Arkansas Football: Game preview and predictions vs. FAMU

Here’s the Week 1 preview and prediction for Thursday’s Arkansas football game against Florida A&M.

This is a skewed game if ever there was one. No, I don’t have the knee-jerk “the SEC teams always win” reaction. The fact of the matter is Florida A&M just won’t be able to hang. This game will basically be a scrimmage for Arkansas and will give the FAMU defense a chance to see if they can muster the talent that they have.

FAMU did officially score the first touchdown of this football season in their opener against Texas Southern, so that’s something. Not that the Hogs are a perfect team by any means — they may have some issues with their new 3-4 defense.

The Razorbacks will be seeking some redemption from last season. They finished the season 7–6, 3–5 in SEC play. They finished dismally in a tie for fifth place in the Western Division. They made it to the Belk Bowl, but then choked against a loaded Virginia Tech team.

The FAMU Rattlers had a 4-7 season last year, but quarterback Ryan Stanley showed a great deal of poise in the opener and led his team to a 29-7 rout of Texas Southern in Tallahassee. The Rattlers had a solid run defense. The Texas Southern Tigers only managed 202 total yards of offense. The Rattlers offense is balanced, but they have none of the explosive power that is the trademark of the SEC.

Here’s how you can watch Thursday night’s game:

Date: Thursday, Aug. 31
Time: 8:00 p.m. ET
Location: Little Rock, Ark.
Venue: War Memorial Stadium
TV: SEC Network
Live Stream: WatchESPN

Keys to victory

The Arkansas offense is going to take down the Florida A&M defense, and pronto.

Last week, the Rattlers gave away 62 rushing yards to Texas Southern, and Texas Southern has none of the talent that the Hogs have. Just 62 yards rushing? The Hogs can make that in their sleep.

Arkansas QB Austin Allen led the SEC in passing yards in 2016 with 3,430. He was second in the league in touchdowns with 25. He should be even better this year, but the Hogs’ O-line is sadly bereft after losing five of the top six starters. The Razorbacks will miss star RB Rawleigh Williams III, in particular.

The Razorbacks’ defense has been on a decline for a while, and FAMU quarterback Ryan Stanley is a mobile gunslinger. Arkansas struggles with accurate, mobile pocket passers. That could be the reason that has prompted the change to a 3-4 defense, as opposed to the 4-3.

Despite this, the Rattlers just won’t have the speed they will need to topple the Hogs. Expect an empty stadium by the half as Arkansas puts up score after score.

Prediction

Arkansas will get off to a strong start but the FAMU team shouldn’t present much of a challenge. The game will give the newbies on the roster to get some college football experience, as the Hogs won’t want to risk injury to their key players this early in the season. This should be a huge margin of victory for the Hogs, with a 4-touchdown minimum lead. Unfortunately for the Rattlers, it won’t even be close.

Final Score: Arkansas 55, FAMU 10

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