The Razorbacks were picked to finish 14th in the SEC, and one big concern following their 70-0 win over Arkansas Pine-Bluff was that the Hogs missed 11 tackles, while Gordon led the conference in rushing missed tackles forced (13), according to Pro Football Focus. “Our tackling was something that we needed to get better just from our Thursday night game, so we’re trying to address that,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “If they get him two or three yards,
He will receive at least six or seven. It will be necessary for us to tackle him one-on-one and to surround the ball with a large number of players. We are fully aware of his excellence.
To stop Gordon from discovering any weaknesses to exploit, the solution should be as easy as adding more personnel to the assault site. That would have been a great strategy to start the 2023 season against OSU.
However, the more sophisticated Cowboy offence now puts defences in a position where they have to decide how to stop a carry on a given snap without opening themselves up to being completely destroyed by a play-action or RPO pass.
“If you press ’em, they’re going to go deep on you,” Pittman said. “If you don’t, (OSU is) going to have the bubble or hand the ball off because normally you’re in a box that, numbers-wise, is going to give them an advantage handing the ball off to Gordon.” Arkansas needs to be the more physical team to pull off the upset (OSU is 8.5-point favourites as of press time). The Razorbacks need to put pressure on Alan Bowman and force him to the ground. “I think this game – more than surprising somebody or schematics – I think you’re going to have to go whip somebody to win,” Pittman said.
Regardless of what everyone in the nation may believe, OSU coach Mike Gundy stated that Arkansas will be just as talented as any team he coaches throughout the season.
In the event that Pittman’s prediction of a classic “slobber knocker” comes true, the Cowboys will have faced as many tests as any Big 12 club before conference play. The inexperienced defensive linemen and seasoned offensive lineman will quickly discover just how resilient they really are.
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