Arkansas vs Oklahoma State Game Preview | College Football Game Predictions

welcome back to another episode of rock boys football deal Saturday 12 pm eastern time one of those sneaky games that I think a lot of people are talking about Michigan and Texas and Colorado Nebraska at night you look at Arkansas heading on the road to Stillwater I think this is a fascinating matchup where you look at Oklahoma State and say that is a lot of people's preseason picks to win the Big 12 and then you look at Arkansas team that we've been relatively high on all off season notably Bobby trino coming in taking over this offense it certainly looked apart against Arkansas Pine Bluff on Thursday night I think this is going to be a really fun game why to get into a few key matchups a few players to watch obviously give our game predictions at the end now before we get into it as always just want to say thank you to you guys and more importantly let it fly in the comments section specifically with this football game where there's a lot of different ways you can see how this game plays out whether you disagree with the boys whether you agree with the fellas let it fly in the comments section the best part about doing this is just talking ball with you guys and if you all do enjoy the content consider subscribing to the channel and D let's get into this one we got to start with this new branded Arkansas offense under Bobby patrino I did an episode Thursday or Friday morning kind of diving into what we saw with Bobby patrino at the helm Dill I think where I want to sum it up is we talk about all these new players coming in through the transfer portal and coming out I think people sometimes ignore coaching staff changes I don't know if there's a more impactful offensive coordinator higher than what Arkansas did with Bobby Patrina where he comes in has a quarterback in ton green where he's notably had success with these kind of quarterbacks and then you look at how this Arkansas offense is running against Pine Bluff and saying all right we're getting tailon green outside the pocket letting him use his athleticism pushing the ball down the field when the opportunity presents itself I mean it was a complete 180 from what we saw in 2023 Bobby patrino leaning in to the personnel the talent that He has I think he completely has changed this Arkansas offense I think they're extremely dangerous in 2024 and I think an underrated thing is I think tailon green frankly fits a little bit more what Arkansas can do I think when you look at KJ Jefferson last year he needed a good offensive line because the way he was going to run it was going to be physical in between the tackles and to do that you need a bare minimum play from their offensive line that they certainly weren't getting and they obviously I think have improved that position that's going to be something to look for this game I mean obviously you can look good against Pine Bluff they probably would have looked okay against Pine Bluff last year you're coming in a very experienced Oklahoma State off defensive line I'll be looking for that Arkansas unit but also I think tailon Green's ability to play a little bit more in space compared to what KJ Jefferson could give him I think does take a fair amount of pressure off that unit yeah you start getting into matchups with this Arkansas offense versus Oklahoma State I I think it does start with the Arkansas offensive line which again I I think paper is massively improved I think particularly at the left tackle spot with Fernando Carmona that was a guy that almost every single power four program across the country wanted to add in the transfer portal they made three really big additions and I thought that Arkansas offensive line against Pine Bluff certainly looked apart Ken it looked apart against Oklahoma state that you said it best has a lot of veterans really throughout the roster but specifically on the defensive side of the football that's a unit that's got to play better I think you even look at that South Dakota State game they they were getting moved a little bit and I was a little bit surprised because that's kind of what I feel like they they kind of pin themselves as I mean big physical players you got guys on on both the edge and in the middle who are physical and aside from Colin Oliver you really don't have guys who are kind of more that explosive pass rushing type so I think they really should be able to be tough physical against the run and frankly I don't think you saw a consistently enough against South Dakota state if Arkansas can get them rolling and get them moving off the line of scrimmage I think this Arkansas offense can get very very dangerous yeah Colin Oliver was a freak Show against we've been talking about Colin Oliver for years now he is a very good football player for Oklahoma State D I think the biggest key to the game here you look at Oklahoma State and how they want to play defense it's a little bit of you know Bend but don't break and when quarterbacks start to press the issue they're going to take the football away and it works a lot and you look at T and green I think one of the biggest storylines is hey Oklahoma State's going to give you some of those easy access through kind of let you I don't know if I'd Ed the word Dink and dunk but kind of take what's there move the football and then kind of bow back in the Red Zone my big question mark is can t and green have the discipline hey I'm just GNA take what's there I'm not GNA press the issue we're GNA move the football then can you operate in the Red Zone one of the bigger concerns I have with ton green going back to his days at Boise State sometimes tries to do a little bit too much and if you try to do a little bit too much against Oklahoma State they are going to make you pay turn the football over because I don't want to understate what they can do I think that's a very crafty secondary very experienced secondary and when they get their chance to jump routes they're jumping them and those can be big big plays I mean go for pick sixes that type of thing and Oklahoma State's been doing that forever under in the Mike onara so again you kind of said it ton green showed a propensity at least at Bois state to be a little bit Reckless with the ball had a fair amount of turnovers in that 2022 season he does really have to do what you kind of said I think if the play is there the ball needs to get down it just needs to be more consistent be com and and the accuracy needs to be a little bit more you know I mean like hey we gota make if the throw is there like you got to make those throws consistently because when you do get behind the chains like again Oklahoma state will make you pay one other question I have is like how does Oklahoma State deal with ton Green's legs like Colin Oliver is a guy that wants to pin his ears back and get after the passer he's one of the best in the country at doing so you got to be disciplined with your Rush lanes because you want to keep tail and green inside the pocket that is by far where he yeah I think he showed some improvements against Pine Bluff but again that is against Pine Bluff I would like to see what Oklahoma state does in terms of dealing with ton Green in his athleticism whether that's disciplined pass rushes whether that's quarterback spies with your linebackers whatever answer they have that's kind of another storyline that I'm looking at I mean ni Martin can be a real weapon in that department he can cover some ground I think he's a very very underrated linebacker and that's one thing we've talked about with Oklahoma State in the past is like do they have that Firepower do they have those real Premier difference makers in that roster I mean he's certainly W him and Colin Oliver two guys who I look at they're unique they're a little bit special and they're Oklahoma State again solid kind of top to bottom but on that defensive side it's led by Nick Martin and Colin Oliver and I think Nick Martin is a very suitable linebacker to deal with that type of athletic quarterback because he really can chew it up I I do think that is the difference for Oklahoma State this year is like they've always been a very solid roster but they got some like Ali Gordon obviously on the offensive side of the football they got a couple wide receivers we're going to talk about too but they do have a little bit more topend Talent than we're used to seeing on this Oklahoma State roster D flipping sides one of my pet peeves around this Oklahoma State team in terms of what the national media how the national media talks about them is like it's the Ali Gordon show which is somewhat true oi Gordon is one of if not the best running back in the country that being said I I think this Oklahoma State State offense is a little bit more two-dimensional than people give him credit for you look at Ali Gordon he only ran the football for 3.9 yards per carry against South Dakota state but you look at Oklahoma State they were able to put up 44 points Alan Bowman has played a ton of football has been in the college football landscape for just about as long as I've been alive but more importantly legitimate differen makers at the wide receiver position and guys that can do some different things right so you look at I think brenon Presley is just Elite in of what he can do after the catch then you look at Rashad Owens big physical wide receiver that if you're going to leave on an island he's going to make those 5050 plays down the field Oklahoma State threw for over 3500 yards last year they can punish you in the secondary if you do want to start just keying in on Ali Gordon and that's I think a very good point because I look I feel like people treat Allan Bowman like he as a scrub or something I mean again doesn't certainly have like the top end talent I think you're looking for he ain't going to the NFL terms of managing a football game at college level he does a really good job he hits the throws he's supposed to hit he doesn't obviously make a ton of plays with his legs and I think he's obviously gotten better keeping the ball out of Harm's Way that's certainly something you've seen in his past at times where if when it things get Harry if you will he'll just throw the ball up I think that's improved a little bit and if he can do that and they can get Ali Gordon going I think that that this team can be really balanced and really tough to deal with I just think it's about him being consistent because you see those big ups and downs I feel like from that quarterback's spot at times two two of the keys I have for Arkansas's defense and something we've talked about a lot on the off season and I was kind of vocal as I think the linebacker room is better in 2024 than it was in 2023 and I think again a lot of people might question that you lose your two leading tacklers to the transfer portal I think Brad Spence xaven Sor I think they are have the Alley's potential to be a little bit more difference makers this is a game where you got to be a Difference Maker because Oklahoma State lives in that hey Ali Gordon six-yard carry four yard carry moving the chains you gotta try to get some negative plays get some plays done at the line of scrimmage Force Oklahoma State into those second and tens and those third and 10 situations where one I think Arkansas can get after the passer but more importantly that is when Alan Bowman does try to do too much and kind of get some of those inter throws put the ball In Harm's Way I guess you should say can Arkansas with these linebackers be a little bit more of difference makers get Oklahoma stay behind the chains a little bit and force Alan Bowman into some of those situations where he doesn't ideally kind of succeed in is probably one of the questions you're looking at and that'll be the test because I think you look why I think this Arkansas linebacker core can be improved is these guys are far more athletic than what they had in the table last year they play downhill and having said that they are a little bit on the smaller side I mean xaven Sor a little bit longer a little bit leaner Brad Spence is just not the biggest linebacker in the world and they're really good athletes but I think it's kind of like well what what can you do against a team that's going to play you in a phone booth and just play Ultra physical so again those two will get their chance to kind of show how well-rounded they might be because again I've seen xavien Sor when he was killing it at Georgia it was when he was in space chasing down quarterbacks making plays or sideline to sideline if you will and kind of similar things with Brad Spence again do they have that ability to just play Down and Down out against a team that's going to just try to be ultra physical in the way we kind of said it they show that I that'll make me con be convinced that this is a very strong linebacking court but they got to show it against a really physical yeah this this Arkansas Team like I look at it and say I think it's a significantly better team than we saw in 20123 not only from a coaching staff standpoint but also from a Personnel standpoint and so like I think it's a better team I'm not going to read into the 70 to nothing performance against Pine Blu like I want to see it against a Bonafide top 20 team in Oklahoma State de let's get into to the pick here Arkansas catching eight and a half points on the road in still water is that's one of the hardest places to play Mike Gundy in this Oklahoma State program have a lot of success in Still Water you know the crowd is going to be buzzing for a team that is preseason a very popular pick to win the conference eight and a half points who we got I like Arkansas to cover it and and the main reason is I'm just not convinced yet that Oklahoma state has the defensive line that can really put some pressure on Arkansas again I'm still not totally convinced on the Arkansas offensive line I I want to see it if they play really good in this game that'll go a long way and kind of making me think well this team won't be a real bottom feeder in the SEC but I I I don't know that Oklahoma State's got those like real differen makers on the inside again I'm really comfortable with what Colin Oliver can do but he does feel like kind of the only guy who is a big- Time playmaker from that defensive line spot and I don't think if you can't be really disruptive against this Arkansas Team I think they'll be move the ball and be okay I'm going to go Arkansas too I I think he get that a touchdown of worth of points and again I think people are just sleeping on I think like in this era of college football where we only evaluate teams from a Personnel standpoint which I'm I'm certainly not saying that Personnel doesn't matter like you need talent to win football games in college football 100% agree this Arkansas offense just looked different under Bobby patrino and I kind of believe that this Arkansas offense takes a massive step in the right Direction I I look at the front seven and say I I you got guys like Landon Jackson who I think is one of the better defensive lineman you see in the country as a hammer against the run as well I think Arkansas will be able to there's no like taming Ali Gordon but there is somewhat stifling him and I think those are maybe the two of the same words that being said Slow Down Ali Gordon and I think potentially you know get Alan Bowman into some uncomfortable situations do I think Arkansas goes on the road and and straight up wins this football game game we'll see but if I'm getting eight and a half points I'm going to take Arkansas too I think this is a much improved team we're going to see this is a game that certainly going to be on the TV because you're going to learn a lot about both of these programs we'll cut it there appreciate you guys rocking with the fellas if yall do enjoy the content consider subscribing to the channel appreciate you guys and we'll talk to you all later