Harvard Yard Picks

Cause pictures of the Nut-Nut never get old.

Arkansas vs. Ole Miss; Auburn vs. West Virginia

Arkansas (3-4, 1-3) vs. Ole Miss (3-4, 1-3)

Great googly moogly! It is Armageddon time as the Great Satan, Houston “the Nut-Nut” Nutt leads his Rebel army into Arkansas. No doubt his reception will not be kind as Arkansas fans, still smarting over last year’s DISASTEROUS 8-5 season (I mean hey, they ONLY beat future national champion LSU by two points…in Baton Rouge) are no doubt excited over an opportunity to finally boo the Nut-Nut as the coach of a team not named the Razorbacks. This rivalry is an under appreciated one in the SEC. Arkansas and Ole Miss have played a total of 55 times, including two classic Sugar Bowl match-ups in 1963 and 1970. The two teams have played every year since 1981 with Arkansas taking 6 out of the last 7. But we are about to witness a power shift in this rivalry. These are two teams that are headed in opposite directions. It remains to be seen whether Bobby Patrino will succeed at Arkansas, whereas Jabba the Nutt has already upset Florida and nearly dethroned Alabama. The Rebels are not afraid of the road, and the Nut-Nut is ready for his homecoming.

The temptation here is, of course, to run down Arkansas fans, once again, for the complete destruction of their program. We are not going to do that. Not today at least. There will be plenty of opportunities to remind the Pig Sooies of their mistake in running off the Nut-Nut. We have a feeling Ole Nutt’s actions will speak louder than words this Saturday.

Moving to the match ups in this game, Arkansas is a team that has improved this year, but Ole Miss is a much better, much more complete unit. If Arkansas has a strength, it is the play of their offensive line and running back. Ole Miss counters with the best defensive line Arkansas has faced since Alabama, and an offensive line that is as talented as any in the country at the guard and tackle position. There is a reason that Ole Miss was able to pile up 158 rushing yards, three times what opponents had averaged against Alabama. And then there is the Nutt-Nutt. I know Arkansas fans don’t want to hear it, but the man can coach. Arkansas will have some intangible’s on its side. The fans want this win, and Arkansas can be a difficult place to play even without the blood thirsties in the stands. But games are won through blocking and tackling, by the Jimmies and Joes, not the enthusiasm of the fans.

I know you hate to hear it folks, but Ole Miss is going to win this game. The defense of Pierre Gustave Toutant Nutt will pressure Casey Dick all day long, and if the Rebs can stuff the Bama running game, expect the same here. Last year, during the bad ol’ days of the Nut-Nut, Arkansas went into Mississippi and beat the Rebs 44-8. Ole Miss is about to return the favor.

Ole Miss 27 Arkansas 10

West Virginia (4-2, 2-0) vs.Auburn (4-3, 2-3)

Full disclosure:  we don’t really know anything about West Virginia.  We know that they are going to have Pat White back.  We know that they are experiencing the growing pains of a first time head coach who has made mistakes that have cost West Virginia two games they should have won.  Do they have a defense?  Well, we are pretty sure it’s not nearly as good as the one that took Oklahoma to the woodshed last year.  The offense is explosive, but not as much as those in the past.  So how are we going to handicap this game?  By focusing on Auburn’s dysfunctionality, of course.

Tough times on the Plains.

Auburn is a team in trouble.  They have a coach who recently assured a gaggle of reporters that he had not had a stroke and an offensive coordinator who has been on the job no more than two weeks (and whose previous tenure almost got Tommy Tuberville fired).  They have a quarterback, no check that, they do not have a quarterback.  And things are so bad on that front that Tuberville has threatened to rip a redshirt off of Neil Caudle and play him, for the first time, on the road.  Auburn’s defense is stout, but one has to wonder how much longer they will shoulder the load for a completely inept offense.  Furthermore, it is not clear how stout that defense really is.  It certainly did not appear that way in the second half against LSU, or in the entire game against a not very good Arkansas team.

So what to expect?  Frankly this is a game that should have been a national spectacle.  A spectacle it remains, but for all the wrong reasons.  Auburn has more to lose, but West Virginia is not far behind.  The hill folk are not too happy with Mr. Stewart, but a win here would go a long way to salvaging his year.  I think Auburn will lose this game, not necessarily because WVU is better, but rather because Auburn is a team in disarray.  The chorus calling for Tuberville’s head will only get louder and the fire under his seat more like an inferno, with the glaring sun of a resurgent Alabama adding greatly to the heat.

WVU 20 Auburn 7

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 22nd, 2008 at 6:58 pm and is filed under Arkansas, Auburn, Ole Miss, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.