Lines from Linda

How ‘Bout Them Hogs?

The Arkansas Razorbacks took down two ranked teams this week, posting an impressive 20-point win over (No. 25) Mississippi State and chomping the (No. 20) Florida Gators 80-61 in a match where at one point, the Hogs held a 30-point advantage. The back-to-back beatings put the Razorbacks in a first-place tie (with Mississippi State) in the SEC Western Division.

Arkansas was the early favorite to win their division, but turnover troubles left them with losses against teams they should have been able to defeat. They seem to have that situation under control, evidenced in the Florida game where they had just 3 turnovers during the first half.

My Dream Job…

Would be to become the CBO (Chief Basketball Officer) of Fans for the next year. In addition to the $100K annual salary, job perks include:

• a private jet to take me to my favorite conference tourneys


• VIP treatment at the elite conference tourney finals for my official introduction ceremony


• a new Alltel Hue by Samsung with changeable faceplates


• unlimited free calling to anyone, anywhere, at any time from Alltel Wireless (somehow I feel as though I've already paid Alltel enough to rate this one)


• bragging rights to my friends & family that I have the "coolest job ever"

Requirements for the job are:

• Registering for a free membership to FanU.com (Done)


• A love of college basketball (Check)


• An infectious personality that would make for a great CBO (no problem there)

The only thing now is to complete each week's challenge & rack up as many points as possible on my FanU account. Then I can kick back and enjoy all the games I want.

Speaking of college basketball, a huge congrats goes out to the Arkansas Razorbacks upon their victory over Mississippi State, who entered tonight's match undefeated in conference play. The Bulldogs still top the SEC Western division at 5-1, and the Hogs are next in line at 4-2.

Woooooooooo...Pig, Sooie!

A Sad Day for the Razorbacks

We knew it was coming. It makes perfect sense. But still, most of us wish it hadn't happened.

Felix Jones and Darren McFadden today announced their intent to enter the NFL draft. No one can blame them, but no one wanted to see them leave the Razorbacks when both had another year of college eligibility left.

These are two of the most talented running backs I've ever had the pleasure to watch. I wish them both the best as they transition from college students to professional athletes.

SEC Season Opener

Congratulations to John Pelphrey and the Arkansas Razorbacks on their 76-70 win at Auburn in tonight's SEC season opener. The game was exciting with the Hogs up by just 1 point at the half. In the past several years, Arkansas hasn't done well on the road in conference play, so this away win is huge in terms of the team's morale as well as conference record.

Go Hogs!

Hogalujah!

Former Atlanta Falcons coach Bobby Petrino was named new head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks in a late night press conference yesterday.

Guest Blogger

Who's the guest blogger? Actually, it's me! I was invited by Mary Connealy, my fellow ACFWer, to post on "The Seekers," a blog about the road to publication that focuses on "writing, contests, publication and everything in between." They've invited several finalists in the 2007 ACFW Genesis Contest to write guest posts about their experience during the contest. You can read my entry HERE.

Well, the Razorbacks might not have a head football coach at the moment, but new hire John Pelphrey is proving himself as the new basketball Head Hog. Last night, Pel led his talented team to a nail-biting victory over Missouri. Although neither team is currently ranked, both have received votes each week, and if their success continues, they will likely take their place among the Top 25 soon. Go Hogs!

Razorbug Sighting

Well, not in person. I just saw the little beast on someone's blog, so I decided to put his pic on my own blog.

The Razorbug is a recruiting tool of the University of Arkansas. He travels around the country in order to attract qualified students to the school. Neither of my kids attend the U of A, but we're all Razorback fans.

Let the Search Begin…

With the resignation of Houston Nutt as head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks football team, speculations are flying around the state as to who will be hired to fill the vacancy. I don't know much about the coaching realm, but I got busy and forgot to blog this morning, so I'm pretty much just posting this to stay on track for NaBloPoMo as I haven't missed any days so far and the month is almost over.

Too bad about my performance at NaNoWriMo...I sort of got side-tracked early on that project.

Head Hog Resigns

Love him or hate him, Houston Nutt has left the building. He announced his resignation in a press conference this evening, and defensive coordinator Reggie Herring has been named as interim head coach and will coach the Hogs at their upcoming bowl game.

No mention of where Nutt plans to go yet, although Baylor and Georgia Tech top the rumor mill. Incoming athletic director Jeff Long has been tasked with heading the search for a new coach.

The Catch Felt Around the NCAA

College football games are won and lost every week of the season, but few plays will have the league-wide impact of Razorback Matterral Richardson's end zone interception against top-ranked LSU yesterday. The triple overtime 50-48 upset dashed the Tigers' hope of playing for a national championship, placed BCS bowl planners in a tizzy, and sent Heisman ballot holders scrambling to re-compare junior running back Darren McFadden's stats against those of Heisman-hopeful Florida sophomore quarterback Tim Tebow.

November's NaBloPoMo (National Blog Posting Month) is rounding into the final stretch, and coming up with interesting content day after day has been a challenge. But when Richardson crossed in front of Demetrius Byrd, LSU quarterback Matt Flynn's intended receiver, and picked off the pass, I turned to my kids and said, "I have something to blog about tomorrow."

During the game, McFadden rushed for 206 yards, bringing his single season rushing total to 1,725 yards. This surpassed his self-set school record of 1,647 in 2006, and bypassed Auburn's Bo Jackson (1982-85) on the SEC career rushing list, placing D-Mac in the number three spot. McFadden also stepped into the positions of quarterback and receiver yesterday, displaying his versatility and talent. But the point of his performance wasn't to prove his worth as a Heisman candidate--it was a lesson in enunciation. McFadden had heard LSU Coach Les Miles in a televised press conference repeatedly mispronounce Arkansas as AR-Kansas and said about LSU, "They weren't saying it right so I wanted to let them know it's ARKANSAS."

After yesterday, I think the entire country now knows how to say Arkansas.