Hogs' loss is disappointing

Disappointing is the nicest way to describe Arkansas' 30-10 loss at Florida. It's not the first word that comes to mind but ... it's the nicest thing I can say. I'll preface the rest of this by saying, Bret Bielema is a great coach for the Razorbacks. He's my kind of coach and I'd rather lose playing his style than lose playing a different style. But, Saturday's game ... that was ... disappointing. Florida is better than Arkansas. The Gators' defense is big-time. Offensively, however, Florida is seriously flawed. The Gators don't blow out many opponents because they don't score a lot of points. The Razorbacks, with a team made for ground-and-pound, had the blueprint for the upset. Run the ball. Shorten the game. Use the punt as a weapon. Keep it close and see which way the ball bounces late in the fourth quarter. It was working, too. By the way, moving freshmen Kirkland and Skipper to guards was a stroke of genius by Bielema. Along with Swanson at center, the Razorbacks are solid up the middle. That's the strength of this offense. I guess that's why it was so disappointing to watch Arkansas abandon the run on Saturday. Brandon Allen completed 17-of-41 passes for 164 yards. As a team, the Hogs were 17-of-43 throwing the ball. Too many of those passes came when it was a one-possession game. The drive that put Arkansas up 7-3 started with an incomplete pass. It then went, Collins for 10, Hackett for 9, Collins for 3, Williams for 12, Collins for no gain, Allen pass to Henry for 31 and Williams for a 4-yard touchdown. I'll do the math - eight plays, 6 rushing, 2 passes. The formula worked and was never used again. Pass. Pass. Pass. The only thing worse than the quick three-and-outs that helped sap Arkansas' defense was the predictable Pick-6 Allen threw to the Gators. So disappointing to give a team that can't score a defensive touchdown. Let's get this straight. The Razorbacks needed a near-perfect performance to beat Florida. The loss isn't disappointing. Losing in the manner they lost is disappointing. Arkansas didn't give itself a chance. Allen is, at best, a middle-of-the-road SEC quarterback. Any game plan where he's asked to throw 40 times should be re-thought. Not that it was all on him. Arkansas has no big-play receivers. They can't get open and when they do get open, odds are about 50-50 on whether they'll catch the ball if it hits them in their hands. So, couple an average to below-average quarterback with subpar receivers, multiply it by two outstanding backs and a good, young run-blocking offensive line and what do you get? It ain't 43 passes. That's for darned sure. Bielema is going to improve the talent level at Arkansas. Until he does, however, the coaches have to devise a game plan that gives the out-manned talent the best chance at success. Losing because you're outgunned is understandable. Asking a piss-poor passing attack to consistently convert third-and-longs after incomplete passes to open a drive is not understandable. In fact, it's ... disappointing.