Preseason expections were high for this Arkansas team despite the loss of Bobby Petrino, whose departure from Fayetteville was highly publicized, especially on this site. Still, with John L. Smith at the helm many thought the Razorbacks would compete for an SEC crown. Many thought they had the title to potentially compete for a national title.
Well, three games into the season following an overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe and an embarrassing loss to Alabama and the Hogs are 0-3. Talks of titles are out the window and now Smith must keep his team together and start winning games if they even want to make it to a bowl game.
That job got even tougher with quarterback Tyler Wilson called out his teammates in the postgame presser following the loss to the Tide. This after Wilson was sidelined from the game.
“Obviously that wasn’t pretty to watch. Sucks I couldn’t be out there to do something about it. Do I feel that we, at times, gave up out there? Yeah, absolutely. As a leader, it sucks to see people not do their jobs and to see things go wrong.”
His team just lost 52-0 in a game many thought they might be able to win when the season first started. Last year his team moved the ball up and down the field. They scored zero points on Saturday. So, you can see his frustration. Still, calling out your teammates for quitting is a big time claim. No one wants to be called a quitter. Especially, when the player calling them a quitter didn’t finish the game.
It’s going to be really tough for John L. Smith to get his team to regroup and make a run at a bowl. It may be even tougher for him to maintain his job next season.
Original Story:
|
September 19, 2012
