Wow. Just wow. Sixteen minutes into Arkansas' game against Ole Miss Saturday, and the game was over in a flurry of Darren McFadden and Felix Jones runs and Casey Dick passes.
When Dick completed a 1-yard touchdown pass to Andrew Davie to increase the Razorbacks lead over the Rebels to 21-0 at the 14:04 mark in the second quarter, the game was decided, even though there was still 44 minutes left on the clock.
After the dust had settled, McFadden had run for 110 yards, Jones had rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns, and Dick had thrown three touchdown passes in a 44-8 trouncing of an Ole Miss football team headed nowhere fast. And the Razorbacks' season - which was bloodied, bruised and battered, slumped against the ropes - was slowly staggering back into the ring, hungry for vengeance just like Rocky Balboa in round 15 of Rocky IV.
The game started off promisingly enough for the Rebels, with a combination of rushes and passes moving Ole Miss down the field. But following Jamar Love's sack of Ole Miss quarterback Seth Adams (who gifted the Razorbacks four interceptions on the day) and Joshua Shene's field goal attempt drifting wide left, the rout was on.
Saturday's victory proves that when the Razorback offense is good, it is very good. Open the playbook a little, and Arkansas has one of the better offensive attacks in the country. It wasn't just the McFadden and Jones Show on Saturday, but the McFadden, Jones, Dick, Peyton Hillis, Michael Smith, Davie and a host of others Show.
With the SEC season halfway over (and with Arkansas still one foot in the SEC basement at 1-3), the Razorbacks need the offense to step it up another notch and for the defense to keep on playing with added fire - just like against Ole Miss.
Coming Up: With four SEC games remaining (and three tough opponents in South Carolina, Tennessee and LSU), the Razorbacks picked the right time to play one of their best games of the year. Although their SEC title hopes are all but dashed, the Razorbacks are jockeying for bowl position. The question is: Will it be the Independence Bowl, the Chick-fil-A Bowl or maybe even the Cotton Bowl, because the Razorback team that played against Ole Miss can be in Dallas come New Year's Day.
But before the Razorbacks get down and dirty with the second half of their SEC season, the team gets a bit of a breather, facing Florida International for homecoming. Saturday's game is not the time for even a slight letdown by the Razorbacks, as the Golden Panthers are 0-7 on the year. No, what the Razorbacks need to do is come out like Ivan Drago against Apollo Creed and pummel the Golden Panthers to death as a tune-up for the SEC schedule ahead.
Prediction - Arkansas 54, Florida International 10