Five predictions for Arkansas and Missouri State on Saturday night
Saturday night’s game between Arkansas and Missouri State could go down in legend.
As much as some locally have attempted to cast the game in a standard “Arkansas plays against former coach” light, anyone who lived through The Great Motorcycle Crash Saga of the early 2010s and is honest with themselves knows that the Week 3 meeting between the Hogs and Bears isn’t just another game like that.
Toss in the fact that Petrino’s Missouri State is actually good – sixth-ranked in FCS – and the Razorbacks are in the midst of a potential darkhorse College Football Playoff kind of season and the layers of intrigue on Saturday are many.
That said, the game is Arkansas’. Well, as long as coach Sam Pittman and the players don’t let any of that other stuff get in the way.
Razorbacks Wire editor E. Wayne gives two predictions plus his score prediction and writers Kendall Hilton and Taylor Jones toss in theirs below.
Arkansas 52, Missouri State 20 (Taylor Jones)
Sep 10, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks running back Raheim Sanders (5) rushes in the first quarter as South Carolina Gamecocks linebacker Mohamed Kaba (32) defends at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Expect Arkansas’ offense to run wild on Saturday, even against a good – maybe great – team in the FCS.
Arkansas 45, Missouri State 24 (Wayne)
Arkansas linebacker Drew Sanders (42) tackles South Carolina running back Juju McDowell (21) during the first half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Bobby Petrino’s offenses are always dynamic. Against an Arkansas secondary lacking bodies, they could put up points.
Arkansas 49, Missouri State 28
Arkansas defensive back Latavious Brini (7) against South Carolina during an NCAA football game on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Something Crazy Gonna Happen (E. Wayne)
Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson (1) clelbrates with tight end Nathan Bax (89) after running for a touchdown against South Carolina during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Sept. 10, 2022, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
Something. It could be something only slightly crazy – like a special-teams touchdown or a fake punt for a big gain – or it could be something like a fan running onto the field. There’s just too much emotion surrounding the game (mostly from a certain segment of the fan base) for something *not* to happen.
Both Coaches Will Treat It Normally Afterward
Sep 10, 2022; Fayetteville, Arkansas, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman prior to the game against the South Carolina Gamecocks at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman should do so. He wasn’t around in 2011 and 2012. That said, he was part of the clean-up job shortly thereafter when he was on Bret Bielema’s staff in the mid 2010s.
Petrino, though, will remain as sour as ever, as sour as he was when he was coaching the Razorbacks, even if his team happens to pull of a victory.
