Razorbacks linebacker Chris "Pooh" Paul tracking down an LSU runner last November — (Ted McClenning / allHOGS Images)

All Talk Offense, But How Will Razorbacks' Defense Be?

After SEC Media Days, a lot of talk is offense, but everybody assumes other side better, but why?

Author:
Andy Hodges
Updated:
Jul 24, 2023 8:25 AM EDT
Original:
Jul 23, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The Arkansa' defense hasn't gotten a lot of discussion during the summer, which probably isn't surprising. It probably should. There are a ton of questions and theories to justify improvement out there, but nothing really substantial.

After reading a good in-depth analysis of the linebackers by Trey Biddy over at HawgSports.com, I started thinking about what the actual answers were there. Chris "Pooh" Paul had 62 tackles there last year and a whole bunch of good-looking players with potential that have shown flashes. None have ever been through the gauntlet of an eight-game SEC schedule, though.

We'll know starting in nine days how well they can jump up and down, hit tackling dummies and maybe go through drills, but don't expect to have anything of significance to see at any of those drills. They usually do all that away from the media, leaving everyone to the mercy of what the coaches say afterward. It would be shocking for that to be anything but positive. It's practice.

Don't take any of this as a negative. There may be some All-Americans there, but the fans and media will probably figure it out at the same time during a game because it's hard to tell much from what Pittman will allow anyone to see before then. The non-conference games the first three weeks of the season aren't SEC-caliber teams so those are wins that will be necessary for some kind of bowl trip in December. All of the answers may be positive, in which case we'll all be singing a different tune in November.

Antonio Greer is getting a lot of buzz after playing well at South Florida and putting up solid numbers, but there's always questions if players from a junior varsity school can translate those same numbers to the SEC. If he plays as well, it will be an overwhelmingly positive answer.

Experts (both real and in their own mind) think he's the right guy to straighten out a defense that wouldn't have shut down a really good high school team. Everyone sat through the near-loss to Bobby Petrino and Missouri State (an FCS team) and a complete loss to Liberty and Hugh Freeze. Not being in the meetings every day, no one knows exactly what happened the week after those games. I've been told some one-sided things, but there's always two sides to every situation and the truth is usually somewhere in the middle.

The bottom line is this defense has questions. We may get some good vibes in the non-conference games, but we won't really get anything approaching an answer until they go to Baton Route in the fourth week. Then we might have some more definitive answers against Texas A&M in Arlington the next week. Petrino will have another shot with more talent. Let's wait until then to make any firm judgements.