As we are just six short days from the first game of the Arkansas Razorbacks 2011 campaign, the State of Arkansas grows anxious. Every year around this time, Hog fans abroad begin to get the symptoms. A slight fever, jittery hands, short temper….a sure sign of Hog fever. However, with seasons past, the excitement and anxiety that filled Hog Nation would quickly go from excitement to dismay.
During the tenure of Houston Nutt, the Hogs would put together somewhat solid wins in the first few weeks of the season and then the season would become a minefield riddled with unforeseen snares and snags that would undoubtedly keep the Hogs from their full potential. Not anymore Hog Nation.
The headline of this article reads: Bobby Petrino Construction. There is no such business in Arkansas that constructs houses or buildings with that name.
There is, however, a football coach that is slowly but surely building a program in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
When Bobby Petrino first came to Arkansas, his name was being coated with mud by the national media, as if he had slaughtered countless dogs for sport. Although he had not done such a thing, that was part of his leaving Atlanta. Nevertheless, he was put down by members of the media, football players, hurt Falcon fans, and anyone else who wanted to pile on. While people were telling each other how horrible he was, he was devising a plan.
This was not a master plan to seek revenge on those who said all the terrible things about him. This was a plan to build a football program in the best conference in the country. Anyone who has been a fan of the Arkansas Razorbacks know that the Hogs haven’t been in the elite of college football in decades. There would seem to be a light at the end of the tunnel but would quickly disappear with a bad loss or terrible season.
Since the arrival of Petrino, the University of Arkansas has been on an upswing. But Hog fans know, the Hogs have seen upswings before. The upswing is great. It’s the downswing that follows, that turns a fan base on a once loved coach.
But this particular ride towards the top seems to be different. There seems to be something more than a spectacular running back, or a strong armed quarterback that adds allure to this team. Could it be that Bobby Petrino is installing a program that utilizes the ENTIRE team ? That’s just madness I tell you…
We’ve heard that “You can’t recruit big time players to Fayetteville” as well as “4 and 5 star recruits want a beach not mountains”…that maybe true. Petrino has shown he doesn’t need 4 and 5 star recruits.
Over the past few seasons we have seen Coach Petrino take 3 star recruits and coach them up to 4 or 5 stars…and winning with them, against 4 and 5 star recruits.
Throughout the fall camp, we have heard many analysts discount the Arkansas Razorbacks due to the loss of Knile Davis. Arkansas has gone from a contender to mid-level team in the toughest division in college football.
That is just Hogwash….
Arkansas may not have the best running back in the SEC on the field this season, but the talent that is running rampant on The Hill is breathtaking. If anyone can lose a stud running back weeks before the season opener and come out smelling like a rose, it’s Bobby Petrino.
He’s done it before.
But we’re not going to dwell on that, no we are going to see exactly what Bobby Petrino is building in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
It may not rear its head this season…maybe not next season, but I guarantee the monster that Petrino is building will not lay dormant long.
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