Moral victories aren't the point of football, but Arkansas needs one

In a very uncomfortable season for Arkansas football, a lot of inconvenient and unsettling truths exist. Here's one of many: Arkansas isn't losing in interesting, dramatic or different ways. 

These losses surely aren't interesting. They're all blowouts. They're all games in which Arkansas has been done at halftime and there was zero question if the team could win the game in the second half. Utah, Georgia and Texas A&M all put their feet down in one way or another before halftime arrived.

These losses aren't dramatic. There's zero fourth-quarter drama or intrigue. Arkansas is getting whacked so thoroughly that there isn't even any sizzle or suspense regarding whether the Hogs will cover the spread. Utah was a 12.5-point favorite. Georgia was favored by 24, and only a cosmetic, late TD by Arkansas made that spread bet seem closer than it actually was. Texas A&M was a 13.5-point favorite and covered very easily. Arkansas not being able to score is making these games drama-free.

The games aren't different, either. They all follow the same pattern: early KJ Jackson mistake, early physical dominance by the opponent, big first-half scoring play by the opposition, double-digit halftime deficit for the Razorbacks, unproductive third quarter for the offense, generally uneventful second half.

The season isn't even half-over, and yet the reality of the season is already numbing to the mind and soul for Arkansas fans.

We are taught in competitive sports to not accept or take pride in moral victories. That's for losers. Well, the sad truth of the matter is that Arkansas is a losing program and will continue to be for most of the next two months. That kind of statement should draw anger and passionate rebukes from a fan base, but we all know deep down that's a true statement. That's the sad part. There's really no expectation from the fan base that things are going to change this season ... and there shouldn't be, purely as an objective observation of how things have been and how things are.

No one should ever root for moral victories or like them, but in a bad situation, logical minds have to accept certain limitations - not long-term, not permanent, but certainly in the short term.

It would frankly feel like a breath of fresh air, a tonic, a source of hope, if Arkansas could at least lose an SEC game by a close margin. Maybe it will be against Tennessee this coming weekend. Maybe it will come against Vanderbilt. Regardless, Arkansas has to pull itself out of this awful pattern of getting blown out with regularity. This coaching staff and these players need to at least taste one dramatic fourth quarter so that everyone can be tested in a high-stress environment.

Heck, even the two wins were not dramatic. There hasn't been one remotely close game through five weeks. We all want to see how this team performs under late-game pressure, but that scenario hasn't emerged. This is part of why it is and has been hard for fans to really get into this season and at least feel entertained, regardless of the end result.

No, moral victories are not what we pay money to see on Saturdays. However, at the rate things are going, a close loss would feel like a major improvement for Arkansas. It shouldn't be like this ... but it is. The Hogs need any small shred of hope they can grab.