HOW DID IT GET LIKE THIS?

It seems that a percentage of Arkansas Razorback fans are unhappy.
Contentious, even.
Still so, amazingly, after a SECW championship and with a trip to the Capital One Bowl on deck.
And it might be more than 5%.
They certainly make more than 5% of the posts on message boards and calls to radio shows.

How did we get here?

It all seems very similar to a period when Ken Hatfield was taking the Hogs to Cotton Bowls, but a lot of people voiced displeasure with his offense.  This was about the time that some spots in Arkansas started having different voices talking in authoritative tones about their team other than the two state newspapers and the play-by-play man.  Even though it was grinding out wins, people got loud groaning at "3 yards and a cloud of dust" plays with Hatfield's option which seldom saw the option of the forward pass.  When a TV broadcaster said during a Texas game that any Arkansas pass would be successful since the Longhorns were stacking 9 in the box, many more Hog fans moved to the position of thinking they knew more than the head coach than ever before.  When Hatfield started the weekly coach's show after a Little Rock beat-down by Miami with the Bible quote "Jesus wept", they certainly knew they wanted another coach.  And sports-talk shows letting them begin to voice their opinions.

When Houston Nutt was hired, only a few Razorback fans were doing much over the internet besides email.  But that already was showing a turn in the way things were done.  Orville Henry thought Tommy Tuberville was the man for the job, and would have explained in his column how he was hired by Frank Broyles.  But Frank Broyles was no longer solely in charge of the hiring.  And many Hog fans were happy about that.  After all, he had punted on third down all those many years ago as coach, and now many thought he was too old to make any responsible decisions.  But there was still more to come for Broyles to do and people to dislike.

The good news was that Razorback Stadium - long in need of an SEC-caliber upgrade - was being remodeled with money raised in a fever pitch of enthusiasm for the football program.  The bad news was that War Memorial Stadium - long refused proceeds from Little Rock for an upgrade - seemed to be about to meet a 'phasing out', and the Great Stadium Debate caused hurt in the Razoback nation.  And much resentment still lingers from that.  Nolan's Richardson's departure caused similar resentment - much along racial lines.  Sports-talk radio was much more widespread by now, and different opinions - often shouted - pointed out that it was indeed a divided house.  Several internet message boards had become quite popular by this time, but most fans were still not really aware of them.

After Clint Stoerner left, Houston Nutt tried a revolving door of quarterbacks to try and match the ability of the running backs recruited.  His offense worked through the air plenty while he was at Murray State, but the QBs and wide receivers never could be a better option than running - couldn't get to 'even'.  Matt Jones stepped on campus and Nutt saw the opportunity for the big-time receiver, starting every year with him trying to catch passes.  There just never was a QB that could run the offense and get Matt the ball, and soon it would be apparent that the best plan was to get the ball in Matt's hands and give him some options.  Despite the kind of offense that Houston Nutt had shown the desire to run in the early part of his career, and despite what he said he wanted to do at this point, it was just widely repeated and accepted that all he ever wanted to do was over tackle and draw plays.

The 2003 season started with big wins and much promise, and with it Razorback fans' expectations skyrocketed.  Consecutive losses to Auburn and Florida soured many, and a trip to the Independence Bowl was even less appetizing.  In the hours and days following, most of that team departed - and it looked like Houston Nutt might, too.  But he didn't "get on that plane" because he "loves that helmet", and told all who would listen that the next 2 years would be lean.  Many were done with him, and during the next two losing seasons and a consideration to interview for the LSU job, they got even more unhappy.  By this time, the various internet message boards were much more populated, and the unhappy group started embracing the title "Darksiders" and refered to those still in support of Houston Nutt "Sunshine Pumpers" and "Huggers" who were "drinking Kool-Aid".   A clear line was drawn, but the message boards were still dismissed by most as cultish and inconsequential.

Before leaving as Arkansas' QB coach, Joe Ferguson said the only way the Hogs would ever get a big-time passing quarterback was if one sprouted in Razorback country, who already wanted to be here - reputation would preclude getting one to come in from afar.  That opportunity seemed to present itself when Mitch Mustain was put at the helm of Gus Malzahn's offense at Springdale High School.  Going into the 2005 season, after losing the state championship in 2004, that team looked to produce plenty of D-1 talent and a coveted coaching mind by seasons end.  Malzahn, who many thought was already in line for an assistant position at Arkansas after the season, wanted his seniors to commit before the season started.  Of the "Springdale 5", 2 committed to the Hogs, 2 to Florida and one to Notre Dame.  The attention to this bunch all year was resented by many in the state, and that went double for those already mad about Central Arkansas losing Razorback games.

Houston Nutt had long refused to have an offensive coordinator, but after his first losing season at UA named a "passing game coordinator" and "running game coordinator" for 2005.  In an important drive in the Vanderbilt game, the "passing game coordinator" called for plays which charged the team down inside the 5 in short order.  At this point, the "running game coordinator" called 4 unsuccessful tries for the endzone.  The result was a smashed clipboard by the "passing game coordinator", a loss to Vandy (which many compared to the fateful "Citadel loss") and discontent at an all-time high.  After yet another losing season, it was clear that Houston Nutt would be naming an offensive coordinator, and that he had to get that QB who had now decided he was reconsidering his commitment.

The "passing game coordinator" was the head that rolled (and he could have been the OC, as he should have been going into the season), but he was the one who had recruited Mustain.  After David Cuttcliff decided to stay at Tennessee, the next best candidate for OC was the man already headed to Arkansas in some capacity - Gus Malzahn.  Along with the new QB coach Alex Wood, they were able to not only get Mustain to stay, they were able to get the coveted tight end and wide receiver to switch from Florida.  During the process, The message board "Hogville" boasted posts by Mitch Mustain's mother and - it turns out - Mitch himself.  This "inside" information - coupled with endorsement and promotion of longtime KFSM-TV sports director Mike Irwin - allowed "Hogville to separate itself from the pack.

Excitement surged as talk of Arkansas' game "getting vertical", and Hog fans looked to an opening game to get revenge from a 70 point embarassment to USC.  Because of injury to Casey Dick's back, Robert Johnson started the game.  Five turnovers later, the final score was only a little better than the previous year.  The outcome was in doubt much longer than in California, but was no longer in doubt when Johnson was replaced with Mitch Mustain.  The crowd roared and the offense charged down the field for a quick touchdown.  Mustain was named the next morning as the new starting quarterback, and he was for the next 8 games - all wins. More controversy came about, though, as some saw Johnson's fall to backup receiver as a racial slight.

Even though Houston Nutt went into the season with his job on the line, and the situation clearly set up for credit for anything good to be given to Gus Malzahn and blame for anything bad to lay at his feet,  his team went on a 10 game win streak.  Beating Auburn on the Plains put the Hogs in position to win the SEC West, and the ESPN Gameday crew saw the Hogs climb into the driver's seat with a convincing victory over Tennessee.  Naysayers continued to point back at missed kicks by opponents Vanderbilt and Alabama, but for the most part was overshadowed by the tantalizing posibilities 2 more wins might achieve.  Mustain threw an interception and was benched for the now-healthy Casey Dick, but the Hogs won.  Peyton Hillis was injured and was dearly missed in the game at Mississippi, but the Hogs won.  Darren McFadden was getting attention as a Heisman candidate, and the Hogs were headed for the conference championship game, after a visit in Little Rock from LSU.

The Hogs lost both games to those 2 BCS teams, and it instantly seemed that nothing had gone right during the season.  A book about Springdale's championship season was released with unflattering comments from Mitch Mustain about Houston Nutt inside.  That was smoothed over, but 3 of those Springdale freshman had parents visit Frank Broyles to ask about the direction of the offense in the future.  Tight end Ben Cleveland and Mustain decided to stay, but Damian Williams decided to leave the team.

So we've reviewed at least 23 points of contention.  Many of these are rehashed daily on those message boards, but it is hard to determine how much of the Razorback fan base is reflected by that.  If Houston Nutt was "on the hot seat" before the season, wouldn't 10-3 and a division championship secure his job?  Can Razorback fans be so universally unhappy with an offense that produced the Doak Walker award winner for the best running back and second place in the Heisman voting?

In conclusion, the most important questions may be: 
Can a New Year's Day victory over Wisconsin in the Capital One bowl heal the Hog Nation? 
With so many factions pulling in so many different directions, can Razorback fans ever again be united?