No. 6 Florida will be back home Saturday for an SEC West matchup with Arkansas and former quarterback Feleipe Franks.
Nikki Chavanelle of HawgBeat.com joins us to break down the game and what to expect from the Razorbacks.
Check out what she had to say below:
What's been the key to Sam Pittman's turnaround, and how does his absence affect Saturday's game?Â
Chavanelle: Sam Pittman came in with the message that these players can get the job done and he pumped them full of confidence from the day he got here through fall camp. Playing with confidence and a whole lot of heart has been a big reason why, despite some stats, Arkansas has won three SEC games and been competitive in others. Dan Mullen says he sees it as well. Pittman has reestablished a blue collar mentality at Arkansas and it resonates with most of the players and the fan base.
The players will undoubtedly miss him but I doubt it has much impact on how hard they play and unlike at other schools, Pittman as head coach isn’t was involved as others in actually calling the game. During games he acts like a sounding board for the coordinators but he makes it clear they’re calling the shots. Barry Odom, as we’ve seen already in his time here, is very capable of getting the guys fired up to play.
Why has Feleipe Franks worked out so well in Fayetteville?Â
Chavanelle: My teammate Andrew wrote a story on Feleipe this week and it touched on part of this really well. First off, Kendal Briles’ offense isn’t too tough to run so for a veteran like Franks. It was easy to get down even without spring football. Franks gained a lot of trust with his teammates who had a rotating carousel at QB the last two seasons and worked with them a lot individually during the dead time.
Arkansas was sort of a perfect situation for Franks to come into because people didn’t have very high expectations for him. The first game against Georgia was worrisome but he's cleaned it up nicely since then and fans are singing his praises, unlike at Florida where he was under very heavy scrutiny weekly. Being in Fayetteville has given Franks a no-drama environment where he can focus on his craft to get ready for the draft. Sam Pittman also mentioned how everything he says to Franks is positive — even the negative comments get a positive spin — and he’s obviously responded well to that type of coaching.
The Razorbacks rank first in the SEC and third nationally in turnover margin. How have they been so good at takeaways?
Chavanelle: Considering most of the turnovers came in the games against Mississippi State and Ole Miss, I’ll focus on those. Barry Odom had great game plans against both teams. The defensive line made the quarterbacks uncomfortable enough to throw in bad situations and the guys in the secondary have made the play. The Arkansas defense swarms to the football on every play and that’s set them up to be in convenient spots for takeaways as well. I’m not sure I envision Arkansas being able to make Trask that uncomfortable on Saturday given the clean season he’s played so far, but Odom will throw the kitchen sink at him to try to make something happen.
What’s been the most surprising aspect of Arkansas' play this season?
Chavanelle: Everything has been surprising, but if I had to point to one thing it’d have to be how Arkansas has been successful with the level of talent they are playing each week. I don’t remember the exact number off the top of my head, but around 25 percent of the Razorbacks’ total snaps played this season are from former walk-ons, current walk-ons or 2-stars. Right now, the Hogs only have 59 healthy, eligible scholarship players that were 3 or 4-stars coming out of high school (and most of them were 3-stars). Florida recruited 57 4-stars just in the last four classes. Arkansas overcame the talent mismatch against Tennessee, we’ll see if they can do it again this week.
What’s your take on Saturday? Can Franks and Barry Odom's defense pull off the upset?
Chavanelle: I know the Hogs will be fighting hard but they’ll need to execute to perfection like they did third quarter against Tennessee to have a shot Saturday. I’d pick the Hogs to cover the spread (they’re 6-0 ATS this season) but the Gators offense just looks overpowering, even if Kyle Pitts is unavailable.