Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

We're back with another week of ArkansasSports360.com's "Pressbox Roundtable," our early-in-the-week, water-cooler-like discussion about what we saw over the weekend with the Razorbacks and more. The running game has been the most-talked-about topic for the Hogs' offense. Also, Alabama played so well at Penn State the Tide jumped LSU in the Associated Press poll. And Tony Romo did it again at the end, to the Cowboys and their fans' chagrin.

With editor Chris Bahn and columnist Jim Harris, we welcome Northwest Arkansas radio personality T.J. Carpenter to the roundtable along with former Razorback All-America defensive end Bruce James, the staff predictions guru Mark Carter and Flex360's Brent Birch, a former Razorback baseball pitcher who knows his football. We invite you to join the conversation in the comments section.

Let's talk.

Jim Harris: Did Arkansas answer the questions about its running game against New Mexico, or should we consider the opponent and say that nothing is answered at this point?

Chris Bahn: Let's talk Sept. 24.

Bruce James: You don’t answer anything about your football team, about your running game or anything, until you play a quality opponent. You can’t say the running game is good, bad or indifferent until you play an SEC game. Now, you can look at things such as the timing and things of that nature, you can look at the back and watch if he hits the correct hole, makes the correct block, and they did that.

Mark Carter: Little of both maybe. I like that we made 'Bama prepare, at least, for the possibility of Joe Adams in the backfield. I'd still like to see Ronnie Wingo make better decisions; he seems to struggle with knowing when to juke and when to plow straight ahead.

TJ Carpenter: Until Arkansas can consistently pick up solid yards on the ground between the tackles, the running game will continue to be a concern. Any time you are wondering whether the Razorbacks are performing on an appropriate level, ask the same question, "Would this cut it against Alabama?" Arkansas' leading rushers at halftime were a quarterback and a wide receiver. I'd say the running game is still an issue.

Jim Harris: Saturday it looked like Petrino finally said, to heck with it, and pounded it behind his best blockers, Travis Swanson and Alvin Bailey and center and guard. I guess they're working on the tackles this week in practice.

Brent Birch: I realize Arkansas is going to need the run at some point to protect a lead and get some 2nd-and-shorts but the passing game is lethal. I would challenge anyone to find better depth at that position in the history of the college football. There are five guys in the Hogs' receiver rotation that could start for anybody in the country. Why not run the offense through them? Although it doesn't seem like it, Wingo has a 5-yard-per-carry average and has run for 123 yards on 23 carries. That is hardly inept.

What do you think? Did Arkansas solve its running game issues?

Jim Harris: OK, now the defense. Arkansas not only failed to record a sack, the Hogs only hit the QB once when he was passing. Any concerns there?