Is Arkansas a Good Team or a Bad Team?

Famous 'Wizard of Oz' question leads to attempt to figure out this year's Razorbacks

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Oct 26, 2022 5:12 PM EDT

If Sam Pittman had to stand before Galinda of "The Wizard of Oz" to answer the question "Are you a good team or a bad team?" what would his truthful answer be?

This far into the season, it should be a fairly easy question to answer, but the reality is that it's complicated.

For instance, Arkansas opened the season with a perfectly balanced offense that racked up 224 yards rushing while KJ Jefferson threw for 223 against Cincinnati.

Defensive back transfer Dwight McGlothern jumped a route on the right sideline to kill the opening Bearcat drive and flipped the field inside the Arkansas 30 before being greeted in celebration by Jalen Catalon. Big defensive secondary plays and Catalon on the field soon became two things that would rarely be seen again following the 31-24 win.

It was the high point of the season for the defense despite only giving up 23 points to a hapless Texas A&M team in Arlington a few weeks later.

It should be noted that seeing the Bearcats lose is something else that hasn't been seen since. Cincinnati is currently a Top 20 team, which means Arkansas pocketed a quality win to open the season.

So Arkansas must be a good team.

That is unless you consider the freak loss to the Aggies in the Southwest Classic that never should have been a loss.

The Razorbacks faced the worst offense they're going to line up against all year, which meant, without the secondary being much of a factor, the defense could post its best game of the year.

Mathematically, Arkansas should have won by at least a 28-16 margin, possibly even 31-16, a fumble near the goal line led to a comedy of mistakes while trying to stop Tyreek Chapell before a moment of brilliance by Demani Richardson converted what should have been at worst A&M ball deep in its own territory into a touchdown highlight that will live on forever.

And when we're talking about Aggie highlights, that's it. Texas A&M hasn't won since and doesn't appear in line to win another until November.

It's easy to see how that one play changed the entire tone of the Arkansas season. The Razorbacks may not shake the shadow of it all season long.

However, if Texas A&M were staring down the barrel of a 2-6 record after this weekend, no buyout in the world could have saved Jimbo Fisher's job. The good vibes of that miracle win over Arkansas may be the only thing that saves him should the Aggies rebound and squeeze out a nice Birmingham Bowl bid.

So Arkansas is a bad team.

Nope. We can play this game all day.

Arkansas made a South Carolina team that is currently in the Top 25 look terrible in Razorback Stadium. The Gamecocks have only lost to No. 1 Georgia since while racking up a quality win with a sound upset of Kentucky.

That team that looked like it would be lucky to get to six wins now has Missouri and Vanderbilt in its way of six straight wins and a 7-2 record before getting what will probably even money against Florida in the middle of November.

There's Arkansas as a good team.

Mississippi State.

Simply the name and the memory of the helpless beatdown that not even KJ Jefferson could have helped is enough. Nothing else needs to be said about that other than Mississippi State hasn't won since blowing out the Hogs.

See, Arkansas isn't just bad, it's 40-17 bad.

The answer Pittman should give Galinda is average.

This team is the epitome of average. They're almost ripped straight out of Moon Knight with one rather polite personality that can't hold its own when it's in control, and a personality that is a vicious killing machine when it's in control.

That's why this team is essentially .500 and fans will have to wait to see each remaining game play out to determine which half of the team is going to take control.

Every game left can be won. Every game left can be lost.

That's this year's Arkansas Razorback football team as a whole this year.

Perfectly average.