When John and I were college roommates, we had a poster of the 1983-84 basketball Razorbacks on our wall. The poster, which was John’s, featured headshots of the team members (with hilarious 80s hairstyles, I might add) and had a schedule at the bottom in which one could fill in the game scores. We were in the fifth grade when that season took place, and, at the end of the schedule, a 10-year-old John had scrawled the score of Arkansas’ NCAA Tournament loss to Virginia and added in parentheses, “Bad calls lost the game.” In Arkansas, the persecution complex begins at an early age.

I remembered that comment after the pass interference call on Kevin Woods in the final minute of Saturday’s game and thought it would be fun to reminisce about other controversial or “bad” calls. To my mind, the two Grand Poobahs of controversial calls are the traveling call against U.S. Reed in the waning seconds of the Hogs’ 1979 NCAA loss to Larry Bird’s Indiana State team (any self-respecting Razorback fan knows he was tripped) and the pass interference call in the 1982 SMU game.

The floor is now open for comments. Gripe away.

Well … that sucked.

Although the circumstances were very different, I felt every bit as deflated after last night’s game as I did after this one. Immediately afterward, I was wishing that the Hogs had just gotten blown out instead of losing in such heartbreaking fashion.

That sentiment already has faded.

It’s been replaced by pride in the Hogs’ comeback and by a recognition that last night’s game was One for the Ages. Sure, the Razorbacks ultimately played the losing role, but their rally will make football fans remember and talk about the game for years to come. (As will the pass interference call on Kevin Woods; numerous Hog fans must be looking this morning for their “Pass Interference My Ass” bumper stickers from the 1980s.)

And thinking more short-term, there were some positives to take away from the game, such as QB Casey Dick’s three touchdown passes and stretches of adequacy. Maybe this will be something of a turning point for him. And, once again, last night served as a reminder that every game with Darren McFadden in a Razorback uniform is a gift in some way. Simply amazing.

All of which is not to say that I’m looking forward to watching a replay of the game anytime soon - just that the authorities now are allowing me to be around sharp objects and to put the laces back into my shoes.

As usual, you can fill up on post-game coverage and analysis at wholehogsports.com and razorbloggers.net.

It might take a quarter, it might take a game, it might take the whole season, but at some point you almost always get your heart broken.

And that’s all I have to say about that game.

Lots of good Arkansas-Alabama stuff out there right now:

* The Hog Blogger has YouTube highlights from last year’s game. Good times.

* An interesting article on HawgSports.com that advocates a wishbone offense for the Hogs, and theorizes that Arkansas fans’ animosity towards this style of play dates back to that infamous 16-14 loss to Texas in 1987. (from the Hawg Blawg)

* There’s been a lot written this week about how the winner of the Arkansas-Alabama game usually goes on to have a good season, while the loser has a bad one. For the sake of a different perspective, here’s a Bama blog’s take on that trend.

* As always, the RazorBloggers provide a detailed analysis of the matchups and what to expect.

* This Bama fan (featured in our Reasons to Hate post this week) seems to have a nice, healthy perspective on Crimson Tide football and life in general.

* HawgsIllustrated.com breaks down how the Razorbacks scout team has been simulating John Parker Wilson in practice.

* RollBamaRoll.com is using Wally Hall’s comment about Alabama fans not being that loud as bulletin board fodder…plus, they call him a “hillbilly newsman,” which is actually pretty funny (scroll about 2/3 through this post).

* Lastly, the one thing that Arkansas and Alabama fans can agree on is that this is a really, really, really big game. We’ll have a Hog call going out here on the West Coast…

Wally Watch: Where we read Wally Hall so you don’t have to.

Sept. 13, 2007: UA can expect some changes under new AD

Primary Theme: The daring assertion that, under new AD Jeff Long, “it is more than likely there will be some changes or very strong tweaking” to the athletic department. Hard to disagree with that, we guess.

Choice Analogy: “From the day of [Broyles’ retirement] announcement until last Friday, the lid on information was tighter than the doors on a new submarine.” Knowing a good thing when he sees it, Wally later writes, “Last Friday information about Long was leaking like, well, bad doors on an old submarine.”

God Watch: No overt references to matters of faith. However, at one point, after describing Broyles’ success in building new athletic facilities, he says of Frank, “One might think he had some carpenter’s blood in him.” Hmm … might Wally be ascribing divine qualities to Broyles? If nothing else, we now have an idea for “The Da Vinci Code” sequel.

Delusion of Grandeur: His statement that his column on Tulane Athletic Director Rick Dickson’s candidacy for the UA job “did seem to jolt the UA power players into action.”

Our Analysis: Not a terrible effort, but, ultimately, you have to ask yourself, “Yeah, so?” Some speculation or informed opinion about what specific changes the new AD may have in store would have been interesting. Alas, there’s none of that to be found.

In order to generate some positive energy and good vibrations for tomorrow’s big showdown, we thought we’d talk about our favorite victories over Alabama. At the top of our “favorite wins over ‘Bama” list is the 1995 victory in Tuscaloosa. Alabama came into the game ranked 13th in the nation and sporting a 2-0 record. The Hogs, meanwhile, were 1-1, and had exhibited something of a bipolar quality, losing to sorry SMU 17-14 in the season opener and then turning around one week later and crushing South Carolina 51-21. Who knew where the season was heading?

Arkansas trailed 17-10 at halftime and then 19-10 in the third quarter after Hog RB Madre Hill was tackled for a safety. Then the comeback began. Todd Latourette kicked a third-quarter field goal and - who can forget - Barry Lunney Jr. hit J.J. Meadors for a four-yard, fourth-down touchdown pass with six seconds left in the game to tie the score. Latourette kicked the point after for a 20-19 win, and the Razorbacks had their first-ever victory over Alabama. (Strange side note: The record books now technically say that Arkansas’ first win over the Crimson Tide was in 1993; Alabama slaughtered the Hogs 43-3 that year, but later had to forfeit the game as part of the program’s punishment for NCAA violations.)

Second on our list is the 1998 win in Fayetteville. This game wasn’t a nailbiter at all: The Hogs won convincingly, 42-6, over the 22nd ranked Crimson Tide in Houston Nutt’s third game as head coach. Madre Hill, back after missing two years due to knee woes, rushed for 120 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, and Clint Stoerner completed 13 of 29 passes for 239 yards. Strangely enough, as exciting and memorable as that season was, the Alabama victory was Arkansas’ only win over a ranked opponent all year.

Tell us about your favorite ‘Bama moment in the comment thread.

In case you need any extra help getting fired up, we’ll be providing a handy pre-game cheat sheet detailing why you should hate each one of the Razorbacks’ opponents this fall. Some weeks will be easier than others…

1.Bear Bryant Bear Bryant Bear Bryant. In case you hadn’t heard, Bear Bryant is the greatest Bear Bryant who ever Bear Bryanted. God Bear Bryants that he was Bear Bryant. And guess what - 25 years later, Alabama fans still love to Bear Bryant about how much they Bear Bryant Bear Bryant.

2. Nick Saban. He hasn’t done anything to us personally, but he just seems like kind of a tool. Bama fans love him now, but we’ll see how they feel when he jumps ship to go to Team X for even more money in a few years.

3. 1964. We knew a guy in college who had a wall clock where each hour was the year of one of Alabama’s 12 national championships. Only problem is that it should have been an 11-hour clock because it was erroneously claiming credit for the 1964 championship. No respect, people, no respect…

4. They Didn’t Exactly Roll out the SEC Welcome Mat. The Hogs didn’t receive much Southern hospitality from the Tide upon their joining the SEC…three straight football butt-kickings (followed by that glorious Lunney-to-Meadors win in ‘95) and two heartbreaking last-second defeats during the ‘92 basketball season still leave a bad taste in our mouths.

5. Post-Katrina Corruption. Ok, this is probably more of a political issue than a sports one, but who’s really surprised that it was somehow rigged that tax breaks intended for Katrina victims are being used to build Crimson Tide-themed condos in Tuscaloosa? We’re sure that the Bear Bryant wall art is just fabulous, though.

Have your own reasons? Let us know in the comments section.

And now, the final installment of our three-part Q&A with Democrat-Gazette columnist Gene Lyons (here’s part 1 and part 2):

Three questions: Were you ready to see Stan Heath leave? How did you think the university handled the coaching search? And, what’s your opinion on the Pelphrey hiring?

I defended Stan Heath (privately, understand) as long as I could. He seemed like a classy guy, recruited well, and I had no problem with his calm demeanor.

By the end of last year, I felt he had to go. The team just failed to show up for too many big games. Came out flat, listless, and stayed that way.

I was on a HS team in the late middle ages that went to the NJ state semis one year, lost its star players to graduation, dropped a couple of early season games and went into a self-destruct spiral of bickering and mutual recrimination.

If being on the team hadn’t been central to my HS identity, ego–all of it–I’d have quit, because it was no fun at all. Our 25 year old coach used to scrimmage with us. I actually secured permission from my father to hit him back if he caught me with another cheap elbow under the basket. Years later, I realized that was what he wanted. He was trying to wake us up.

(Two years later, he won the state outright.)

Anyway, that’s how the Razorbacks played toward the end of the season last year. Like a bunch of guys who didn’t like each other much, and wanted the season over.

(Read on …)

Let’s hope Pittsburgh Athletic Director Jeff Long takes it easy during any New Year’s Eve celebrations he might attend. That’s because he’s slated to replace Frank Broyles as Arkansas’ AD on Jan. 1., meaning his first official act as AD may be to watch the Hogs receive their annual bowl game ass-kicking. He may end up wishing he’d spent that time filling out insurance and other HR forms.

We’re not opinionated one way or another about the hire, but we wish Long well. We were amused, however, by Wally Hall’s minor fit about the lack of the lack of serious AD candidates with a Razorback background. “Maybe the new tradition is to hire folks for athletic positions who have never called the Hogs,” he huffed in Sunday’s column. “No offense to either [Long or Tulane AD Rick Dickson], but do they know anything about the history of the Hogs? Or the passion that once seized almost an entire state every Saturday in the fall?”

Don’t worry, Mr. Long: Just publicly utter a few verses of Scripture, and Wally will be in your back pocket in no time.

Welcome to the second installment of our three-part Q&A with Democrat-Gazette columnist Gene Lyons (here’s part 1):

Are the majority of fans “with Houston Nutt or against him?” How secure is his job and do you see him returning to Fayetteville after this season?

Judging by the call-in sports shows, I’d say Nutt’s a little less popular than he oughta be given last season’s record and this season’s prospects.

Seeing as how 6 of the 12 games oughta be walkovers, all he has to do is win half the real games to go 9-3. That’d keep him for another year, unless he takes another job. I’ve always been surprised when Nutt’s rumored to be interviewing, because I get the impression it’s his dream job.

Your dreams can wear you out, though. Would you really be happy married to Reese Witherspoon?

Prior to the Mustain/Malzahn business, I’ve always liked the way Nutt handles himself. (I don’t know him.) Unlike a lot of football coaches, I don’t think he has swastikas or even Rebel flags on his undershorts.

(Read on …)