Should Anything Be Surprising for Razorbacks Against BYU?

Best opponent Hogs have faced this year could reveal clues about what to expect later

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Sep 15, 2023 2:04 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The weather will be great at Razorback Stadium and it will probably be a large and, well for lack of a better term, enthusiastic crowd for the first night game of the year against BYU.

Both teams are undefeated coming into the game and each one is looking for answers to questions. I don't know all the ones the Cougars have. The Hogs are still trying to sort out the offensive line for some running backs that have talent, but appear not completely confident in what that bunch in front is going to do.

Oh, I've heard the press conferences where everybody says the right things, but what we've seen in our brief time in practices and through two games isn't exactly looking like some smooth-oiled machines we've seen in some years previously. It's about a step above where it looked in 2017 when radio guy Derek Ruscin of ESPN Arkansas and I were sitting in the press box at a scrimmage and just looked at each other because there were not a lot of good signs then in the offensive line.

At wide receiver, it looks like a lot of good second receivers. It is based on a limited number of games and that's understandable. But the question is, against LSU or Alabama, who's ready to step up and manage to catch the third-and-12 pass while covered against the sideline to keep a drive going in the fourth quarter?

There are still some questions on the defensive side that a lot of signs point to positive answers, but maybe BYU will give the type competition where everybody can start having that unrestricted confidence. Again, everybody says the right things and the linebackers looked great this week in live tackling, but that's in practice. It would be nice to have some confidence going into SEC play.

Maybe we'll start getting some of those answers Saturday. The Cougars have won a national title in 1984 when they kinda backed into one because everybody else defaulted. That wasn't with Jim McMahon at quarterback like Sam Pittman said in a press conference. He was a year away from a Super Bowl title with Dan Hampton and the Chicago Bears. Robbie Bosco was the quarterback for BYU then, who didn't exactly play the toughest schedule in college football. It means nothing now.

Kickoff is at 6:30 p.m. at Razorback Stadium and the game is on ESPN2 and fuboTV. The weather should be great. You can listen to the pregame show from the starting at 1 p.m. on HitThatLine.com from Stadium Shoppe on Razorback Road with Tye Richardson, Tommy Craft and Christian Johnston.

You can listen to the game on ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home. After the game the postgame show begins at HitThatLine.com when the network broadcast decides to wrap up (probably about 11 p.m.), then Derek Ruscin, Zach Arns and DQ will be talking about the game.