All Hogs

So much drama across SEC, moments of opportunity for Arkansas

Razorbacks can bring local home, enjoy further chaos at Ole Miss, watch as man who begged to be Hog goes elsewhere
Kent Smith|
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) passes the ball during the fourth quarter against Arkansas at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) passes the ball during the fourth quarter against Arkansas at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-Imagn Images | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

In this story:

Arkansas RazorbacksOle Miss RebelsAuburn Tigers

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — With Arkansas fans locked in on the Razorbacks looking to bag another big resume boosting win in New Jersey over a No. 8 Houston team that logically could have met the Hogs in Dallas or Fort Worth with an average split of 250 miles each rather than over 1,300 miles each, it's hard to keep up with other things going on in the sports world.

With forward Trevon Brazile finally coming into his own, assaulting the rim from both up close and afar in an effort to prove there aren't 80+ players better than him in the upcoming NBA draft despite what ESPN says, it's hard for Hogs fans to keep up with news even within the SEC.

So, as servants of the Razorbacks fan base, it's our duty to make sure Hogs supporters know a little bit of everything, so as to make them more informed. Thus, in an effort to fulfill our duty, here are the SEC stories Arkansas fans have probably missed or not really dove into very deep as they unfolded that are worth their time.

LSU plans on cooking with a little less Arkansas flavor

A lot was made last season when Sam Pittman, known as an offensive line guru, had to sit back and watch one of the highest ranked offensive linemen to come through the state in a long time, packed his bags, presumably heavy with bayou money, and headed to LSU.

Well, now former Marion star Carrius Curne has decided the presence of Lane Kiffin makes life along the Mississippi River feel a lot less like home. He's not gonna be coming to the "Banks of the 'Sip." Instead, he immediately becomes the ultimate test for newly minted Arkansas coach Ryan Silverfield.

So far Silverfield has shown he can venture south of the Bobby Hopper Tunnel and land quality in-state players. However, Curne is a much different creature in terms of recruiting hype and potential options.

Can the Hogs lure him to Arkansas after showing a willingness to have a much better relationship with players who don't reside in Northwest Arkansas? That's just part of a long list of potential drama that is about to play out in front of Razorbacks fans.

So much drama surrounding Ole Miss quarterback situation

There seems to be a lot of concern about whether starting quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, who has the chance to win a Division II championship and a Division I title in back-to-back years, plans to play for the Rebels.

It was his magic as an unknown player who jumped two levels on a whim by the Ole Miss staff with the help of an inexplicable fumble by Arkansas when he debuted in lieu of an injured Austin Simmons against the Hogs that got both him and Ole Miss where they are now.

However, talk of Chambliss hitting the portal to go to LSU and his agent interfering with the concern of potentially injuring himself in the playoffs before a potentially large payday down in the bayou has every Rebel on edge. They have literally convinced themselves they may lose their quarterback as late as minutes before the game.

If so, it would destroy Mississippi's chance of experiencing a big playoff run. Simmons isn't the star Chambliss is.

He doesn't have that "it" factor, that bravado Chambliss brings that was the difference between a loss that brings momentum and a successful season under Sam Pittman at Arkansas versus a huge season in Oxford at Pittman's expense.

Had Simmons played, even healthy, there is little doubt it would have tipped the scales just enough for the Hogs to pull out a surprise win that would have carried into Memphis.

However, as it played out, Arkansas fans will be able to get their popcorn, as Kiffin often instructed in his younger days, and watch the drama unfold in Mississippi. What happens off the field will probably be way more interesting that what takes place on the field against a Tulane team the Rebels already crushed, 45-10, without its coach wanting to hurry up and get to his Florida coaching job full time.

That's a load of horse manure

When two high profile teams get set to go to war in a game as signifcant as the playoffs, it's almost certain there will be mud slinging. However, it appears Miami is interested in slinging something similar to mud, but with a little more substance shall we say in Texas A&M's direction.

The Hurricanes are claiming the last time they played at Kyle Field, the Aggies took an army's worth of horses onto the Miami sideline and hung out there until the horses had fully done their business, including both numbers. Video was included in an effort to back it up.

The video certainly looks legitimate to an extent. These are clearly horses and that appears to be Kyle Field. However, there is no way to tell if this is before any football game, much less the game against Miami.

What would be the purpose of lining up so many horses before a game? Well, turns out, there's a group called the Parson's Mounted Calvary at Texas A&M that works with roughly 60 horses.

Most of their posts say they show up outside Kyle Field. However, there is one site about the group that says they actually walk around inside the stadium prior to the game.

Indications are they go put the horses up and clean and feed them before concluding their duties. Then the riders are back at the stadium in time to see the second half.

However, there is nothing in any writing that could be found that talked about the need to clean up after the animals for whatever they did in the stadium. Coaches would be furious if any of the Texas A&M area were to be soiled, so it seems highly possible this accusation has a real foundation since all that business would need to be kept out of Mike Elko's site on the visitor side.

If this is a regular practice, it probably needs to stop. The question is how did it go so long without anyone bringing it up?

If it continues, it may serve as a strong reason for trips to the Dallas Cowboys Stadium to return for the Razorbacks.

The Bear becomes a Tiger

Now, it's rare that Arkansas fans have any interest in an Auburn recruit. However, one of the latest commits to former Razorbacks football coach contender Alex Golesh has a bit of history with the Hogs.

Bear McWhorter, an offensive lineman from White, Georgia has agreed to sign with Auburn even though 247 had six crystal ball predictions for Alabama.

He was originally committed to Arkansas after his billboard posted by the highway letting former coach Sam Pittman know he wanted to play for him worked. However, this past June, McWorter decided he wanted to explore other options.

He toured a lot of places that had more money than Arkansas was working with at the time. Finally, on Dec. 3, McWorter settled on Michigan.

Then, a week later, something happened in Ann Arbor that caused McWorter to change his mind. Head coach Sherrone Moore flipped out after news of his affair with a staffer got out and he went to her home to confront her and then reportedly threatened his own life.

The resulting arrest and firing was more than enough to justify McWorter going somewhere else without argument. Three days after he bailed on Michigan, he found a home in Auburn.

Tiny town of Oxford to be decked out in money

While there is confusion and uncertainty regarding the quarterback position heading into this game, the one thing there is no doubt about is the tiny city of Oxford, Miss. with its population of barely 26,000 people, is about to be rolling in money.

That is because despite having one of the smallest stadiums in the SEC, the College Football Playoffs are expected to bring a massive deluge of visitors to town who are going to dump cash left and right. When all is said and done, projections have Oxford raking in a cool $74 million for hosting a single game.

Just imagine the financial impact that would have on Northwest Arkansas with a much larger stadium and so much more to spend money on throughout the region. It would easily top $100 million.

Alas, that's a dream that may never come true. It will be a day of great fortune if Arkansas ever slips into the playoffs, but it's hard to let even dreams go further than that — far enough to imagine the Hogs hosting a game in Fayetteville.

Hogs Feed:

Published | Modified
Kent Smith
KENT SMITH

Kent Smith has been in the world of media and film for nearly 30 years. From Nolan Richardson's final seasons, former Razorback quarterback Clint Stoerner trying to throw to anyone and anything in the blazing heat of Cowboys training camp in Wichita Falls, the first high school and college games after 9/11, to Troy Aikman's retirement and Alex Rodriguez's signing of his quarter billion dollar contract, Smith has been there to report on some of the region's biggest moments. 

Home/Football