Pour some sugar on me

After a strong regular season that saw the Hogs finish 10-2, the final game of the 2010 season will be played tonight when Arkansas takes on Ohio State in the Sugar Bowl.

Arkansas' 2010 campaign also included a 6-2 record in SEC Conference play, good enough for 2nd in the ultra-competitive Western Division. I chronicled the season game-by-game, and you can read those posts by clicking on this link.

This season certainly had its share of ups and downs, though there were definitely more 'ups' than 'downs.' The Hogs' defensive unit was much improved, making the team more competitive in conference play. QB Ryan Mallett had a strong season, as did his stellar corps of receivers (though the loss of WR Greg Childs to a season-ending patellar tendon injury was unfortunate). Senior TE D.J. Williams had a great final season, capped off by winning the Disney Spirit Award and the Mackey Award. The offense became more balanced after RB Knile Davis emerged as the go-to back in the middle part of the season, and Davis looks to be a premier SEC running back heading into next year if he can stay healthy. That balanced offensive attack was only possible because of a strong O-line, of course, anchored by OT DeMarcus Love.

The Hogs also showed an improved ability to win on the road, beating Georgia, South Carolina, and Mississippi State on their home fields and beating Texas A&M on a neutral site location. Arkansas finished the regular season by beating LSU in the annual Battle of the Boot, always a tough contest. All in all, it was a successful regular season by any measure.

So now we come to the Sugar Bowl, where the Hogs will square off against Jim Tressel's Ohio State team that seems to make it into a BCS bowl on an annual basis. This is Arkansas' first ever BCS bowl, so there's a bit of an 'unknown' factor in thinking about how the Hogs are going to handle the Sugar Bowl's big stage.

Now's not the time to shy away from standing behind the Razorbacks, though, so here's my prediction:

Hogs 35, Buckeyes 20

I'll check back in after the game to comment on how it turned out. Until then...

Go Hogs Go! 

       Wooooooo Pig Sooiee!!!