A veritable Trojan War

The Hogs will do battle with the men of Troy today in the final non-conference tune-up game before traveling to Tuscaloosa to take on the University of Alabama next Saturday.

Don't expect the Hogs to get caught looking ahead, though. Unlike Arkansas' first two opponents (Missouri State and New Mexico), Troy is a pretty strong football school. The Trojans were an 8-win team last year, and they've won the Sun Belt Conference as recently as 2009. While they shouldn't be able to hang with the Hogs for a full 4 quarters, they'll likely give Arkansas a tougher game than they've had up to this point.

Considering the quality of the schedule after today, a tougher game is exactly what the Hogs need.

So far, the season's gone pretty much according to script. We're getting great production out of our receivers and QB Tyler Wilson is spreading the ball around. The running backs are churning out good - though not great - stats in the running game. The loss of RB Knile Davis to a season-ending ankle injury will continue to be an issue, though for now the running back-by-committee approach (led by Ronnie Wingo) seems to be pulling its weight. All-purpose threat Joe Adams seems to be everywhere: running back kicks, catching passes, and even picking up a few rushing yards. He's a remarkable talent.

There's a lot of new blood on the offensive line, and these lighter games in the early going are hopefully giving the O-line a chance to develop some chemistry. The defense looks fine as a unit, though the paltry 10 points allowed over the first two games isn't really all that impressive given the opponents. It would be great to see the defense put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks and register a few sacks, but I think that will come.

Overall, I think the biggest worry in my mind has been Tyler Wilson's health. The starting QB took a shot to the head against New Mexico and sat out the second half. Brandon Mitchell did great in relief, but we need the stability of a full-time, healthy starter. Let's hope Wilson doesn't try for too many more rushing TDs this fall.

Now on to the prediction...

Last week: Arkansas 52, New Mexico 3 (My pick: Arkansas 49, New Mexico 3)

Saturday's Game: Arkansas Razorbacks vs. Troy Trojans

Location: Razorback Stadium - Fayetteville, AR

Prediction: Arkansas 38, Troy 17

Reason: The University of Arkansas has taken on the Trojans three times in the past decade. Arkansas has won all three contests handily, although Troy has put some points on the board at times. Expect the Hogs to control this game from start to finish. I think Arkansas could make the final score as lopsided as it wants to do, but I also doubt Coach Petrino is going to keep his first string players in for the entire game and risk injuries unnecessarily. I'm thinking something like 28-3 as a halftime socre, with the game slowing down much more in the 3rd and 4th quarters. But then again, with Brandon Mitchell as our backup QB, who knows?