.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
.vresize.36.36.medium.0.png){kind=small}
The question about Arkansas without Bobby Petrino was how would it handle the difficult times without its former coach.
The Razorbacks found out Saturday night, when they blew a 21-point second-half lead in a shocking 34-31 overtime loss to Louisiana-Monroe. And there could be more hardship ahead after quarterback Tyler Wilson and a host of other players went down with injuries.
Coach John L. Smith announced Sunday that Wilson stayed in Little Rock following the loss, the result of a hit to the head in the first half. Smith said Wilson's prognosis for this week's matchup with No. 1 Alabama is good, but the Razorbacks must first deal with the fallout from their stunning collapse.
Without Petrino, who was fired in April following his well-publicized off-the-field transgressions, Arkansas was unable to hold on after building a 28-7 lead midway through the third quarter. Its defense was embarrassed and thoroughly outmatched by Warhawks quarterback Kolton Browning, who accounted for 481 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.
''I am shocked, and I am mad at the same time,'' Arkansas middle linebacker Tenarius Wright said. ''I don't want to show anger. I want to be strong for my team, and our team has to come together and stay together as a family and get ready for next week.''
And if losing to a team from the Sun Belt Conference wasn't harsh enough, Arkansas (1-1) now faces the prospect of a visit from the defending national champion Crimson Tide. The game was circled on the Razorbacks' calendar throughout the offseason, but that anticipation suffered a blow with Saturday's loss.
All in all, it's hard to imagine that the season could have taken such a turn so quickly after only two games under Smith. The Razorbacks struggled at times in a season-opening 49-24 win over FCS Jacksonville State, but few could have predicted those problems would be exposed so convincingly by the Warhawks (1-0).
What remains to be seen now is how Arkansas rebounds. The school fell from No. 8 in last week's AP college football poll to unranked this week, the second-largest fall out of the poll ever.
Even if Wilson does return against Alabama, the Razorbacks have to wonder how far their free-fall might go after becoming the first top-10 team to lose to a team from the Sun Belt. After the visit by the Crimson Tide, they host Rutgers before road games at Texas A&M and Auburn.
''We have to pull together, and we all contributed to the loss. I don't want to see any of this and this,'' Smith said, pointing his finger at each other. ''Which is naturally what you get, because that's an easy thing to do and that's what losers do, they point fingers.
''(We need to) wrap our arms around each other, come to work, get better and get ready for Alabama. Those guys came in here and beat us - there's no reason for us not to get ready to beat Alabama.''
In order to compete with the Crimson Tide, much less win, the Razorbacks must improve on defense after allowing an average of 436 total yards the first two weeks. That task was made more difficult Saturday by a couple of injuries in the secondary, which allowed a career-high 412 yards passing by Browning.
The performance also raised the inevitable questions about how the chaotic spring following Petrino's firing truly affected Arkansas. The Razorbacks were 21-5 the last two seasons under Petrino, with their only losses coming to schools ranked ahead of them.
''They certainly have rallied around each other and overcome significant obstacles and significant difficulties,'' Louisiana-Monroe coach Todd Berry said. ''As I told (Smith) before the game, I applaud him for how he's handled a lot of things.
''I recognize how difficult all that stuff can be, and what a distraction it is.''
Starting Arkansas cornerback Tevin Mitchel was taken off the field on a stretcher in the fourth quarter with what the school called ''an injury above the shoulders.'' The other starting corner, senior Kaelon Kelleybrew, was in and out of Saturday's game with an arm injury, but Smith said he's expected to play against Alabama.
One player who is out for sure is backup running back Kody Walker, who was likely lost for the season with a lower leg injury against Louisiana-Monroe. Walker started at fullback Saturday after the team's usual starting fullback, Kiero Small, had surgery for a foot injury late last week.
Regardless of who plays and who doesn't this week, Arkansas is doing its best to continue looking forward - not back.
''We're not going to let anyone slack, not going to let anyone make any complaints, no excuses,'' Wright said. ''Everyone contributed to the loss that we took, so it's up to us to contribute to getting better and put more numbers in the win column.''
