Why Arkansas lost to UNRANKED Toledo in Week 2

When I predicted the Toledo Rockets to beat the Arkansas Razorbacks in the weeks leading up to the 2015 season, I based my predictions mainly on the team not having their full backfield after losing running back Jonathan Williams for the season.

Now, I can confidently say there were a few other reasons that undoubtedly led to the Hog’s loss in Little Rock on Saturday.

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Probably the biggest issue that faced the Arkansas team during week 2 was that their head coach Bret Bielema wasn’t focused on getting his team ready for the upcoming game. He would rather talk about his previous conference, the Big Ten, and call out certain team’s abilities and strength of schedules.

Obviously the Arkansas program was overlooking their week two opponent and, some would argue, rightfully so. In three meetings with SEC opponents during the last two years, Toledo had been outscored 24-6, 38-23 and most recently 49-24 at the hands of 24th ranked Missouri.

When the Rockets opened the 2013 season against Florida, Toledo was held to 205 yards of total offense and just two field goal attempts.

So this season, most people were predicting the Rockets to have little to no success against No. 18 Arkansas on Saturday.

The Mid-American Conference team had nothing to lose and jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter against the Hogs. Another score and field goal were all the Rockets needed to topple a ranked Arkansas team.

Sep 12, 2015; Fayetteville, AR, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Brandon Allen (10) runs with the ball against the Toledo Rockets during the first quarter at War Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

The saddest part about it is that Arkansas was extremely overrated. They don’t have an offensive leader. Another problem was that quarterback Brandon Allen threw for 412 yards against Toledo and his team still lost. How does that happen? Mainly because he couldn’t complete any throws in the red zone.

The Razorbacks scored only once on five red zone trips against Toledo. During one of the Razorbacks’ drives that ended in the red zone, Allen threw his most important completed pass of the game to the opposing team, throwing an interception in the third quarter. It was Allen’s first interception since Nov. 1 – during that span he accumulated 134 passing attempts.

The Rockets were three-touchdown underdogs going into the weekend but people failed to see that they had nothing to lose and a chance to shine on a national stage.

Toledo was able to beat Arkansas because the Razorbacks were worried about everything besides their opponents. Honestly, the Razorbacks were probably more interested in getting home to Fayetteville in time to catch the end of the LSU-Mississippi State matchup that was played during primetime television hours.

All Toledo had to do was come out and play hard, and that is exactly what they did against Arkansas.

My prediction was originally due to Arkansas’ health issues, but now fans should think twice before putting their faith into the Hog’s in games for the remainder of the season. Not in least part because the Hogs lost wide receiver Keon Hatcher for at least six weeks after an injury in the Toledo game sidelined the team’s leading wideout.

I think the Hogs will fall to the bottom of the SEC West and battle it out with Mississippi State for dead last in that half of the conference. Bielema will be blamed for another terrible season for the Hogs and this week against Texas Tech, the game will be closer than people think.

The Hogs will win in week 3, but come week 4 and the beginning of SEC play, look for the Razorbacks to run away with their tails in between their legs. Their retreat will ultimately lead to a 1-7 or 2-6 conference record.

Next: Top 3 SEC Games: Week 3 Ediction

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