On Saturday afternoon, the entire state of Arkansas converged on the Capitol city of Little Rock for a historic game. In the end, the Arkansas Razorbacks routed the Red Wolves of Arkansas State, 56-14, in front of 54,224 fans. We at Last Word gave three keys for success for the Razorbacks in pregame. We will now grade these in the Arkansas report card, week two.
Arkansas Report Card – Week Two Versus Arkansas State
Before we grade, we need to recap what the three keys were for the week. The first was to be ready for anything from the Red Wolves. Second was to play Razorback football, and lastly was not to sleep on the Red Wolves. Now that we recall the keys, let’s give out some grades.
Be Ready For Anything
To start the game, Arkansas needed to be ready for anything. This would, in a way, be thrown out of the window as Arkansas scored touchdowns in its first four drives. After taking a 28-7 lead, the Razorbacks took immediate control of the game, and we were still in the first quarter. Sam Pittman spoke in the postgame about this swift start, saying, “I just think it was damn good coaching.”
Play Razorback Football
In the second key, we received devastating news for the Red Wolves as running back Ja’Quez Cross was lost for the season with an injury. With this, as spoken of above, Arkansas had War Memorial Stadium roaring from the start. Despite a 99-yard punt return by Chancey Cobb from Arkansas State, the points would have been sparse. Additional points came on a two-yard touchdown snag from Cameron Ambrose as Arkansas led 35-14 at the half.
The scoring halted at the break for the Red Wolves as Arkansas scored on all drives in the second stanza. This efficiency from both the offense and defense will be vital as conference season is on the horizon. As we graded the second key, we had to watch the game in its entirety. Some may ask, “Really, with a score like that?”, and the answer is, “Yes”. The reason is that we wanted to see how the team closed out their opponent. With this said, we grade key number two with an A.
Do Not Sleep On Red Wolves
In closing, we acknowledge the “Straight A’s” that have been a trend thus far this season. We have to look at the competition of the opening two games for the Razorbacks. Speaking of opponents, up next is a road trip to Oxford, Mississippi. While there, Arkansas opens Southeastern Conference play as it faces the Rebels. We at Last Word will have more on this game, including three keys to success and more.
