Troy Trojans vs. #14 Arkansas Razorbacks
Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville AR
Saturday, Sept. 17, 7:30 pm EST
NCAA Odds from Sportsbook.com:
MoneyLine: OFF
Spread: Troy +23, Arkansas -23
Over/Under: 63.5
There’s no dancing around it: the Arkansas Razorbacks have been an offensive juggernaut through the first two weeks of the 2011 season. Albeit against Missouri State and New Mexico, the Hogs have scored a ridiculous 103 combined points through two games. The Hogs also rank eighth in the nation in passing, 37th in rushing, third in points for and fourth in points against.
The Trojans (Troy, not USC, thank goodness) provide Arkansas’ last “tune-up” game before the SEC slate hits hard and fast. No one has been able to slow down the Razorbacks yet, and Troy shouldn’t strike too much fear – the Trojans are coming off a 43-19 loss to Clemson. The defense got torched against Clemson, and the Razorbacks’ attack is much more imposing than even the Tigers’. Hogs pivot Tyler Wilson has done everything asked of him and more in replacing NFL-bound Ryan Mallett; oftentimes Wilson has been pulled in these routs and backup Brandon Mitchell has come in. Even Mitchell has gotten in on the action, dumping on 218 yards and a pair of TDs in mop-up action.
Arkansas has suffered injuries at the RB position, but it hasn’t seemed to matter. Current starter Ronnie Wingo has played just fine, averaging five yards a carry and providing a different look when Wilson or Mitchell isn’t hucking the ball to Arkansas’ fine stable of receivers. Senior WR Jarius Wright and lanky junior Cobi Hamilton are leading the way – both are pushing 200 receiving yards through a pair of games and are averaging over 15 yards per catch. The defense hasn’t had a stiff test yet, but the unit that was the lone worry of this football team for years has only given up 10 points through its first two match-ups.
Of course, it will be impossible to keep up this torrid pace when the Auburns and the Texas A&Ms and the South Carolinas come to town. But Arkansas is setting very good habits in its early-season non-conference schedule that should carry over to a campaign Hogs fans believe will have their team competing for an SEC West division crown.
To say it for the point of saying it, for the impossible to happen in Fayetteville this Saturday night, Troy would have to deploy its strong passing game (37th in the NCAA) and its defense would have to pull out a series of miracles in order to slow down the Arkansas attack. The Hogs will probably dump a couple of early scores on the visitors, and it shouldn’t be long before it spirals out of control from there. Troy is usually a contender in the Sun Belt Conference, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Trojans play in the Sun Belt and Arkansas is an SEC West (the strongest conference and the strongest division in college football) contender.
It is silly to anoint Arkansas as all-world after it has only played an FCS team and perhaps the worst team in the Bowl Subdivision, but the way the Hogs have been crushing opponents has been truly impressive. If you get bored watching a cakewalk football game, maybe this isn’t the game for you but conversely if you like offense, it could also be pretty entertaining.
Score Prediction: Arkansas 47, Troy 14
Over/Under Prediction: 60
