Arkansas shows competence, drills Tulsa for second win

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On Saturday night, Arkansas football faced a Tulsa team playing its backup quarterback. Did that mean Hog fans were sure the Razorbacks would take care of business against the Golden Hurricane? Some might have thought this was a likely win, but not every Arkansas fan thought that – not with all the (logical, appropriate) grumbling throughout the state after brutally lopsided losses against Utah and Georgia. There was so much legitimate frustration with the state of the football program (mostly directed at Hunter Yurachek, some of it going to Ryan Silverfield) that a win over Tulsa did not feel fully assured. Arkansas was favored by 7.5 points – a clear favorite but not a massive one. There was plenty of reason to think this was going to be a close and uneasy game the whole way.

Arkansas was able to defy expectations in a positive way on Saturday.

The Hogs scored a 34-6 win over the Golden Hurricane. Even if you allow for the fact that Tulsa's normal starting quarterback, Baylor Hayes, was out for this game (replaced by Dexter Williams), what remains true is that Tulsa shut down Oklahoma State's offense, the same offense which scored 39 points in a win over the Oregon Ducks. Even if Tulsa's offense wasn't able to do much of anything (which is exactly what happened in this game), Tulsa still had what was a very good defense on paper. Arkansas was able to overwhelm that defense and score 34 points, which is 24 more than what Oklahoma State managed against Tulsa (10). Nearly every college football analyst would say that Oklahoma State is very clearly a better team than Arkansas and would likely be favored by at least a touchdown over the Hogs if not more. Yet, Arkansas greatly exceeded Oklahoma State strictly in terms of production against Tulsa. Ryan Silverfield and his team achieved a lot more than many expected in this game.

If there is a big-picture takeaway from this contest, it is that the Arkansas players and coaches felt really mad about recent results and the way the team played. There was an obvious hunger and intensity from the team which remained evident from start to finish. The dissatisfaction everyone could see and feel throughout the program was translated into this game and carried onto the field of play. Being upset – being mad – shows this team and coaching staff really care about getting better. There is an evident desire to improve and get things fixed. Did Tulsa represent a beatable opponent? Of course … but it's good to see players and coaches taking it personally when they fail and wanting to try harder to get it right. That mindset was exactly what the fan base needed to see. It's something for Arkansas to build on heading into the teeth of its SEC schedule.

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