Ample cause for concern in Arkansas football opener

We can all sit here and say to ourselves, "It's only one game." As true as that saying might be for Arkansas and every other college football team in Game 1 of a new season, it's impossible to avoid the obvious: Saturday's season opener could not have begun the way Ryan Silverfield or anyone else hoped for. We can all admit that instead of pretending things are better than they actually are.

Ryan Silverfield correctly identified mistake reduction as the central key for his Arkansas team this season. It was the right thing to say. It was the correct point of focus. Arkansas is not going to athletically dominate teams. It has to be efficient, smart, resourceful, and able to give away zero possessions, yards, and points. A starting point of giving nothing away necessarily has to be the main goal for the Hogs this year. If they do that consistently, they can be competitive.

In the first quarter of the first game against North Alabama, Arkansas committed an illegal block on a punt return, wiping away a big gain. There was a holding penalty. There was a procedure penalty. Quarterback KJ Jackson threw a pass right into the hands of a North Alabama defender. It wasn't picked off, but it should have been. 

Passes were batted down at the line of scrimmage. Another pass - wide open - was dropped on fourth down. 

Mistake after mistake after mistake. In a game Arkansas was favored to win by 40.5 points, the Razorbacks didn't score until the 15th minute. They very nearly left the first quarter scoreless. A late-quarter touchdown enabled Arkansas to own a 7-0 lead going into the second quarter.

We can talk about rust. We can talk about the new system under a new coach. We can talk about players facing a live opponent instead of going against each other in practice. Let's be honest: This is North Alabama, a weak FCS opponent. Even in its diminished state, and even in a rebuilding year for the program, Arkansas football should be able to display enough athleticism to power past North Alabama far more easily than it did.

It was hard for Arkansas to move the ball in that first quarter. The touchdown pass was a screen. UA had a hard time pushing the ball down the field in the passing game. Nearly every pass was under 12 to 15 yards. 

It is really hard to see how this offense is going to function well enough to win games in the SEC. It is only one game - more precisely, one quarter - but the uphill climb facing Ryan Silverfield might be steeper than he - and we - might have hoped going into the season.