Sugar Bowl Preview:

By Guest Blogger Tyler Fenwick:

This is one of the best match-ups we will see this year. Ohio State got a share of the Big Ten title and are riding a lot of momentum from their impressive win over Michigan to end the season.

Arkansas finished their season on a six-game winning streak. Half those wins were over ranked opponents. Obviously, the star of this Razorback squad is quarterback Ryan Mallet.

For Ohio State to have success against a team like Arkansas, it needs to come from the offensive power of your quarterback and runningback. Although Ohio State has one of the best defensive squads in the nation, I don’t have full confidence in them going up against Ryan Mallet (QB) and Knile Davis (RB). They will certainly get their stops, but I’m leaving it up to Terrelle Pryor and Dan Herron.

For Arkansas, the balanced attack of Mallet and Davis has to be there. Ohio State has a very good defense, but if both of them are on top of it, I think they can do some damage to the Buckeyes. Don’t get me wrong though. I’m not saying the defense doesn’t need to show up, but I think it’s more important for the Razorbacks to find their offensive rhythem first.

What To Expect:

-Expect Ohio State to come out and really mix things up. We could see Pryor running the ball a little more in this one. Arkansas should be planning for this, but at the same time, it can’t be on the top of their list. Pryor isn’t typically a designed runner.

-I think the defense will go back and forth with Mallet. They’ll get beat up some, but they will also come through at times.

-You can expect to see Arkansas just stick to what they do best. They will give the ball to Mallet and say, “Do work”. He may stumble a couple times, but I think overall, he has a good game.

-Defensively, they will be defending the long ball first. It’s very important to not give Pryor and his offense any more momentum than they already have. But at times, they will bring pressure.

We have two identical teams going at it, so it should be very exciting.