Game Blog: Arkansas vs. No. 1 Florida
October 17th, 2009
For updates and analysis, and to ask your own questions, please scroll down to the comments section of the blog.
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I’ve made it to the press box here at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. A few Florida players, including Tim Tebow, are out on the field right now warming up. QB Ryan Mallett was on the field earlier with a pair of headphones on tossing a few footballs to a manager.
The Swamp at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in Gainesville, Fla., will be rocking for today's game between Arkansas and No. 1 Florida.
The big question today for the Hogs is whether senior tailback Michael Smith (hamstring) plays today. He was limited in the portions of practice open to the media this week. Was that on purpose to divert the media’s attention or is Smith really limited?
We’ll see in about an hour when the Hogs and No. 1 Gators kick off.
Make sure to scroll down to the comments section for more updates and analysis throughout the game. Have a question? Make sure to post them below as well.
Bad calls were a bummer and Tejada choked. He is the only loser remaining from the vaunted "Springdale five" that caused so much trouble. All under achievers we should never have recruited. We need to go for on fourth down unless the field goal is 25 yards or less. Bitter loss but the future looks bright.
I doubt the entire officiating crew is to blame, my thought is that one official made all those calls. Seen it before, especially in the SWC, Texas always had a couple refs willing to help them out. Schools like Texas, Fla, etc are just to powerful. They have the larges media markets, the most students, and rich backers. Their recruiting base is larger than their opponents, etc. Lets face it, competing with them is and always will be an uphill battle. The shame is that they ar3e so willing to accept these advantages and feel they deserve it. The good is that when you kick their butts you know you've beaten not just the team but the lousy system that favors them! I like the idea that the Hogs can muster enough from such a small state to scare the hell out of them and often enough whip em! GO Hogs!
Does anyone know if you can scratch officials from doing your games in college football?
Hawgfan100, I agree that everyone was taking care of business, except for Alex Tejada. I totally agree that their TD was completely aided by officials, and their last drive included a shady first down spot that should have been reviewed by the booth. That at least would have left more time and saved us a timeout, not to mention the no-call on offensive pass interference. I get it. But we can't completely blame them when Florida gave us so many opportunities that we failed to convert, particularly with the kicking game. I just don't want to get in the habit of blaming the officials for everything like Auburn's fans did last week. Yes, the officials sucked and changed the course of the game single-handedly, but we left some points on the table ourselves.
Just an incredible incredible game! The best team unit on the field was OUR DEFENSE! Who would have thought that would have ever been said three weeks ago. Needless to say, I've always said - and you can go back and read all my past comments - it will be the offense that wins and loses our games. And despite some very bad calls late in the game, our offense LOST this game. Mallet was average at best - 44% passing - and he missed two wide open guys in the end zone! Mallet can be a great QB but consistent completions on dump passes and short 15 yard passes will win MORE games than the sexy WOW 50+ yard passes and Mallet has yet to show that he can throw the short pass consistently. When he learns to do that he will be a complete and GREAT QB but he's not there yet. We left at least 20 points on the field - two bad passes to wide open receivers in the end zone and two missed field goals. As much as I hate to say it, this loss lies on Mallet's shoulders or actually on his arm and not bad officiating. But our DEFENSE can walk away from this game pounding their chest saying "We did what was needed to win this game!" When the offense can match the defenses' kind of performance against good/great defenses, then we will be unstoppable (maybe even win a conference and nat'l title sometime in the NEAR future). Don't get your head down Ryan but please get better at throwing the "not so sexy" but game winning short passes!!!
I don't blame the refs for everything; just what they earn. (And man, did they earn these...) I'm not blaming the refs for the opportunities we missed, just the one they gave florida. Unfortunately for us thats all the gaters needed...
Well said skezell. The Gators turned it over 5 times and gave up 6 sacks. We should have won the game in spite of the officials. If Tejada is our best kicker we need to remove field goals as an option. Mallet made some lousy throws but he will get better. Dennis Johnson looked like a man out there. The running game looks strong for years to come.
Y'all need to lay off Mallet. He did just fine for a guy who was starting only his ninth game and in the swamp to boot. Don't try to lay this on Mallet or the team. We managed to push through everything except those egregious calls. If those calls were properly made the gaters don't score a TD because they would have lost 20+ yards on just those two plays.
You only enable that awful behavior when you attempt the same old lame excuse: "Yeah, we got some bad calls but we sucked worse." Reminds of the old rape defense that the victim somehow 'deserved it'.
Correction: gaters turned the ball over 4 times...and for the record, Mallet broke the gater record of getting a pick in, what, 16, 17 straight games? Yeah, he made a couple of bad throws but I'll take his poor play any day.
I hope they fire the coach. If my team had been the victim of bad calls the way the Hogs were against Florida, I would have been challenging calls or in someone's face
Not blaming Mallet at all...just pointing out that he missed some key opportunities. The bad calls had an impact but we got enough breaks to make up for those. Mallet threw one right to a FL player who missed an easy pick cause the sun was in his eyes. A FL receiver dropped a perfect td pass and they missed a fg. Add the Four turnovers and it is clear we had a rare opportunity. Making 1 of 3 fg's got us beat, not the refs.
I wouldn't fire the coach. No way. Remember what happened in the Georgia game when he objected too strenuously to the jobbing Franklin got in that game. All he did was get another 15-yd. penalty tacked on--nothing else. In fact, he has my respect; he did much better than I did on those terrible calls. I went so ballistic I thought one of my neighbors was going to call the cops. :^}
On another note, let's also remember the great running job Green did in today's game. For a guy who has been much maligned, he really stepped up.
"The bad calls had an impact but we got enough breaks to make up for those."
Obviously not: we did 'lose', right?
"Making 1 of 3 fg's got us beat, not the refs."
The gaters don't get that TD given to them nobody cares that much about missed FGs.
"...and it is clear we had a rare opportunity."
And we made the most of that opportunity. The refs 'merely' stole the fruits we made of that opportunity. Perhaps you can live with that. Personally, I find it damn difficult.
I'd love to win out too but those of you who think it might be easy should take a look at how well SC is playing Bama right now...
Thanks for keeping the discussion a live folks. The Hogs were definitely disappointed after the loss, but you could sense a tinge of pride from them minutes after the 23-20 loss.
After all, I don't think anyone expected this game to be so close and in doubt.
Arkansas busted all kinds of firsts for Florida in this game. The Gators hadn't allowed a play of longer than 27 yards all season. The Hogs busted three for 42 yards or larger.
"We just got a good offense," QB Ryan Mallett said. "You've got to give us a little credit, now. They haven't seen an offense like ours all year, and probably won't the rest of the year. If we had to play again, I don't think they'd agree to it this year."
I don't think so, either.
What are your thoughts?
No, we did not make the most of the opportunities. We missed two field goals and failed to stop them on the last drive. Blaming the officials for the loss ignores the fact that we could have won the game had we executed better. I'm pleased that we were able to match up with their speed and athleticism at their place. Tells me we are moving to the next level talent wise.
I'm more encouraged by the defensive improvement. This was the most complete game the D had played. They just fell a little short.
I'm extremely proud of how the guys played today. I'm very glad to hear they weren't hanging their heads and were instead also proud of their effort. And I agree with Ryan: I don't think the gaters want to see any more of us this year on a neutral field or otherwise.
How 'bout next year in Atlanta?
You miss the point: if those calls are made properly, we DID stop them. The final drive then becomes much easier for our defense as the gaters need a TD for the win instead of a FG.
Try not to blame the victim so much. The refs DID completely blow at least three calls. Those calls had a major impact on the resolution of the game, no matter how much you want to downplay that impact. The gaters had one given to them at our expense. It's ok, you can accept it; no one will think you a whiner.
I think it was a heck of a game, tough to lose, but all Hog fans couldn't be prouder of the effort. Any negative remarks by Hog Fans are only intended to help point out where we need to work to improve. Coach Petrino said it best, "we've got everything we need to develop a team to compete for the national championship", and I believe he intends to do just that! And he seems to be well on his way! As for that ref, Kiss my #$$!
The refs should be fined just like pro players are for their penalties - when they make an outragesously boneheaded and one sided call that is inaccurate they should be fined and maybe that will correct the problem - hit them in the pocketbook.
I've never been more disgusted with a called penalty or penalties - and not just because it was against the team I'm rooting for.
Blaming the refs makes you a whiner and a loser. We should have won in spite of the refs. We can't control the refs but we can control our own execution. Make the field goals and we win...stop them on the last drive and we win...period. Winners find a way to win, losers find someone else to blame. If you focus on the refs (who you can't control), you might overlook mistakes that need to be corrected (which you can control). The calls were terrible but in the end we failed to make the plays needed to win.
I watched this game in a public venue in Dallas among other avid Hog fans. My thought was that Ryan did not show up the way he did in the last three games (even though we lost against Georgia). More important: Can someone please address this question? "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON WITH THE LACK OF PASSES DO D.J. WILLIAMS?" He didn't touch the ball today. I think that could have made some difference in the game. Love the Hogs. Now on to Ole' Miss!
"Make the field goals and we win...stop them on the last drive and we win...period."
True but that stuff will happen...what the refs did should NEVER HAPPEN. If they don't make those horrible calls, we win...period. See the difference?
"...we failed to make the plays needed to win."
We made the plays we needed to win. We just did not make the plays we needed to win going away. See the difference?
"...you might overlook mistakes that need to be corrected."
I'm not overlooking the mistakes we made. I'm also not cutting those crappy refs any slack, as you are. I don't want the refs in anyones' control but they sure looked to be that way today, didn't they?
"We should have won in spite of the refs."
Simply a ridiculous and untenable position to take. Why should the Hogs be expected to win "in spite of the refs" if the playing field is level?
"Blaming the refs makes you a whiner and a loser."
Bringing ad hominems into what had been a civil discussion is dead give away that you lack adequate debating skills. Sharpen up. Going to walk my long-suffering and very patient dog...later.
First of all, I was not looking for a debate. I made a comment representing my opinion of the events. You took issue with my opinion and then began explaining why I should instead adopt your opinion. Unfortunately, I found your position lacking in depth and sound reasoning as you simply want to blame today's loss on two bad calls. In doing so, you make numerous assumptions regarding what would have happened in the absence of those calls. Making such assumptions requires additional assumptions and further departure from reality.
My position is based on the reality of what happened as opposed to what should have happened. One field goal was missed before the bad calls. A seventy seven yard touchdown was given up before the bad calls. The other missed field goal took place after the bad calls as did the failure to stop FL on the final drive. It is clear, therefore, that the hogs had opportunities to win in spite of the officials. It is true that in a perfect world those calls would not have been made. We do not, however, live in a perfect world. The football game took place in the real world where bad calls are
made and must be overcome. As I stated before, winners find a
way to overcome such imperfections. Florida, for example,
overcame their turnovers and found a way to win. The Hogs also
had the chance to overcome as well but they failed to do so. To
blame the officials for such failures is to place responsibility for their
(hogs) play on people who had nothing to do with it.
You lament the lack of a level playing field as if it is somehow unfair. The differences in playing at home verses playing away are numerous and well established. The home team almost always gets the calls. Such is expected in road games so you rarely see coaches blame the officials for a loss on the road. The focus is usually where it should be...,on the team and it's performance or lack thereof. I'm not cutting the refs any slack in saying they were not responsible for the outcome. I'm simply accepting that bad calls were made and then pointing out how they should not have prevented the hogs from getting the win. Good luck with your position that bad calls should NEVER happen. They will happen and the winner will overcome them.
Finally, my statement "Blaming the refs makes you a whiner and a loser" was in response to your statement "no one will think you a whiner". My point is that I would consider myself a whiner if I blamed the loss on two bad calls as opposed to a lack of execution. My debating skills, or lack thereof, are of no great concern here as I am not debating. To do so would mean there is a credible position that is opposite mine. The fact is that the hogs win if they make the field goals or make one of them and stop Florida on the last drive. If we had a chance to win despite the lousy calls, it is intellectually dishonest to blame the loss on those calls. If you insist on taking the position that "but for the refs, we win", you ignore all events that took place after those calls.
Ok here is the short of it, Arkansas has a reputation for getting screwed by refs not just today but in any big game. The only way arkansas is gonna get half the respect they need it to start winning games so handily a ref cant throw the games but its good for the sec to have a no 1 ranked team its good for tv and revenue so the sec is gonna keep it that way if they can. Even if Tejada makes both his field goals florida finishes the game with a TD and the refs would have ensured it. Also before you are so quick to blame Tejada there was a strong wind in the stadium and one kick was 50 yards and the other one petrino should have called a play that would have centered the ball up if it didnt suceed. Yes there were blown oppurtunities and the refs did not prevent arkansas from winning but because florida is florida they did everyhting possible to make sure they had a easy time score and head of officials for sec email is rredding@sec.org let him here you. and as far as the sec goes stop the game fixing its not just this game anytime they have a chance to ensure the higher ranked team wins they do. And as far as Florida fans go y'all are extremely cocky, learn to admit that you are not invincible yeah you had 4 fumbles but that does not mean you would have had 4 touchdowns becuase all that happened the first quarter waas arkansas punting to the 40 and florida fumbling on the 5 where we can't run our offense because of the threat of a safety. Also the stadium was rather quite until the two massive penalties that led to a Florida touchdown and the refs put the stadium right back into the game that was missing for mot of the game. Arkansas out played florida in everyway today but they didnt out pay the refs so as to be suspected if its close enough for the ref to decide they will! GO HOGS!
I believe the refs are professionals. But they are human. It's hard to accept it, but a few refs really are that biased. It used to happen in the SWC. Remember the SMU game, where SMU was undefeated and going for a national championship? In a later game for SMU, the same ref made a terrible call to help SMU win. Orville Henry wrote about it.
The SEC has a natural tendency to want Alabama and Florida to go undefeated, in the conference championship game, and the winner play for a national championship. Those refs who made bad calls should be disciplined or not used again. I mean these were really bad. And the no calls. Remember the Hog d-back about to intercept in the end zone and the Gator receiver tackles him before the ball got there? Just as bad as the Hog lineman walking along, far from the play and the Gator takes a cheap shot. The Hog lowered his shoulder, glances the Gator to the ground, and they call a penaly on the Hog. Yes, we could have won, but we can't accept such officials. Someday, we may be playing for a West Div. championship and watch it taken from us. This kind of officiating has to be guarded against by the SEC. Always.
Pass interference calls or no-calls are always going to be pretty subjective calls, and I can understand the refs making bad calls on those types of plays. That being said, the refs blew at least two of those calls, and both of them went against the Hogs. I only saw part of the last quarter on TV because my local station had to show Montana play someone (like I really care at all!). The rest of the game I had to listen to on the internet, so I don't know whether the refs blew any other calls the rest of the game, but Florida's last two scoring drives were definitely given to them by the refs. Rick M., you're right about the personal foul penalty on us on Florida's touchdown drive. All Malcolm Sheppard did was protect himself from the Florida lineman about to block him (on what should have been a personal foul against Florida); the replay clearly showed that. But because the Florida lineman was too weak to stay on his feet, we get called for a personal foul. That made 30 yards in penalties given to Florida on that one drive alone. If not for those 30 yards in penalties, it's a good bet that they don't score a touchdown on that drive.
Then on the last drive when an offensive pass interference penalty should have been called on Florida, it would have backed them up 15 yards and well out of field goal range, making it very hard for them to gain a first down to keep driving for a shorter field goal. If they had been called for interference and still overcame that, or if they had made a 50+ yard field goal, I'd give them more credit, but they were handed a short field goal by the refs. That's how those bad calls affected the outcome of the game. These were subjective calls that were made, not obvious infractions like offsides or false starts; there's a BIG difference in those calls. What were the total penalty statistics, something like 10 penalties against us and 3 against them? I just don't think we were given a level playing field, and it still took that situation for Florida to win. That says a lot about our improvement, I think.
I think blaming Tejada is perfectly justifiable. Look, if we want to challenge the Floridas and Alabamas of the world, we have to have a kicker who is reliable in ALL circumstances. I'm not saying he has to be 100%, but you have to feel that he at least has a chance in pressure situations. Tejada's second field goal (from a VERY manageable distance) didn't even have a chance. Meanwhile, Florida's kicker (who missed one in the first quarter) nuts up and hits a 51-yarder in the same wind that Tejada had to kick in. So I don't want want hear anything about conditions. If Tejada cannot make 37 yard fgs in pressure situations in a hostile environments with a whirling wind, then we need to find someone who can, because that is what separates 11-1 from 8-4 in this conference.
Contact the head of SEC officiating:
 rredding@sec.org
And all you guys who thought the officiating was just fine and certainly something the Hogs should be able to overcome, in not only the important games but in every game we play, I'm sure he'd love to hear from y'all too. ;^)
If we had capitalized on the mistakes FLA made and the extra opportunities they gave us, we would have won by 54-23 or something crazy like that. This would have taken the game out of the hands of the officials. Understand, I wanted this game, anyway I could get it. But we did not play well enough to take the officials out of it. In effect, we got exactly what we deserved.
Now lets go to the film room and find what we must correct, fix the mistakes, and get after Ole Miss.
We did not get what we deserved. We played badly, but we out played Florida and deserved the win. We deserve to be treated fairly.
Florida is over. I want to see a confident bunch of hogs go to Old Mrs and deliver a beat down. Our defense should be feeling some redemption after many people (me included) had written them off completely. I doubt we will be a 25 point dog next time we get Florida.
One more Florida comment. I called Tejada a choker in an earlier post and want to apologize for that. I wish he would have made those field goals but he's a kid in a tough position doing his best. I hope he can put those misses behind him and make the rest. Regardless, I'm behind him.
I agree the calls were horrible, but I have seen Florida get a few of those and have been the victim of the "excessive celebrating" joke of a call the SEC loves to call.
To say the Hogs would have won if not for the officials is suspect. They may have tied, but Arkansas should have made thier field goal and stopped the Gators on their final drive, which Tebow threw 3 first downs in under 2 minutes left, without a stop. 4 fumbles, countless sacks, and Gators missed a field goal too. Why was the score still 20 to 20 in the final minutes before the bad calls? We will never know who would have won, but it isn't a gimme that the Hogs would have, they had plenty of opportunites to put the game away and the opposing team stopped them.