Have a question: How long before our offense finds a rythm?

[badmotorfinger]

I think it will find some sort of rythem in the first game.

Some posters are right though. This offense the last couple of years has sort of been geared for a 50/50 balance. Which basically means the pass is spent as much time practicing as the run. Nutt has been forced to do that b/c the offensive linemen and qb he had was recruited for a pass-first philosphy. Nutt is a run first coach, similar to Saban. Now that Nutt knows he has to establish the run and not hurt some prissy prima donna quarterback's ego, the run game and run blocking should be more emphasized and better this year than the past 2. The pass game will come along but when you need to connect against Alabama or Lsu, my money is on it not being there then those razorback experts will be around saying "I told you so" well unless they are in the midst of another 7-5. But that's ok considering the circumstances. Nutt was in this situation in 06. Young QB, no experience, young center, young gaurds. he was expected to do nothing but brought back a decent front 7, decent set of offensive tackles, and 2 super star backs. I can see the backs on campus that can carry the load if E. Davis or Rodney Scott step up. He needs one real reliable possession receiver like he had in 6'6 marcus monk in 06. If someone could step up there and you get something out of the TE posistion and a deep threat, this team should contend for the 2nd in the west. He won't have a lock down corner as good as the guy he had in 06, a 2nd round pick that year, but overall the defense should be better than what he had that year.

Forgot to include that in 06', Nutt had in his back pocket: Mcfadden, Jones, Hillis and Michael Smith. Those 4 backs will help out any qb

Right but he has the backs with the potential. In 06, it wasn't so much dmac ,jones , hillis, as much as the defense. Had those 3 never came to campus, Nutt still would have been near the top of the league in rushing with someone else, he always is, and he most likely will be this year b/c of his emphasis on it. You noticed in 07 he lost alot of defense from 06, Keith Jackson, Jamaal Anderson, Olajubutu and the corner who's name escapes me that went 32nd to the falcons. the quality of win/loss went down even though he had the same offense, and the offense was better in most statistical categories except fumbles lost ; 6 in 06, 15 in 07.

I think the defense will be in good shape this year.

[HottyToddy10]

There is no possible way it could be more hit or miss than it was with Jevan last year....if not for DMC...we would have not even made Cotton Bowl

[spudhog]

I think it will find some sort of rythem in the first game.

Some posters are right though. This offense the last couple of years has sort of been geared for a 50/50 balance. Which basically means the pass is spent as much time practicing as the run. Nutt has been forced to do that b/c the offensive linemen and qb he had was recruited for a pass-first philosphy. Nutt is a run first coach, similar to Saban. Now that Nutt knows he has to establish the run and not hurt some prissy prima donna quarterback's ego, the run game and run blocking should be more emphasized and better this year than the past 2. The pass game will come along but when you need to connect against Alabama or Lsu, my money is on it not being there then those razorback experts will be around saying "I told you so" well unless they are in the midst of another 7-5. But that's ok considering the circumstances. Nutt was in this situation in 06. Young QB, no experience, young center, young gaurds. he was expected to do nothing but brought back a decent front 7, decent set of offensive tackles, and 2 super star backs. I can see the backs on campus that can carry the load if E. Davis or Rodney Scott step up. He needs one real reliable possession receiver like he had in 6'6 marcus monk in 06. If someone could step up there and you get something out of the TE posistion and a deep threat, this team should contend for the 2nd in the west. He won't have a lock down corner as good as the guy he had in 06, a 2nd round pick that year, but overall the defense should be better than what he had that year.

Forgot to include that in 06', Nutt had in his back pocket: Mcfadden, Jones, Hillis and Michael Smith. Those 4 backs will help out any qb

Right but he has the backs with the potential. In 06, it wasn't so much dmac ,jones , hillis, as much as the defense. Had those 3 never came to campus, Nutt still would have been near the top of the league in rushing with someone else, he always is, and he most likely will be this year b/c of his emphasis on it. You noticed in 07 he lost alot of defense from 06, Keith Jackson, Jamaal Anderson, Olajubutu and the corner who's name escapes me that went 32nd to the falcons. the quality of win/loss went down even though he had the same offense, and the offense was better in most statistical categories except fumbles lost ; 6 in 06, 15 in 07.

Correct. One of my big complaints about Nutt. He had one, maybe 2 decent defenses at Ark. Low and behold we won or tied the West both of those years. Chris Houston was the corner you were discussing. Ironically enough about the 06 defense, it wasn't very good against real good teams.

OM has had a better defense the last 2 years than we had at Ark. Nutt's style will be very successfull with a strong defense. Even the losses OM had last year, the defense kept them in most of the games.

[delusionalthug]

Arkansas is a hard place to recruit alot of good defensive players compared to other SEC schools because there is not alot of SEC level highschool defensive players in the state that come up playing defense. Or guys within a 250 mile or so radius of the campus compared to most other SEC schools. If you break down the statitics of Nutts Arkansas defenses in his 10 years or even the last 7 years he was there, he was 1 or 2 levels ahead of where the potential for Arkansas ranks based on history, recruiting budget, geographical logistics and etc. Petrino has been last in the SEC in defense the last 2 years. Arkansas traditionally averaged around 8th under Nutt which it should have been about 9th or 10th most years.

The thread is not about defense. It's about offense. I think the football novice spectator will notice it start to gel around the Arkansas game.