Ryan Silverfield needs to adjust his approach before Utah, Georgia

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The Arkansas Razorbacks and head coach Ryan Silverfield know they need to reduce mistakes and be efficient this season. That talking point has been worn out over the course of the summer, and it remained a talking point after the North Alabama game because Arkansas did not live up to that standard. The offense committed tons of mistakes in a disappointing performance. Silverfield owned those mistakes and took it upon himself to fix them. After the game, quarterback KJ Jackson told Silverfield "I know exactly what I did wrong and I'm going to fix it."

Fixing mistakes must happen. Good teams and coaches do fix mistakes. However, merely going through a game without a turnover or without penalties doesn't mean a lot if the offense is extremely cautious and conservative and if no chances are taken on the field. No turnovers with a minimalist offense which never throws the ball down the field, never runs a trick play, never goes for it on fourth down, and never takes any kind of risk isn't a winning offense … unless that team has the 1985 Chicago Bears' defense or the 1995 Nebraska Cornhuskers' roster. Arkansas obviously doesn't have elite talent, so the Hogs have to take chances. We know Silverfield wants his offense to be clean and responsible, but there are limits to that approach, just as there are limits to any approach.

Arkansas is a huge underdog at Utah and will be a similarly large underdog against Georgia. When Arkansas plays the more beatable teams on its schedule, it will be a lot more reasonable for the Hogs to play low-mistake football and maybe grind out a 19-17 type of win. Against Utah and Georgia, playing simple football with no risks and no sense of adventure or ambition won't do anything to help the Razorbacks. It won't do anything to advance their chances of winning unless the offensive line suddenly improves by leaps and bounds and can dominate the line of scrimmage. Great O-line play makes a simple game plan possible. Arkansas doesn't have that kind of O-line, however. The focus must therefore be less on reducing mistakes against Utah and Georgia, more on making big plays and finding ways to score.

Ryan Silverfield has been preaching a gospel of ball security and discipline. It's not as though Arkansas shouldn't continue to pursue that. Of course it should. However, against Utah and Georgia, there has to be much more of a willingness to try to make big plays and live with the results if mistakes (turnovers) happen. Arkansas can't play in a shell the whole season. These Hogs need to be allowed to run wild.

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