Wondering exactly what happened on Bobby and Jessica's fateful motorcycle ride? What about in Petrino's final meeting with Jeff Long? Now, thanks to this Taiwanese animated news story, your questions are answered.

To set your expectations properly, this might be the best thing ever on the Internet. My favorite part might be Dorrell getting booted out of Long's office by a giant charging hog, but it's really hard to choose. Enjoy!

(h/t: Jimmy Traina)

Big news day, eh Hog fans?

Arkansas fans everywhere will surely be picking apart the various elements of Bobby Petrino's ill-fated motorcycle ride for weeks months years, but we here at Arkansas Expats, Inc are nothing if not practical and there's a officially a coaching search on. So, let's save the deep thinking about what it all means for another time and jump straight into what happens next.

It goes without saying that Jeff Long is in a tough spot. Not only does he have to replace one of the top 10 coaches in college football, he has to do it in April...not exactly the season for prime pickings in the coaching ranks. Oh, and he has to bring in someone who can fulfill the promise of a top 10 team that was getting mentioned in preseason national championship talk before Petrino took that country drive with Jessica Dorrell.

The textbook move when replacing a coach at an awkward time is to go the interim route and then prepare for a splashy hire after the season (ex. Ohio State with Luke Fickell and then Urban Meyer). But, with the Razorbacks poised for greatness behind Tyler Wilson and Knile Davis this fall, simply bringing in a seat warmer may not be enough. Long understands the fans' expectations and knows that such windows of opportunity don't come along often, and will likely at least look around for a splashy hire first.

With all that in mind, our list of requirements looks something like this:

1. Can win *now*.

2. Can recruit and coach well enough to keep the program humming along at a consistently high level.

3. Is unlikely to hire his mistress for a team position, give her $20,000 under the table and take her on a motorcycle ride that leads to a disastrous crash and cover-up attempt.

These factors lead to a clear-cut choice who, if you can stand the suspense for a few more seconds, we will reveal after the jump:

Continue reading this post »

In what has to be considered *the* hiring coup of the offseason, Arkansas State has snagged a very big fish to replace Hugh Freeze: the one and only Gus Malzahn. Yes, the very same Gus Malzahn who was rumored to be in play for nearly every vacant major conference job, and even turned down a $3 million annual salary at Vanderbilt a year ago, is now taking a pay cut to come to Jonesboro.

Major congrats are in order for the Red Wolves, who managed to rebound from the tough loss of Freeze far more successfully than anyone imagined they would. And, surely this is a happy day for Auburn as well - now that Malzahn is out of the way, there's nothing holding back Gene Chizik's unquestioned coaching brilliance.

(If we could just have one Christmas wish this year, it would be for Malzahn to hire Houston Nutt as his O.C. Yeah, it's an absurd thought, but maybe if enough of us ask for it Santa, or Jimmy Sexton, will make it happen.)

Given all that's on the line in this Friday's Battle for the Boot, it's hard to imagine that just three short years ago the Arkansas-LSU game had nothing more at stake for the Hogs than a 5-7 record and a little extra momentum going into the following season. Now, with the Petrino Era in full swing the Razorbacks are ranked #3 and, if certain esoteric factors break their way, playing for a potential national championship berth. It feels kind of crazy to even type those words.

Unfortunately, the reality is that even if the Hogs pull off the upset, they'll be facing an uphill battle to wind up in the title game or, at minimum, BCS bowl they deserve, and one huge reason for that is the way they're perceived nationally. To put it bluntly, the Razorbacks aren't yet a program with the national reputation or aura of an Alabama or LSU (or even Auburn or Tennessee). Those teams have already won titles and big bowls, and are known for taking care of business in the games that really matter. For people outside the state, Arkansas remains solidly in the pack of teams that may pop up in the top 10 radar every few years, but can never quite get over the hump to the point where they get the benefit of the doubt in things like the minds of poll voters or media coverage.

Having said that, I firmly believe that's it possible for Arkansas to become one of those teams, and the last couple of seasons prove conclusively that we're getting ever closer to that status. What's the shortest path to getting there? Win on Friday! We've knocked at the door before but have come up short - heartbreaking losses to Florida in 2006 or Tennessee in 1998 come to mind. A victory against LSU would be a perfect springboard to lead the program to the proverbial next level.

Think about it...*everybody* is going to be watching this game. There will literally be millions of fans around the country who haven't seen the Hogs play a down all season but will tune in as they digest their Thanksgiving leftovers to see what all the fuss is about. It's an enormous stage, and an incredible opportunity to shape the perception of the program among fans, media members and recruits. If they see what we've all seen the last few weeks - incredible skill and athleticism on offense, an opportunistic defense, excellent special teams, exciting play-calling - they're going to be impressed. Very impressed. And that will only lead to more big things in the coming seasons.

The focus on Friday will be on the action on the field, of course, and to a slightly lesser extent its immediate impact on the on the BCS standings. That alone makes the game hugely important. But as you watch, don't forget to look beyond this season at the big picture. This is the Hogs' moment. A perfect chance to make a statement, to take a leap, to climb the ladder toward the upper echelon of college football. The fact that the Razorbacks even have that opportunity just three years after the 2008 game is impressive...the fact that they have a decent shot to actually do it is amazing. Whatever happens, this game is as big as we've seen in a very long time.

Woo pig sooie!

If there's one thing that Arkansas fans, LSU fans and neutral parties can agree on, it's that the Tigers have a legitimately frightening defense. Stacked with big, fast and strong playmakers at every position, they've shut down every offense they've faced this year. The Hogs will surely have to play their best game of the year to make any significant impact on the scoreboard.

In particular, Tyrann Mathieu, the ball-hawking CB known as the Honey Badger for his opportunistic ferocity, has been getting a lot of attention all season long. How does one of the top Razorback receivers, let's say Joe Adams, stack up against such an elite talent?

Let's go to the video:

 

Ok, maybe that's not the best example. How would another receiver, perhaps Cobi Hamilton, fare against LSU's highly touted Morris Claiborne? Maybe even with LB Karnell Hatcher thrown into the mix for an extra degree of difficulty? Again, to the video:

Hmm. Should be a very interesting game.

As you may have heard, the Razorbacks have a pretty big game coming up this Friday. Looking back into the mists of history, the unfortunate 1998 clash with Tennessee stands out as the last Arkansas game with such national significance, or perhaps even the epic 1969 faceoff against Texas. At any rate, the LSU game is serious stuff.

The oddsmakers aren't giving the Hogs a lot of credit, and certainly beating the #1 Tigers in their home stadium is no small task. It's the general policy of this blog not to speculate overly much on such matters, as the potential for jinxing is extremely high. But, the scenarios quickly get so weird with an Arkansas victory that it's fun to run through the possibilities.

Here are a few of the many options:

- Hogs lose, wind up in the Capital One (or Cotton) Bowl. Certainly not the worst thing in the world, but definitely a bummer to see so many less-deserving teams make BCS bowls over us. Realistically, this is the most likely option.

- Hogs win, but due to the SEC tiebreak formula Alabama winds up in the conference championship game and Arkansas is shut out of the national championship conversation.

- Hogs win and rise high enough in the polls that they make the BCS Championship Game (presumably a rematch against Bama) even without winning the conference. Frankly, this seems so farfetched as to barely be worth mentioning but apparently it's mathematically possible.

- Hogs win but remain in the #3 slot behind Alabama and LSU and wind up back in the Capital One Bowl. This seems almost ridiculously unfair (has a #3 team ever beaten the #1 team on the road and not risen above them?) but noted loudmouth Clay Travis is making a case for it.

- Hogs win, but due to the byzantine inner workings of the BCS process are leapfrogged by Oklahoma State (the computers still have them at #2!), Stanford, Virgina Tech or someone else. This option has the most significant kick-in-the-balls quality to it, so naturally it seems the most likely of the victory scenarios to me.

In the end, though, nobody truly knows. The mix of human perceptions and computer formulas is volatile enough that almost anything is possible (Dr. Saturday has a really good breakdown, though...check it out). My default position is that if there's any way for the Hogs to get screwed in this situation, they most likely will.

But, nonetheless, all the interesting scenarios start with a victory. That much is clear...lose to LSU and none of it matters. Beat LSU and the fun really starts.

First thought: Wow.

Second thought: It might still be a bit of a long shot (more on that in a minute), but make no mistake about it, the Hogs are in the thick of the BCS championship conversation. As everyone reading this post surely knows, a combination of the Razorbacks peaking at the best possible time and all non-SEC West contenders imploding almost simultaneously has Arkansas sniffing some seriously rarefied air.

A third thought, for good measure: Wow.

Of course, all the fun possibilities are rendered completely moot if Arkansas can't march into Baton Rouge and do what no one else has done this season: beat LSU. Make no mistake...the Tigers are a very, very, very good team and absolutely deserve that #1 ranking. Their defense is flat-out scary, their offense and special teams are full of playmakers, and Les Miles does bring a certain voodoo when he's eating the grass at Tiger Stadium.

But...

 

The Hogs have beaten LSU three out of the last four years (notably, the 2007 game in Baton Rouge when the Tigers were also #1). Based on recent history, one would at least expect a close game, and it's been well-proven that almost anything can happen when these two teams are facing off late in the 4th quarter. So, it's a long shot but this year's Hog team has certainly proven they have enough talent and heart to give us some legitimate hope.

Naturally, Vegas disagrees and opened the betting lines with the Tigers as a solid two touchdown favorite. Stuart Mandel doesn't mince words, noting that this is because the oddsmakers (and, we suspect, many others across the US) don't see Arkansas as a legit #3 team. Seems like the perfect setup for Tyler Wilson & Co to go out and prove the experts wrong to me.

As my compatriot Stephen noted earlier, the tragic death of Garrett Uekman is an all-too-real reminder of the fragile and fleeting nature of life. At the risk of being overly literary on a humble sports blog, it brought to mind the classic poem "To An Athlete Dying Young" by A.E. Housman, which I'll share here:

The time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.

Today, the road all runners come,
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.

Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.

Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:

Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.

So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.

And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.

RIP, Garrett. Your friends in the Hog Nation won't forget you.

Like most of you, I've watched a lot of football in my life. We've all seen amazing moments and incredible feats. But, it might take several lifetimes of football fandom to encounter another play like Joe Adams' punt return against Tennessee tonight.

The word transcendent comes to mind. This is nothing less than pure, in-the-moment artistry of the highest degree:

That is a gift, ladies and gentlemen.

Tomorrow's game against Tennessee marks the final time this year's senior class will take the field in Fayetteville as Razorbacks. While every group of players makes their mark on the program somewhere along the way, this crew is special. It's hard to imagine any other class playing a more significant role than what these guys have done.

Think about it - most of them (not counting redshirts or transfers) began their Razorback careers back in the dark days of 2008, when Bobby Petrino and crew were trying to rebuild the program from the ashes left behind by the previous regime, and the team itself was struggling to beat the Western Illinoises of the world and was getting annihilated by the likes of Alabama and Texas. Many of them saw the field that year, and they took their lumps in a big way.

That same group of players, of course, has since formed the core of a team that's been in or hovering near the top 10 for two solid years now, and even more importantly has built a foundation of success for what we hope will be many years to come. Thanks to their hard work, perseverance and talent, the Hogs are in better shape than they've been in for a generation or more.

So, please join me in giving a shoutout to the following, and as you watch the game tomorrow be sure to raise your glass in their honor:

Joe Adams

Seth Armbrust

Lavunce Askew

Jake Bequette

Greg Childs

Grant Cook

DeAnthony Curtis

Elton Ford

Jerry Franklin

Grant Freeman

Greg Gatson

Broderick Green

Jared Green

Bret Harris

Kaelon Kelleybrew

Isaac Madison

Jerico Nelson

Zach Stadther

Tramain Thomas

Jarius Wright

(Note: I've seen reports that there are 17 seniors, but the list on both HogDB and the official Arkansas Razorbacks site seems to come up with 20. Any suggestions as to why the discrepancy?)

 

Well then. No doubt motivated by my gloomy predictions in last week's postgame thread, the Razorbacks responded with their best game of the season, thumping South Carolina 44-28 and laying to rest any lingering doubts about their fitness for the top 10.

Plus, thanks to LSU's 9-6 blowout of Alabama, the Hogs are potentially on course (repeat after me: must not overlook Tennessee and Mississippi State...must not overlook Tennessee and Mississippi State) for a verrrrrrrrrrry interesting showdown against the Tigers on Thanksgiving weekend. So yeah, it was a good day for Arkansas.

The effort certainly wasn't perfect - in the first half alone Ronnie Wingo and Cobi Hamilton each dropped wide open TD passes, the defense handed the Gamecocks a touchdown thanks to multiple penalties, Tyler Wilson threw a pick six and Zach Hocker missed a couple of field goals - but the Hogs managed to rebound after pretty much every bad play with something better. And, credit is due to the often-maligned defense for a strong night: they were constantly in South Carolina's backfield, and forced some very huge turnovers.

Other standout moments included:

* Dennis Johnson's 98 yard kickoff return for a TD in the 1st quarter.

* Actually, pretty much everything DJ did was a standout moment...he was a one man offensive show at times.

* Jarius Wright carving up yet another defense with two TD catches and 103 yards receiving.

* Jake Bequette, an absolute beast all evening, capping his big night with a crushing sack (pictured above) of Connor Shaw for a fumble deep in Gamecock territory.

Oh, and by the way, with five wins in their last six meetings, Arkansas officially owns South Carolina. Jeff Long is signing the paperwork on Monday.

That's enough from me...what do you guys think about the game? How are you feeling about the Hogs at this point in the season?

Um, good job Hogs?

First, the positives: Jerry Franklin's momentum-changing 96-yard fumble recovery for a TD is an early contender for play of the season. Tyler Wilson continues to prove that he is impervious to even the most crushing hits from defensive linemen. There was that nifty drive featuring some big plays by Jarius Wright at the end of the first half. Zach Hocker was reliably excellent. Hmm, what else? Oh yes...the Razorbacks played a brilliant rope-a-dope strategy on Vandy's final possession...only a true defensive genius would lure the opponent so close to the end zone, knowing that they would miss a last second field goal.

Beyond that, this was about as unimpressive a victory as can be imagined. Although this isn't said often with regard to Vanderbilt, the #10 Hogs were clearly the inferior team today on every level and were extremely fortunate to leave Nashville with a win. Arkansas seems utterly unable to compete in the first half this year, a trend that will likely cost them two more losses before the season is out. The defense has regressed and once again the offense wasn't able to close out a game when a few first downs were needed. And, the less said about Marquel Wade's flagrant personal foul that got him ejected, the better.

Harsh words after a loss, I know, and I should be more happy that the Hogs made enough plays to pull out the victory, but that was rough. The #10 ranking seems pretty laughable at this point.

Am I being too harsh? What do you guys think?

Times are tough in Oxford these days. The Rebel Black Bears are coming off a 52-7 beatdown at the hands of Alabama, players are getting suspended or kicked off the team right and left, fans are taking out anti-administration newspaper ads and Houston Nutt is talking about "hanging onto that rope" (note: that damn rope seems to follow him wherever he goes).

It thus stands to reason that an unknown player will rise out of obscurity to lead Ole Miss to a victory over Arkansas, propelling the team to a winning season and bowl game that allows Nutt and Jimmy Sexton to flirt with other job offers in the offseason and leverage it all for a nice raise and contract extension. Right? Or, maybe Houston doesn't have a magic bullet this time and the Hogs will roll to a win.

We'll get into the predictions when Rasputin stops by the office later this week, but for now I'm curious to hear if the Nutt Bowl remains a extra big game for you or if you've moved on from all the drama. Put democracy to work by voting below, then share your thoughts in the comments section.

Poll

Almost four years after the end of the Houston Nutt era, how do you feel about playing against him?

35%

The memories are still too fresh...I'm fired up.

111 votes

30%

I've moved on to bigger and better things. Let the healing begin.

95 votes

34%

Houston who?

109 votes

315 votes | Poll has closed

The play call came at exactly the right time and the blocking was flawless, but there's no doubting who the star of this video is. As he hurdles Kiero Small at a full sprint and burns past several defenders along the sideline, Joe Adams runs about as fast as I've ever seen on a football field...just amazing:

What's not to like about a human bowling ball? The Hogs' departed Prussian general, Van Stumon, left big shoes to fill at fullback, but newcomer Kiero Small is filling them and then some.

Watching him absolutely level defenders on behalf of Broderick Green and Dennis Johnson has been one of this season's great pleasures thus far. The way he blew up his man on Green's touchdown run against Auburn was a thing of beauty.

Small has an interesting back story too - be sure to check out this article from the Baltimore Sun, which details his journey from near academic casualty in Baltimore to his dad's t-shirt shop to junior college in California to playing in prime time on ESPN for Arkansas. Good stuff, and props to the Hogs' recruiters for finding this diamond in the rough.

Wow.

Wow.

WOW.

In what could be considered a season-saving win, the Razorbacks outscored the Aggies 28-3 in the second half to cap an absolutely epic comeback and welcome Texas A&M to the SEC with a solid punch in the balls.

The day was full of heroes for the Hogs, most notably Jarius Wright and Tyler Wilson, who etched their names in the list of all-time Arkansas legends by ringing up 281 receiving yards and 510 passing yards, respectively. Props are also due to Dennis "Big Game" Johnson and Broderick "What ACL?" Green for their strong, clutch running in the second half and even to the defense, which manned up and came up with some big stops late after employing the less-successful "wet kleenex" strategy in the first half.

Overall, though, my head is still spinning. After last week's debacle in Tuscaloosa, my expectations were fairly low coming into today, and frankly, the standard Arkansas script calls for a furious comeback that falls heartbreakingly short in these situations (see: 2011 Sugar Bowl), so I'm not entirely sure what to make of the game today. I know I like the feeling though...

The Hogs are now 4-1 heading into the heart of the SEC schedule, with a severely banged-up defense and an offense that, last week aside, is performing up to the high expectations. Where do you see the season heading from here? And what are your thoughts on today's game? Share your favorite moments, keen observations and other thoughts in the comments section...we'd love to hear 'em.

WPS!

Last year Joe Adams old the NWA Times' Robbie Neiswanger that his favorite thing about returning punts was "making people look stupid".

Mission accomplished:

 

In news that is completely terrible but also completely expected after reports of Knile Davis' horrific ankle injury emerged from practice last night, the team officially announced that the star RB is out for the entire 2011 season.

Here's Bobby Petrino's comment on the situation (as part of a prepared statement):

“I am extremely disappointed for Knile. He is a captain who was incredibly focused on the upcoming year. His leadership throughout the offseason was significant in the development of this team. Our athletic trainers and medical staff are the best in the country, and Knile’s mental toughness will be an asset to him during the recovery process. I am fully confident in the mindset of our running back group and their ability to perform.”

As I wrote yesterday, it's hard not to feel awful on a personal level for Davis after everything he's been through to achieve his success. As Matt Jones notes, he has a pretty significant injury history so everyone's first hope should be that he can battle back from this and regain his previous form for a long career. It sounds like if anyone can it'll be him, but it won't be easy.

Looking beyond that, what does this mean for the team? Obviously a team as top-to-bottom talented as this year's Hogs is bigger than any one player, but there's no question this changes the prognosis for the season. Before yesterday, the Razorbacks were being mentioned as legit national title contenders and looked to me like potentially the best Arkansas football team in my 30 years of fandom. I had us 2nd only to Alabama in the SEC and with a few good bounces in Tuscaloosa who knew?

The team is still good and will still win some games, but make no mistake - the possibility of this being a truly special season just went from pretty decent to quite small. I do expect the team to rally and continue to be very strong, but it's a new world of expectations and my guess is that we'll now have to "settle" for the type of season that we all would have been extremely happy about just a few years ago. So, that's not all bad but when your hopes are high it definitely hurts.

Some have pointed out that Petrino went 12-1 with Louisville the year Michael Bush got hurt early, and of course Ronnie Wingo and Dennis Johnson have great potential (remember, this time last year no one outside the Natural State knew who Davis was). But, the SEC West is a far cry from the Big East, and you don't just replace the conference's leading rusher, especially when you're breaking in a new QB and offensive line.

To sum up, the main thing now is to keep a good thought for Knile, but the reality is that the 2011 season suddenly has a very different feel than it did before. Misery loves company, so please share your own thoughts in the comments section.

The Hogs' chances are looking good for the upcoming football season! We've got a stout defense, tons of playmakers at receiver, Tyler Wilson at QB and, best of all, darkhorse Heisman candidate and last year's leading SEC rusher Knile Davis to punish defenses with both power and speed.

*insert sound of needle scratching off record*

As of roughly 6:15 p.m. this evening, all bets are officially off: in a very, very unfortunate turn of events, Davis suffered what sounds like a pretty horrific leg injury. At this point, further details are unknown but the rumors flying around Twitter are definitely not sounding good...words like "screaming in pain", "major injury", "shattered", and "likely done for the season" are being thrown around.

I read through dozens of tweets, but nothing quite captured the ominous mood like reporter Barrett Sallee quoting a source that said Davis' scream was "so loud it will haunt us in our dreams." Yikes.

All of our hearts here at Arkansas Expats go out to Davis, by all accounts a great teammate and an extremely hard worker who was poised for a big junior season en route to an expected early jump to the NFL. Injuries are part of the game, yes, but when you think about the personal impact this is just terrible.

As far as how this affects the Hogs' chances this fall, only time will tell. One thing seems sure though - the chances for a potentially magical season just got a lot slimmer.

Our fellow SB Nation blog, Football Study Hall, recently published an interesting post about strength of schedule. The short version is that they analyzed the strength of schedule for all D1 teams between 2003-2010 and discovered that...wait for it...none other than the Arkansas Razorbacks played the toughest slate of games in that time period (side note: 8 of the top 10 toughest schedules belonged to SEC teams).

The report also found that the Hogs had the 3rd highest single-season difficulty rating last year. That's somewhat surprising, given that the 2008 season, with its string of consecutive games against Alabama, Florida and Texas, or 2009, with Alabama, LSU and Florida on the road, both seemed harder, but props to the 2010 Razorbacks nonetheless.

Last year, of course, we had Alabama and LSU at home. Flipping those two games to the road this year would seem to make the 2011 schedule even harder, although we'll have to see how Mississippi State does, and Auburn won't be a a national championship level unless they can find room in the budget to buy a few top free agents between now and September.

The Mike Anderson Era Hogs seem to have a bit of a player retention problem. Following closely on the heels of Jeff Peterson and Glenn Bryant's recent departures, Rotnei Clarke, he of the sweet jump shot and even sweeter faux-hawk, has apparently left the program

Clarke has seemingly made an annual habit of threatening to transfer, but as recently as this April it seemed like that situation had been quelled and the sharpshooter was on board with the Anderson regime. But, rumors of his exit started to leak out yesterday, and this afternoon Jeff Goodman of CBSSports.com unleashed a bombshell column in which it was revealed that Rotnei had asked for a release and been refused. Drama!

But, this evening, a team meeting was held sans-Clarke (we're thinking it didn't take a very big room to hold everyone), and the word out of Fayetteville is that he's no longer on the team. More drama!

Furthermore, Goodman's article also dropped this tidbit (without any further detail or context): "Two members of Arkansas' highly regarded recruiting class -- which was assembled by former coach John Pelphrey and his coaching staff -- both asked Anderson for their release." Yikes.

At this rate it seems safe to say that a) if you're a decent-to-good intramural player currently enrolled at the U of A now could be your chance to fulfill a dream and land a spot on the Razorbacks and b) Anderson has quite a bit of work to do.

As for Clarke, my thoughts tend to follow those of Dave Barr in this column...that his choirboy image probably overshadowed a serious "me first" ego, and that he's surely getting some bad advice from whomever is urging him to leave. As for the rest of the team, it's increasingly looking like next year is going to be a lot tougher than previously assumed. And as for the fans, any hopes that the constant turmoil that has plagued the basketball program for the last several years had ended seem firmly dashed at this point.

Woo pig sooie?

Otis Kirk, AS360's recruiting guru, published an excellent article about the state of basketball recruiting yesterday. For starters, he notes that 4/5 of the heralded incoming recruiting class is fully eligible and ready to go, with Ky Madden, B.J. Young and Hunter Mickelson already on campus and playing pickup games. Aaron Ross will take the ACT in June with his Razorback future on the line (no pressure).

Beyond that, he devotes a lot of space to potential signees in the 2012 and 2013 classes. Sylvan Hills guard Archie Goodwin is the #1 name to know, with Kirk theorizing that he could become the most highly recruited in-state player *ever*, but there are plenty of others...keep guys like Jarnell Stokes, Dederick Lee and Tyler McCullough in mind, for example.

The whole article is full of good info - highly recommended.

The NCAA released the Academic Progress Rate (APR) figures for 2009-10 yesterday and, although the Hogs are showing signs of climbing out of their enormous hole from years past, they still have plenty of work to do.

Here's the overview:

* the men's basketball team will lose one scholarship for falling below the NCAA-mandated four-year average of 925 (Arkansas came in at 892). Mike Anderson was aware of this possibility before taking the job, and if all scholarship players are eligible next season the penalty won't be enforced until 2012-13.

* does being docked a scholarship feel harsh? Chris Bahn says the NCAA is actually being pretty lenient here.

* as a reminder, the anchor weighing the entire bball APR down is a 755 score posted by the 2007-08 team. It jumped to 955 in 2008-09 and then slipped to 918 in 2009-10, but once that 2007-08 slips out of the four-year average the Razorbacks' scores should jump up.

* wondering about the football team? Bobby Petrino's bunch came in at 937 - good enough to beat the penalty cutoff, but still tied with Tennessee for lowest in the SEC (even below Ole Miss...ouch).

* furthermore, the football player exits that created a bit of a stir last week aren't expected to have a serious impact on future APR rankings.

* kudos to the women's gymnastics team for rocking a perfect score of 1,000. If we could just have a few of those ladies tutor the men's basketballers this whole mess might get straightened out pretty quickly.

Oversigning - the practice of a team signing more than its NCAA-allotted 25 scholarships and then releasing the underperforming players, often for somewhat shady reasons, has been a hot-button issue lately. It's particularly noteworthy in the SEC, where schools seem to have mastered the art (Houston Nutt, for example, regularly signs about 50 players per year it seems).

Although we'd all like to assume Arkansas and Bobby Petrino are above reproach in such matters, the recent releases of Austin Moss, Cam Feldt, Lance Ray, Eddie Camara and Ryan Calender have raised a few eyebrows. For example, Dr Saturday unleashed a fairly scathing post on the Hogs' oversigning tendencies today, noting that a full 1/3 of the players signed in the 2008-10 recruiting classes have "either failed to qualify, flunked out, been placed on medical hardship, been kicked off for legitimate rules violations, quit or — as we saw last week — been effectively cut from the roster". Ouch.

Is this the price that must be paid to win in the SEC? The standard cost of doing business in a world where the players know full well what's going on? Or, is it another sign that college sports is the biggest ethical morass this side of a Washington DC lobbyists convention?

I fall somewhere in the middle of those questions, but would love to hear your take in the comments section. Please share your thoughts!