| Southwest Times Record | Sunday, October 07, 2001 |
| BY SCOTT FALDON - Southwest Times Record | |
The analysis is simple when it comes to Arkansas' 42-19 win over Weber State. Here it is: While the Hogs aren't a very good SEC team, the Wildcats are a pitiful Division I-AA team. It was similar to a high school team playing a junior high team and had about the same level of excitement. It had all the suspense of a Road Runner cartoon. You know Wile E. Coyote won't catch him, just like you knew that Weber State wouldn't hang with the Hogs. I mean, let's face it. Weber State came in, got beat and got $275,000 from Frank Broyles for it. The Hogs needed a victim and the Wildcats needed a payday. Everybody went home happy. The worst thing about the game is that it tells us absolutely nothing about the progress of the team. Either this practice will help the Hogs get in sync or it will spoil them to playing against a smaller, slower opponent. We won't know which until next Saturday when South Carolina visits Little Rock. Judging by the attendance Saturday night at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, a lot of you didn't attend the game. That's where I come in. Here's what you missed Saturday: 1 p.m. -- Leave Fort Smith. 1:10 -- Just after reaching I-540, you spot the first car festooned with those Razorback flags that fit on the top of a car window. On the rest of the drive to Fayetteville, we'll see five more vehicles decorated with Hog stuff. There were six other cars that at first glance were flying the Razorback colors; however, as I passed them, I realized they really had American flags on their cars. 1:34 -- Stuck behind a guy that looked like Santa Claus riding a Harley-Davidson and an 18-wheeler, I pass an Arkansas state trooper while going the speed limit. Providence? I think so. 1:39 -- Arrive in Fayetteville. Obviously, we didn't spend very much time behind the Harley and the hauler. The Baum Stadium and Tyson Indoor Track Center parking lots are about a quarter full 4 1/2 hours before kickoff. That's not a good sign. Friday night after the Northside loss at Bentonville, I drove through Fayetteville on the way back to Fort Smith. In the lot reserved for the old folks with the RVs, there were only two of them there. Saturday, that number had ballooned to 11. For the Tennessee game, these same parking lots were full by this time ... for an 8 p.m. kickoff .... in the rain. With an hour-and-a-half until the stadium opens, a visit to the best tailgate barbeque in Fayetteville was in order. The WebHogs Club throws a serious shindig. J.C., their designated BBQ guru, has a setup that inspires envy among every poor sap that uses a Weber (not Weber State) grill in the backyard. Hosted by club president Rick Bawiec of Barling, it's always a good time, but Saturday there was actually more interest in the score of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball game. And instead of talking about the Hogs or the upcoming game, I spent 30 minutes talking duck hunting with Jeremiah Gage of Ozark. 2:50 -- The new security measures in place, a guard named J.D. Smith checks the laptop bag. A fan of Lavaca football, he asks about Friday night's big 21-0 win. Nice guy, lousy job. You ever seen members of the media going through a security check? Not pretty, my friend, not pretty at all. 3 p.m. -- The gates to the stadium open to the public. Normally, there's a stampede as the college kids rush to get to the best seats. Saturday, it was more of a leisurely stroll. 4:30 -- Time for a walk around the stadium. The club area behind the south end zone seats is like a mall on a Monday morning. The only people there are older folks killing time and looking bored. There are roughly two concession workers to each fan. 6 p.m. -- You know those bleachers between the Broyles Center and the north end zone? There were a grand total of 58 people sitting there at kickoff. Entire sections of the upper deck were empty. 6:01 -- Lawrence Richardson returns the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown. It's the first TD return of a kickoff by the Hogs since Cedric "Hey, remember me?" Cobbs took one back 95 yards in 1999. Hogs 7-0 with 14:41 remaining the first quarter. 6:09 -- Ken Hamlin intercepts what's-his-name, the Weber State QB, to set up Arkansas' second TD. Little known fact of the night. Weber State's SID staff says their school name is the most mispronounced in the nation. It's not "Webber" like the company that makes grills. It's pronounced "Weeeeeber." Outside of Ogden, Utah, who knew that? For that matter, how many Arkansas fans knew Weber State was located in Ogden, Utah, before this week? 6:29 -- Brandon Holmes limps off the field. After being examined for a a few minutes on the sideline, he was assisted to the locker room by members of the training staff. Early word is that he sprained a foot, which isn't quite as bad as a sprained ankle. 7:00 -- In the week leading up to the game, Weber State head coach Jerry Graybeal said, "We've seen some really hostile crowds in our league, but only on the 18- to 20,000 level. It will be, and should be, a thrill for our players to see what it is like to play before 70,000-plus people." With an announced attendance of 52,683 (yeah, right) I almost feel sorry for the Wildcats. Well, at least they got to see what a 70,000-seat stadium looks like. And it is the largest crowd they've ever played in front of -- the previous record for a Weber State game was 41,294 at Air Force back in 1991. 7:30 -- Halftime with Arkansas up 21-0. 8:05 -- Decori Birmingham's touchdown makes it 35-7 with 4:24 remaining in the third quarter. With the temperature dropping, so did the crowd. Am I overemphasizing the small crowd? Probably, but what else is there to talk about? I mean, did you see the game? No? Then consider yourself lucky. Doing some quick and rough math, you realize that with the cruise control set on 80 mph, you can make it back to Fort Smith in roughly 35 minutes. Not that I'd advocate speeding or anything. You realize that you can listen to the dulcet tones of Paul Eells on the radio as you go. And that'll get you back just in time for a plate of dry-rubbed ribs, cole slaw and fries (be sure and ask them to put the dry rub on the fries) at Neumeier's Rib Room on Garrison. Trust me, other than the touchdown run by Matt Jones in the fourth quarter, you didn't miss anything else in the game. SCOTT FALDON IS A TIMES RECORD SPORTS WRITER. E-MAIL HIM AT SFALDON@SWTIMES.COM. | |