re: How come Ar-Kansas always have a good ofense but never

I've heard a theory on what happened to our D and I'm just going to throw it out there.

In fall camp, reports were that this was the best defense we've had in years. Lots of seniors, good depth, etc. Reporters were saying they looked like a beast. Best defense since BMFP has been head coach.

Defense was hitting HARD. So much so that they put Knile Davis out of commision on the first day of practice. A reporter friend said that had a HUGE affect on the psyche of the Defense. That they had taken out our best offensive weapon, last seasons leading SEC rusher that managed that record in only half of last season, and from that point they were practicing differently. That it was a mental thing. For some on defense, it screwed them up in the head and the reporter said it showed.

Then against the scrubs at the start of the season, they didn't take them seriously, thought they could sleepwalk through them. Like Troy, who typically has a good mix of SEC level talent that can't get admitted to SEC schools. Defense bowed up when necessary, but they weren't playing with the same fire they had prior to putting K.D. out of service.

Then you loose Jake Bequette and Tank Wright, our best defensive ends for the Alabama game. Even then, we were able to stop Bama on three consecutive rushes at the 1 yard line and had a close game at the half. Bama special teams gouged us on several scores. Most teams that try to play a great Bama team without their two starting defensive ends and running back are not going to win that matchup.

As usual, our defense got better as the season went along. The team as a whole, seemed to hate all of the 11am starts on the road. Twittering until midnight will tend to make players groggy on the road too.

Then what you see is Bequette came back mid season and a couple of games later got into a really good flow. Same with Tank Wright after the broken forearm. Suddenly, our pass rush improves greatly. Prior to this, we just weren't getting pressure on QB's.

One other thing I might mention is that Willy Robinson can make good defensive adjustments, but in those early games where we struggled, our defense couldn't get off the field long enough in the first and second quarters for them to be implemented. Too many 3 and outs on offense due to a lack of a good running game. Once we found our running identity with Dennis Johnson, you'll note we had sustained drives and better adjustments on D.


So take it or leave it, just some reasoned thoughts on why we may have started slow this season and have gotten better as the season has gone on. Even with the issues listed, we've managed to win 10 games and only lose one.