NFL
By: Randall Slifer
The Arkansas Razorbacks are on their bye, and the start of the Silverfield era has been a conundrum. Most of this season isn’t on Silverfield, but Arkansas fans will not forget the Tennessee game. Sure, they pulled off a win over Vanderbilt, so things are slightly different. The Arkansas Razorbacks were the lone team looking up at the SEC, and now Vanderbilt is at the bottom of the well doing the same.
The win over Vanderbilt says little in a college football season with this much parity. Other 1st-year head coaches are showing much more promise than Silverfield. Auburn took down No. 1-ranked Georgia. Kentucky is ranked 12th, beating LSU, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. North Texas brought their whole team to Oklahoma State and have shown a better transition than Silverfield. I could go on. The Tennessee game is where Silverfield could have gotten credibility in this wacky college football season.
Silverfield still couldn’t get the offense going at the start of the Vanderbilt game. This season, the offense has scored 27 first-quarter points. 17 of those points came from playing North Alabama and Tulsa. That leaves only 10 first-quarter points against 4 Power 4 opponents. Will Ryan Silverfield make the brave decision and move on from Tim Cramsey?
Is there any hope for the rest of the season with an offense that has to play down 90% of its offensive possessions? In addition, the schedule is far tougher at the end than at the start. Silverfield’s move to bench Caden Kitler for Kash Courtney may be the best thing he’s done all season. It has solidified the interior and allowed the Arkansas Razorbacks running backs to build a true running game.
The defense is flashing, and Joker Johnson picked off a Vanderbilt pass for a pick-six. Roberts has put the team in a good position to open up his playbook. Disguised blitzes and creepers have entered the game, giving Arkansas a free rusher at times. The coverage has looked better, and they have switched up some linebackers. Ben Bogle and Ja’quavion Smith are the better linebacker duo. Bradley Shaw was supposed to be the leader staying in Arkansas, but he is too slow to process and cover. If the offense can match the defense, these upcoming games could be close.
This shows the team is still a work in progress as it enters year one with Silverfield. But it’s not enough. The bigger blame falls on Hunter Yurachek. He overpromised Ryan Silverfield and failed to deliver. He is the only Arkansas Razorback athletic director with a losing football record, and fans deserve an athletic director focused on building a competitive football program.
Ryan Silverfield will not be fired at the end of this season under any circumstances. The only positive remark about Hunter Yurachek is that he has kept this football team out of debt. That is partially fair. LSU, Texas A&M, and other teams are paying coaching contracts from years back and are in 25+ million in debt. Why fire a coach after one year, start taking on that debt, and spend the least in the SEC? Arkansans know that someone needs to go, and a quick out is offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey.
Does a promising final half of the season keep Yurachek’s job? Unfortunately, it may. They have had board meetings about Hunter Yurachek, and they still haven’t pulled the trigger when times were absolutely bleak. He constantly forces Arkansans to pony up money for better recruits, and that is not how he should be doing his job. The other sports are fantastic. Track & Field is the best in the nation. Baseball received more money, and they look like a great team next season. Basketball is the most exciting it has been in decades. Football brings in the most profit, and it’s embarrassing to be at the bottom of the SEC.
The next step is Hunter Yurachek. Can he save his job? I believe there is only one way Hunter Yurachek can save his job. Give Walmart what they want and get them to become a premium donor. It is egregious that Arkansas has a top-15 company in the US 15 miles away from campus, and they refuse to contribute to the football program. If Hunter Yurachek can solve that problem, the Arkansas Razorbacks can become a top spender in the SEC and really compete. Can Silverfield take a top-spending team to the college football playoff? There is only one way to find out, and it needs to happen soon. As always, Go Razorbacks.
