Saying that Bobby Petrino's debut as a Southeastern Conference coach has been a disappointment would be an understatement.
Arkansas opened the season with two nail-biting victories over Western Illinois and Louisiana-Monroe. Things took a decided turn to the ugly when Alabama and Texas spanked Arkansas by a combined score of 101-24.
Not exactly the high-powered offense fans were expecting when they did the call of the hogs during Petrino's introduction.
Starting quarterback Casey Dick has had trouble adjusting to Petrino's system, completing just 58 percent of his passes and throwing just five touchdowns to go with four interceptions.
Despite his struggles, Petrino is sticking with the senior and feels he's slowly learning the system.
"You try to be patient (with a quarterback)," Petrino said. "That's easier said than done. But he's working extremely hard and gives us our best chance to run our offense. He's very dedicated, and he's taking a lot of the blame on his shoulders."
Taking the blame is something every quarterback has to do, but it is also something Petrino doesn't always think is fair. With his entire team having to learn his intricate offensive system, he realizes there is a steep learning curve for every offensive player and it takes a while for everyone to get onto the same page.
"It's really not Casey, it's the entire group," Petrino said. "We've got to execute more as an entire group. All 11 guys are responsible for pass protection. The receivers are getting open on time, getting where they're supposed to be."
Part of the problem the Razorbacks are facing is that Petrino hasn't had a chance to recruit the type of players who fit the system he wants to run. As a result, Arkansas is running an offense its players aren't suited for, a situation that can be disastrous.
UF coach Urban Meyer, however, says it's just about the coaches forming to the players in a new system.
"This is a players' game, this is not a coaches' game," Meyer said. "How did we do it our first year? It was (up and down) for a while. … It's getting a core group of guys. Sometimes it's good fortune and other times it's great recruiting. A lot of times it's both."
If you're Petrino, there's obviously much more to worry about than the efficiency of your offense. With the Gators coming off a heart-wrenching loss to Mississippi last week, he realizes that his hands are full with a Tim Tebow-led team searching for redemption.
After two consecutive blowout losses, this could be a dangerous weekend for his young Razorbacks.
"(Tim Tebow) creates a lot of challenges for us. We're a young football team that's coming off a tough loss. We just got to keep working hard and keep learning and find out what kind of team we are."
