael Smith is averaging 6.8 yards per carry, so it doesn't seem to be an issue of lack of talent at the RB position.

Given the Hogs' long history of good running and bad passing, it's a little strange to have those strengths and weaknesses reversed. The running game has been surprisingly lackluster this year, and that's definitely something we'll need to improve if we want to start winning games against good teams.

As for why the running game has underperformed, I think it's a few things. Against Georgia, we were having a lot of success with downfield passing so the coaches kept going to that (and then late in the game we were playing catch-up like you said). Against Alabama, well, their defense is just really really good. Bobby Petrino is known as a passing coach, but he's said many times that he wants to go to the run more than we've seen so far.

Michael Smith is definitely for real - he's one of the best RBs in the SEC - and we need him to have a big game against A&M (and many more after that). He's been banged up a bit already this year, so we're hoping he stays healthy and gets the job done. After that, though, we have a bunch of highly touted backs who haven't produced much, so that's an area of concern. And to go back to your original question, the offensive line needs to play better. Right now our ability to convert in short yardage situations is pretty pathetic. If we have a 3rd & goal on you from the 1 yard line, look for a pass.

2. What is the biggest key to the game, in your opinion, for Arkansas to win?

The biggest key is that our defense needs to stop resembling a leaky sieve and act more like, well, a defense. A&M has a powerful offense, and our defense has a major weak spot when it comes to giving up big plays on the ground and in the air. It's been an absolute killer for us so far this year...if we're going to win on Saturday the defense absolutely needs to step up and make some stops.

3. Has the Razorback fanbase fully embraced Bobby Petrino, despite his 6-8 start at Arkansas? Any worries about him leaving if another job (say, Notre Dame) opens up?

Yeah, Razorback fans have definitely embraced Petrino. The frustration with Houston Nutt is pretty complex and would take too long to go into here, but the bottom line is that the fanbase was very divided during the latter part of his tenure. When Petrino came in, everyone rallied around him pretty quickly. Even though his record so far isn't great, the team has made a lot of progress and people are well aware that Nutt left the cupboard pretty bare and our schedule has been consistently brutal. So, Hog fans are still definitely into Petrino...however, we ARE focusing a lot of angst towards the defensive coordinator, Willy Robinson.

As for worries about Petrino leaving, I'm sure he'll leave at some point, but if he gets lured away to someplace like Notre Dame it would only be because the Hogs were winning big (nobody is going to want him with his current reputation and a 6-8 record). So, if he has success and then leaves, that seems like a fair tradeoff.

4. With the neutral site game in Arlington, Arkansas now has three home sites for games, in Fayetteville, Little Rock, and Arlington (in odd years). Do you think this effects your team at all, with having to mvoe around so much to still play at "home"? What, if any, effect does it have on your fanbase?

The Fayetteville vs Little Rock thing is always sort of controversial, and every few years there's talk about moving all the games to the campus, which then prompts a lot of outrage from people in Central and Southern Arkansas. The weird thing is that the Hogs seem to have a better home field advantage in Little Rock - it's louder there, and the fans tend to be rowdier - so in that sense, it does affect the team to have different levels of home games.

As for the games in Arlington, I think the pros of us getting a high-profile nonconference game in Texas far outweigh the cons, and people generally seem very positive on the idea. 

Well, I'm a fan so I can't pick against the Hogs here. For one thing, the more desperate team usually wins in football and this game is much more of a must win for 1-2 Arkansas than 3-0 Texas A&M. Plus, our record is a little deceiving in that we've played two good teams and that should have toughened us up a bit. I'll say that the Razorbacks will get their ground game going, get some big plays through the air and make enough stops on defense (certainly not a lot, but at least a few) to win in a nail-biting shootout.

Thanks to John and Stephen for their answers and insight into the Arkansas program. Go to Arkansas Expats to read my answers to their questions, and to discuss the game with them.