Arkansas football finally showed anger against Tennessee

Arkansas' only two wins this season have come against an FCS team, North Alabama, and a shorthanded Tulsa team which looked helpless without its regular starting quarterback. Arkansas merely did what it was supposed to do in those two wins. The Hogs were competent but were also facing diminished opposition. In games against tougher teams - Utah, Georgia, Texas A&M - the Hogs looked weak and helpless. They got overwhelmed in the first half and watched games spiral against them. They didn't have any answers, any hope, any chance.

Saturday against Tennessee, we did see something different. No, Arkansas didn't win, but the Razorbacks did show some real fighting spirit. Ryan Silverfield and Tim Cramsey did butcher the last six minutes of this game with some very cowardly decisions (which we have discussed here), but for all they did poorly, they did some good work at halftime. Arkansas got shut out in the first half, showing the toothless and feeble offense we have been accustomed to seeing this year. Going into the third quarter, there was no logical reason to expect anything different ... but then it happened.

Arkansas ran for over 100 yards on two consecutive touchdown drives. The Razorbacks elicited a "where has THIS been?" reaction from analysts and fans alike. The explosion of tough running and fierce blocking from a beleaguered offensive line was as shocking - in a good way - as anything we have seen from this team this season. It was a euphoric experience. Razorback Stadium popped and roared in a way it hadn't previously exploded this season. Fans suddenly felt this strange emotion: joy. It had been a long time coming, and what made it so delightful was the unexpected nature of it all.

In that third quarter, it looked like Arkansas players were sick and tired of being sick and tired. They were fed up with the direction of the game and the trajectory of the season. They started hitting people. Tennessee linemen got blown off the line of scrimmage. Running backs went straight through Vol defenders, shedding them and powering straight ahead with ferocity and intent. Arkansas didn't look like the worst team in the SEC in that third quarter. The Hogs looked like a middle-of-the-conference team which could threaten the upper third of the conference - maybe not Georgia, but certainly LSU or Missouri.

Did this magic last? No, and we have to admit that. Yet, finding 15 minutes of real quality, looking like a real team, is 15 minutes more than what we have previously seen. It doesn't mean this team is heading in the right direction, but it means the Hogs are capable of playing like this. Let's see if 15 minutes can become 30 or 45 before this season is done.