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The hardest thing to do in sports isn't to win a single game, but to stack multiple victories on top of each other. As impressive as winning one championship is, it's the franchises that win championships on a consistent basis that are lauded as the greatest in their respective sport's history.
If you were to ask any observer of the Arkansas football program what the team's biggest weakness has been over the years, a lack of consistent play would likely be near the top of the list.
Under Chad Morris, inconsistent quarterback play led to a QB carousel that made fans' heads spin. Under Bret Bielema, the Razorbacks would always seem to win a game they had no business winning, only to drop a game to a team that had no business beating them the very next week.
The fate of a team's season isn't determined by a single snap, quarter or game; but rather, by a stretch of snaps, quarters and games. For the Arkansas Razorbacks, finding consistency on the defensive side of the ball has perhaps been their biggest hindrance in building a consistent contender.
That's not to say the Arkansas offense hasn't been an accomplice over the last decade of disappointment, but it's the Razorback defense where a more startling trend lies.
Turning Back the Clock
Arkansas' first game of 2018 kicked off the Morris era in perhaps his best overall showing during his short stint as the "Head Hog." The Razorback defense held Eastern Illinois to just 20 points, and if they weren't burying Panther ball-carriers in the backfield, the ball itself would be on the ground.
The next week, however, in Fort Collins, Colo., the fast and furious Razorback defense that had been exhibited the week before looked slow and sluggish, giving up 34 points in a shocking loss to Colorado State.
Over the next five games—all of which were losses—the Arkansas defense gave up an average of 34 points per game, including 44 to North Texas and 65 to a Tua Tagovailoa-led Alabama team.
A blanking of Tulsa looked to have the Arkansas defense headed in the right direction, but the standout showing against the Golden Hurricanes would turn out to be a flash in the pan. Arkansas would give up 45, 52 and 38 points, respectively, to the likes of Vanderbilt, Mississippi State and Missouri over their season-ending stretch.
The 2019 season would see a similar pattern—a solid Week 1 showing against Portland State saw Arkansas only give up 13 points in a season-opening victory. However, a Week 2 loss at the hands of Ole Miss was the catalyst for another 2-10 season in which Arkansas gave up an average of 39 points per game against all opponents not named Portland State.
To be fair to the Razorback defenses of the Morris era, no semblance of consistency ever walked through the door during Morris' tenure in Fayetteville. With Sam Pittman's hiring in December 2019, it was time for a new defensive coordinator to roam the sidelines.
Barry Odom's Lament
For all of the grief Barry Odom received at times for putting lackluster defensive units on the field, the man deserves his flowers. As Pittman's right-hand man, he was a key part in taking Arkansas from the basement back to national prominence.
Unfortunately, his defense had issues with consistency as well. Arkansas' stunning win in Starkville over Mississippi State ended a streak of 20 consecutive Southeastern Conference losses for the Razorbacks, largely in part to a rush three, drop-eight scheme that stifled the Bulldogs' potent passing attack.
The Razorback defense would have its moments in 2020—fantastic showings against Tennessee and Ole Miss in Fayetteville chief among them—but the Hogs also gave up 42 points or more four times over their last six games, continuing the trend of performance dipping dramatically as the season wore on.
The 2021 season would be the rare outlier in our study—the Arkansas defense was stellar throughout a nine-win season that culminated with an Outback Bowl victory over Penn State. Led by an incredible group of linebackers in Hayden Henry, Bumper Pool and Grant Morgan, Arkansas had finally gotten through an entire season with its defense putting forth a consistent effort week after week.
Injuries would derail Arkansas' defense in 2022—the most notable of which was to standout Safety Jalen Catalon—and the year would turn out to be Odom's last in Fayetteville. All things aside, however, the Arkansas defense would put together another solid year, with a wild Liberty Bowl win in which they allowed 53 points being their worst effort of the season. Issues in the secondary prompted changes, however, and it was clear that Arkansas' defense wasn't quite up to snuff with others in the SEC.
With Odom leaving to become the head coach at UNLV, however, a new face was needed to take over the Arkansas defense.
A New Sheriff in Town
Over the first eight games of 2023, Travis Williams' defensive unit was the only thing keeping Arkansas in games.
With a putrid offensive line and an offense that couldn't move the ball forward if it had a wild hog chasing it, a stronger than expected Razorback defense had to take charge. It did exactly that, holding opponents to less than 23 points per game over the first eight contests of the season. Unfortunately, the grind of the SEC took its toll on the group.
Arkansas' once-strong defense fell to the wayside over its last four contests, giving up an average of 44 points per game over their final three SEC games. That's where the defense stands headed into 2024—a year where Williams desperately needs to buck the trend of Arkansas' defense weakening as the year goes on.
At the end of the day, all the offense does is sell tickets. It's defenses that help teams win games and consistent results from defenses that can help bring a team a championship.
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