TAT: Bold Predictions for 6 Razorback Teams Still In Action

This article originally appeared in the May 2, 2013 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

Men’s Outdoor Track & Field

The No. 4 men’s track and field team won the Indoor National Championship in March and I expect the outdoor team to do the same.

With one week until the Southeastern Conference Championships, Arkansas owns 35 top 10 marks in 17 different events, including three No. 1 marks, amongst SEC schools

If they can out-perform No. 1 Florida and No. 2 Texas A&M, the Razorbacks will earn their seventh consecutive SEC Championship, including indoor track & field and cross country, May 12.

Whether they win the SEC or not, Arkansas will have a great chance to win the National Championship in Eugene, Ore., and as long as they perform like they did in the Indoor Championships, they’ll win their 42nd title in program history.

Women’s Outdoor Track & Field

Despite their No. 6 national ranking, I predict the women’s track and field team to finish second at the SEC Championships. With No. 1 Texas A&M, No. 3 Florida and No. 4 LSU in the same conference, it would be very difficult to jump all three teams to finish first.

However, with four SEC-leading marks, it is very possible. In all, the Razorbacks have 28 to- 10 marks in 17 different events amongst SEC schools.

While they have talent, I don’t think Arkansas will have enough firepower to score enough points at the NCAA Outdoor Championships to finish any higher than third.

Baseball

Arkansas’ final three series of the season are against opponents with a combined 22-41 SEC record, but they travel to No. 23 Kentucky this weekend.

If the Razorbacks can go 6-3 or better in the remaining games and win two or more games in the SEC tournament, they will have a good chance to host a Regional.

Once they win the Regional, I predict Arkansas will have to travel to Arizona State for their Super Regional. Riding their strong pitching staff, Arkansas will win a tight game three to advance to Omaha, Neb., where they’ll win the first College World Series in school history.

Razorback fans should be cautious though, as hitting and fielding have been weak points this season. If they can solidify their fielding and come through with a few timely hits, the College World Series is highly possible.

Softball

After earning their first national ranking in school history last week, the UA softball team moved up to No. 22 this week.

They are 9-10 in SEC play, which is third in the SEC West. Their last regular season games are this weekend against Auburn at Bogle Park. I think they will win two of three and finish the regular season with a .500 record in the SEC for the first time since 2000.

While the Razorbacks could host a Regional, I doubt they will. I do think they’ll go to another team’s home field and win their first Regional in school history.

Led by senior pitchers Hope McLemore and Chelsea Cohen, Arkansas has a chance to advance to the Women’s College World Series, but their season will most likely end in the Super Regionals.

Men’s Golf

Arkansas finished sixth in the SEC Men’s Golf Team Championship, but junior Sebastian Cappelen won the individual title by shooting 3-under-par. His 202 is a 54-hole record in the SEC.

The Razorbacks are No. 14 in the most recent poll, so I expect them to easily make the NCAA tournament with a three- or four-seed. The Razorbacks will host the NCAA Fayetteville Regional at Blessings Golf Course.

As a team, I think their season will end in the Regionals, but Cappelen could easily finish in the top 10 in the individual championship. If the Razorbacks want to advance out of the Regionals, they’ll need a strong performance from freshman Taylor Moore.

Moore earned Freshman All-SEC and co-Freshman of the Year honors this season and will have to continue this play into the postseason. However, I think Arkansas’ best chance at a National Championship run is still a year away, when Cappelen is a senior and Moore is an experienced sophomore.

Women’s Golf

The women’s golf team enters the NCAA tournament as the No. 2 seed in the East Regional. They are ranked No. 6 nationally.

Eight of the 24 teams in the East Regional will advance to the championship finals, so the Razorbacks should easily qualify, but I predict they’ll knock off No. 1 Alabama and win the Regional.

Like the men’s team, they will need a strong performance from their star junior and freshman. Junior Emily Tubert averages a 73.29 score per round, while freshman Gabriela Lopez averages a 73.64. They are also the only two Razorbacks to win a tournament this season.

If Tubert and Lopez have great scores and a few other Razorbacks chip in, I think Arkansas will finish in the top four in the National Championship.

TAT: Hog Opponents Find NFL Homes

This article originally appeared in the May 1, 2013 issue of The Arkansas Traveler.

The Southeastern Conference had another strong draft class this year, with 63 players selected. This broke the record for most players from one conference taken in a single draft, surpassing the Pac-10’s 55 players in the 1983 draft, and made up nearly one-quarter of all players drafted.

Arkansas’ SEC opponents featured 35 of these players and, including nonconference games, the Razorbacks faced teams that featured 43 total draft picks. This is tied with Tennessee for sixth most in the SEC. Florida faced the most 2013 NFL Draft picks with 51 on their opponents’ rosters.

Only three of Arkansas’ opponents in 2012, ULM, Tulsa and Ole Miss, did not have a player selected in the NFL draft.

Here’s a look at the other nine teams they played and how their draft picks performed against the Razorbacks.

Jacksonville State – Sept. 1 – W, 49-24

Arkansas opened their season against Jacksonville State, a member of the Football Championship Series (formerly Division I-AA).

Although the Razorbacks won handily, the Gamecocks had a strong performance from wide receiver Alan Bonner. His eight catches for 107 yards and touchdown proved to be his second-best statistical game of the season.

The Houston Texans took Bonner in the sixth round as the 195th overall pick. 

Alabama – Sept. 15 – L, 52-0

The Crimson Tide squad that shutout the Razorbacks at Donald W. Reynolds, a first for Arkansas since 1966, featured nine players in the 2013 NFL Draft.

Cornerback Dee Milliner (New York Jets, first round, ninth overall) had two tackles and a pass breakup in the game and was a part of an Alabama secondary that held Razorback receivers to only 79 yards on 11 catches.

Inside linebacker Nico Johnson (Kansas City Chiefs, fourth round, 99th overall), defensive tackle Jesse Williams (Seattle Seahawks, fifth round, 137th overall) and defensive end Quinton Dial (San Francisco 49ers, fifth round, 157th overall) combined for nine tackles, including one tackle for loss, and held Arkansas running backs to 1.6 yards per carry.

Offensively, guard Chance Warmack (Tennessee Titans, first round, 10th overall), tackle D.J. Fluker (San Diego Chargers, first round, 11th overall) and center Barrett Jones (St. Louis Rams, fourth round, 113th overall) cleared the way for three running backs to rush over 50 yards.

One of these running backs was Eddie Lacy (Green Bay Packers, second round, 61st overall), who had 55 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries. Tight end Michael Williams (Detroit Lions, seventh round, 211th overall) added 20 yards on two receptions.

Rutgers – Sept. 22 – L, 35-26

Following their loss to Alabama, Arkansas played Rutgers, a team that had seven players taken in this year’s draft.

Cornerbacks Logan Ryan (New England Patriots, third round, 83rd overall) and Marcus Cooper (San Francisco 49ers, seventh round, 252nd overall), as well as safety Duron Harmon (New England Patriots, third round, 91st overall) broke up two passes and intercepted another two, but couldn’t stop Arkansas receiver Cobi Hamilton.

Despite facing a secondary with three future draft picks, Hamilton caught 10 passes for a UA and SEC single-game record 303 yards.

Linebackers Khaseem Greene (Chicago Bears, fourth round, 117th overall) and Steve Beauharnais (New England Patriots, seventh round, 235th overall) tallied 14 tackles, two pass breakups and half of a sack.

The Scarlet Knights were led by running back Jawan Jamison (Washington Redskins, seventh round, 228th overall) offensively.

Jamison had 141 all-purpose yards and one touchdown. Tight end D.C. Jefferson was drafted in the seventh round (219th overall) by the Arizona Cardinals, but didn’t accumulate any stats against Arkansas.

Texas A&M – Sept. 29 – L, 58-10

For the third straight week, Arkansas played a team with at least five players selected in this year’s draft. The Aggies had five players taken, including one in each of the first four rounds.

Texas A&M’s offensive line was anchored by tackle Luke Joeckel (Jacksonville Jaguars, first round, second overall), allowed no sacks and helped their offense gain 716 total yards.

Running back Christine Michael (Seattle Seahawks, second round, 62nd overall) and receiver Ryan Swope (Arizona Cardinals, sixth round, 174th overall) accounted for 165 yards and two touchdowns.

Defensively, linebacker Sean Porter (Cincinnati Bengals, fourth round, 118th overall) and defensive end Damontre Moore (New York Giants, third round, 81st overall) combined for 11 tackles, including 3.5 tackles for loss, and two quarterback hurries.

However, Arkansas was still able to gain 515 yards of offense.

Auburn – Oct. 6 – W, 24-7

The Tigers’ lone draft pick, defensive end Corey Lemonier (San Francisco 49ers, third round, 88th overall), had two tackles and two quarterback hurries against the Razorbacks.

Lemonier was not enough for Auburn, though, as Arkansas’ running backs were still productive, gaining 116 yards on 30 carries for an average of 3.9 yards per carry.

Kentucky – Oct. 13 – W, 49-7

Despite having guard Larry Warford (Detroit Lions, third round, 65th overall) on their offensive line, the Wildcats could not slow down Arkansas’ defense.

In a rain-shortened game, the Razorbacks totaled two sacks, two tackles for loss and four quarterback hurries, while Kentucky could manage only 170 total yards and six first downs.

South Carolina – Nov. 10 – L, 38-20

The Gamecocks were the fourth team Arkansas played that had at least five draft picks on their roster.

Center T.J. Johnson (Cincinnati Bengals, seventh round, 251st overall) led a South Carolina offensive line that gave up three sacks, 11.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries and allowed their running backs to gain only 2.5 yards per carry.

However, they were without star running back Marcus Lattimore (San Francisco 49ers, fourth round, 131st overall), who missed the previous two games against the Razorbacks. In 2010, his only game against Arkansas, Lattimore had 30 yards on 11 rushes.

Receiver Ace Sanders (Jacksonville Jaguars, fourth round, 101st overall) and tight end Justice Cunningham (Indianapolis Colts, seventh round, 254th overall) combined for three catches and 48 yards.

Defensive end Devin Taylor (Detroit Lions, fourth round, 132nd overall) and linebacker DeVonte Holloman (Dallas Cowboys, sixth round, 185th overall) picked up six tackles and helped hold the Razorbacks to 83 rushing yards, while safety D.J. Swearinger (Houston Texans, second round, 57th overall) had 13 tackles and returned an interception 69 yards for a touchdown.

Mississippi State – Nov. 17 – L, 45-14

Arkansas quarterback Tyler Wilson had only 225 passing yards against Mississippi State, his lowest total in the 10 complete games he played this season.

Cornerbacks Darius Slay (Detroit Lions, second round, 36th overall) and Johnthan Banks (Tampa Bay Buccaneers, second round, 43rd overall) played a large role in shutting down Wilson. Banks had five tackles, while Slay had one tackle and one interception.

Defensive end Josh Boyd (Green Bay Packers, fifth round, 167th overall) also had five tackles and one quarterback hurry.

LSU – Nov. 23 – L, 20-13

The Tigers tied Alabama for the SEC team with the most players taken in the NFL Draft with nine. Eight of the nine players selected were defensive players.

Defensive ends Barkevious Mingo (Cleveland Browns, first round, sixth overall), Sam Montgomery (Houston Texans, third round, 95th overall) and Lavar Edwards (Tennessee Titans, fifth round, 142nd overall) combined for three tackles and two quarterback hurries.

LSU also had a combined 13 tackles from linebacker Kevin Minter (Arizona Cardinals, second round, 45th overall) and defensive tackle Bennie Logan (Philadelphia Eagles, third round, 67th overall).

Safety Eric Reid (San Francisco 49ers, first round, 18th overall) and cornerback Tharoid Simon (Seattle Seahawks, fifth round, 138th overall) had four pass breakups and one interception in the secondary.

Before the season, cornerback Tyrann Mathieu (Arizona Cardinals, third round, 69th overall) was dismissed from the team, but he had 115 punt return yards, one touchdown, eight tackles and two forced fumbles against the Razorbacks in 2011.

The Tigers’ only offensive player taken was running back Spencer Ware (Seattle Seahawks, sixth round, 194th overall). Ware had 22 yards on nine carries against Arkansas last season.