Home Records Create Quite the 'What-If' Conundrum for Arkansas Fans
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Florida coach Billy Napier has been embattled, much like Arkansas coach Sam Pittman this season. However, there's one number that gives him a good shot at not being on the hot seat at season's end.
It's summed up in two words. Home. Undefeated.
No matter how Arkansas tries to apply it, the Gators are undefeated at home. The Razorbacks, thanks to a bit of crafty SEC refereeing in the Tebow years, have never won in Gainesville. Florida also hasn't lost a game in The Swamp this year. Factor in the military will be aligned behind Napier's team in the midst of a blackout honoring the veterans, and it's a tough hill to climb.
"Home field advantage is a real thing, especially in our league," Napier said. "You're making the opponent execute in a little bit different environment. Our people can impact the game. They have impacted the games this year. They've impacted games in the past. It's a special place to play. We're sold out Saturday. This is going to be really unique event. it's a historic event. The team thrives off that energy no matter what anybody says. There's an element of that you don't get on a neutral site or you don't get on the road."
Holding home field matters, and for Arkansas it comes down to two penalties where accepting wasn't an option. With 4:48 left in the third quarter against BYU, the Cougars tried a fake field goal from just outside their own 20. The defense stuffed it, presumably giving the offense the ball with a chance to build on a 31-21 lead as time ticked toward the fourth quarter. However, a legitimate delay of game penalty gave BYU a second chance, and the resulting field goal set up a 10-point run by the Cougars over the next three minutes to tie things up and ultimately set up the winning fourth quarter score.
Against Mississippi State, it was a scoop and score late in the game that would have given Arkansas a 10-7 win. Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, an illegal motion penalty took the points off the board and doomed the Hogs to another demoralizing loss.
Those two wins would have brought Arkansas into the Florida game with a 4-4 record, which might have been a little more palatable to Razorback fans. However, it also would have prolonged the disease that was the Enos offense. It would have meant an entire season of receivers running three yards and standing while quarterback KJ Jefferson took another brutal beating. There's no telling how many more players may have left the state to address knee management.
Ultimately, that creates quite the scenario. Would fans rather be watching a .500 team going into The Swamp Saturday knowing the Enos offense would still be out there for the rest of the season, or would they rather rip off the Band-Aid, take a couple of extra losses and move forward with hope Pittman and Guiton can turn things around?
The answer to that question will probably have more to do with how things look over the next few weeks. That all starts Saturday with an 11 a.m. game where statistics say Arkansas literally has no chance because of where it's being played. Still, fans can watch and see for themselves which side of the fence they choose on ESPN2 and FuboTV.
