JD PicKell: 2021 was no fluke, Arkansas is for real entering 2022
Following up an impressive 9-4 campaign in 2021 will be no easy task for Arkansas and head coach Sam Pittman, but On3’s JD PicKell is a believer in the Hogs. He thinks what happened in 2021 is no fluke, and a building block for Arkansas in 2022.
Arkansas has a tough schedule, playing in the SEC west and with Cincinnati and Liberty on the non-conference slate. Even still, PicKell thinks the Razorbacks are legit.
“But when I look at what Arkansas did in 2021,” PicKell said on The Hard Count, “there is no reason to believe they are some sort of flash-in-the-pan team. The average margin of victory for Arkansas in 2021 was 18 points. Folks, that’s three scores. It’d be one thing if Arkansas were sort of this team that caught a couple breaks and won some close games, and that was kind of their calling card — each week they’re the cardiac kids, finding a way to get it done and snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. That wasn’t Arkansas, folks.”
And looking back at 2021, PicKell points out that Arkansas, with some generous bounces, could’ve had double digit wins.
“There were two games,” PicKell said, “against LSU where they won by three, and then Mississippi State, they won by three. Those are the only two where they were close victories. Ultimately, they lost to Ole Miss by I believe it was one point. They lost to Alabama by a touchdown. So those are two other games that, if you want to be generous, you could say well, ‘Hey, maybe those break a different and maybe we’re talking about Arkansas as a 10-win team.’ So Arkansas doesn’t need to prove that they’re not a fluke. Arkansas is for real.”
Plus, Arkansas brings back a number of players from the 2021 squad — including guys like quarterback KJ Jefferson, safety Jalen Catalon and running back Dominque Johnson. PicKell knows that won’t hurt, either.
“And they bring back the guys in that locker room,” PicKell said. “They bring back the guys on the coaching staff, and they bring back the culture to be dangerous in 2022. We’ve already said it on this show, we are taking Arkansas over 7.5 wins. I would advise you to do the same.”