Even Arkansas is catching flak over this

You can't please everybody. Arkansas trumps No. 2 Auburn on the road one week, breaks into the Top 25, then relaxes for a 63-7 breather seven days later against Southeast Missouri State. And already the critics are piling on, claiming the Hogs should be ashamed of themselves for allowing a Division I-AA creampuff onto the schedule halfway through the season.

For starters, Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles has steadfastly refused to schedule games against in-state teams Arkansas State and Central Arkansas. It's baffling, because Arkansas vs. Arkansas State is a guaranteed rivalry, and even Central Arkansas -- a Division I-AA school, same as SEMO -- would at least generate a modest bump in local interest and ticket sales.

Instead, Arkansas looked seven hours north and picked out (or picked on) SEMO to the tune of $300,000 -- quite a bargain, it turns out, since Arkansas State will pocket roughly $700,000 when it goes to Auburn on Saturday.

But the Arkansas faithful and in-state media are piling on the Hogs after Saturday's flop. SEMO didn’t put up as much fight as the Razorbacks' second team would have, one columnist wrote Sunday.

Interesting that the last time Arkansas scored 63 points was in a 63-14 win over New Mexico State in 2004. The Aggies' coach at the time: current SEMO coach Tony Samuel, who was fired at the end of that season.

Also on the local front, a stat from the SEMO-Arkansas game: New Madrid County Central's Desmond Sims was credited with four tackles for Arkansas. He's the only Missouri player on the Hogs' roster.

From Jackson grad and Kansas senior guard Travis Dambach on Friday: "There's not one key point that's caused those losses," he said, referring to three losses determined by a touchdown or less in the previous four weeks. "That's what makes it so frustrating. It's not like you can just go out and fix one or two things." The Jayhawks' response Saturday: a 42-32 loss to Oklahoma State.

Kansas receiver Brian Murph (NMCC) continued playing after injuring his hand in Saturday's loss. No word on the extent of the injury.