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| A true Wild Hog. |
In the wake of Bobby Petrino's joyride gone awry, Arkansas has had one of the more eventful offseasons of any college football program in the country. Even with Petrino banished from Hogland, Arkansas will start the season at No. 10 in the Coaches Poll.
We caught up with Razorbacks diehard Jordan Stuckey of The Sports Dumpster for his take on what to expect in Fayetteville this fall.
1. Who would've thought Bobby Petrino had it in him?
Stuckey: I don't know if anyone thought Bob Petrino would find himself in a situation like this one. There are a lot of ways coaches end up leaving universities – but no one saw something like this happening. Someone in a high-profile position like he was is usually more susceptible to having affairs – but this one went a step further. I'm surprised by the incident – but not his raw, sexually uninhibited nature.
2. What is the biggest positive in the switch to John L. Smith from Petrino? There has to be something he does better, right?
Stuckey: The most positive thing to come from this coaching change is probably the fact that players want to play for John L. Smith. He's a players coach. On the other hand, Petrino clearly had players who wanted to play for him – look at their record the last couple of years. The difference is that Petrino's players had a healthy or unhealthy respect for him – and that's how he got results. I think John L. will bring an enthusiasm and focus that will keep the players spirits high regardless on the the seasons outcome. As of now, that seems like a good thing.
3. How close to full strength is Knile Davis?
Stuckey: I don't think there's any doubt that Knile is back at full health. If you head over to the Sports Dumpster, you can see him squatting 600 pounds in our videos. Being at full health doesn't mean a lot in a physical league like the SEC – you pretty much stay banged up. Plus, Knile has had multiple injuries since high school – let's hope he can repeat what he did a couple years back.
4. What would be the biggest reason for optimism about the defense at this point?
Stuckey: I think there a couple reasons this team could be a little better than they were last year defensively. For starters, you have a defensive coach in Paul Haynes who already understands what it takes to compete at a high level having been at Ohio State. Secondly, this defensive line has depth, size and experience like you would expect for an SEC team. I don't think they are going to blow your socks off as a defensive unit – but if they can hold their own when it matters…who cares?
5. Famous Arkansan Jerry Jones has been in the news a lot lately for his comments about "glory holes." I don't think the term means what he thinks it does. Is there some special Arkansas usage that I'm missing?
Stuckey: Jerry Jones' glory hole comment was a weird one – and a glory hole is a glory hole wherever you go. I think I've said glory hole enough and am now in need of a bath. The older he gets the weirder the comments will get, as with any senior citizen. Just sit back and enjoy the twilight years of Jerry – there are very few people in sports who are this quotable.
