Put on a good game face
Hogs remain upbeat as adversity surrounds program.
FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks are up against a wall, and their coach might be too.
The Razorbacks (4-6, 1-5 SEC) have to beat No. 16 Mississippi State (7-3, 3-3 SEC) today at 11 a.m. at Reynolds Razorback Stadium to have a clear shot at bowl eligibility.
The tenure of fifth-year Coach Bret Bielema, already on shaky ground given his 2932 record with the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, appeared to get even more tenuous with the firing Wednesday of Athletic Director Jeff Long, who has been a steadfast supporter.
Before Long’s firing had
been confirmed by school officials Wednesday, Bielema was asked on the SEC coaches teleconference for his reaction.
After saying he had not received official word, Bielema added, “But I do know this: Winning ballgames helps everybody. So that’s all I’m focused on.”
The Razorbacks have found themselves at the confluence of several prominent problems — a chronic run of injuries to the team’s top talent, a sparsity of physically imposing linemen on both sides of the ball, and a lack of experience or depth at several positions — with two weeks left in the regular season.
“We went through a lot this year,” Bielema said on his radio show Thursday night. “Our guys have persevered through personal injuries, through overcoming of obstacles … and maybe not be rewarded
as much as we’d like to be rewarded. And obviously we brought things on ourselves and me personally, I could do a better job in every facet of what we do, but I do like the perseverance our guys have showed. They have me greatly excited for what can happen Saturday.”
Since beating Mississippi State 58-42 in Starkville, Miss., last November, the Razorbacks have gone 1-8 against Power 5 competition, including 1-6 against the SEC.
Bielema’s record against the SEC is 11-27. Even discounting the transition of his first two years, in which the Hogs were 2-14 in conference play, Arkansas is 9-13 against the SEC since then.
In some ways, the rise of Mississippi State under ninthyear Coach Dan Mullen has contributed to the Razorbacks’ issues. The Bulldogs finished dead last or tied for last in the SEC West nine times in Arkansas’ first 18 seasons in the conference.
Since Mullen’s arrival in 2009, Mississippi State has been last only once — a three-way tie with Arkansas and Auburn in his first year — while the Razorbacks have been at the bottom three times, with a chance to make it four this season.
Mullen is aiming for his fourth victory over Bielema in five games. The Bulldogs have won their past two games in the state after starting 0-9-1 against the Hogs in Arkansas. The breakthrough victory in 2013 in Little Rock came in overtime by a 2417 score after Arkansas lost a fumble at the Mississippi State 9 with 5:22 left.
The Bulldogs followed that with a 17-10 victory in Starkville in which Arkansas led 10-0 in the second quarter and 10-7 late in the third. Mississippi State survived a 51-50 shootout between quarterbacks Brandon Allen and Dak Prescott at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in 2015 by blocking a 29-yard field goal try with 39 seconds remaining.
The current Bulldogs’ three losses all came against teams now residing in the top seven of the College Football Playoff rankings — No. 1 Alabama, No. 6 Auburn and No. 7 Georgia.
“We have the opportunity to still have a great season ahead of us and do a lot of really good things,” Mullen said. “We want to finish this season strong and hopefully put ourselves as a Top 10, Top 15 program in the country.
“If we can do that, we’re going to have to be much better this week than we were last week. If that focus changes, then we won’t have a special year. We won’t be considered at the level we want our team to be at.”
The Bulldogs went 5-7 in the regular season last year, tying Arkansas at 3-5 in the SEC, one game ahead of cellar dweller Ole Miss. Because of a solid APR score, Mississippi State was selected for one of the unfilled bowl slots and beat Miami (Ohio) 17-16 in the St. Petersburg Bowl to finish 6-7.
“They’ve turned a corner there since Dan’s come there,” Bielema said.
Mississippi State will represent the 31st ranked opponent the Razorbacks have faced in 62 games under Bielema. The Hogs are 7-23 in the previous games against ranked opponents after an 0-11 start.
Bielema has kept an upbeat attitude, players and coaches say, and his message to the public through his media appearances has been one of hope.
“I don’t think there’s any doubt about what we’re doing,” Bielema said Monday when asked whether he was worried about the losses and the speculation about his job security. “When you talk to recruits, when you talk to the players, when you talk to the parents, people obviously care about you and say certain things, but it’s full go. It’s full speed. I’ve never seen anything to tell me different. I know what we’ve built, I know what we can be.”
Said offensive coordinator Dan Enos, “I think Bret’s done a really good job of continuing to try to be consistent and have a good message every week and get our guys in the right frame of mind to play on Saturdays.”
Defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said Bielema has handled the adversity like a rock.
“He really has not deviated from our approach and staying the course,” Rhoads said.
“Oh, he’s been a champion,” tight ends coach Barry Lunney Jr. said. “I’ve been with him for five years now, and he’s the same. A very consistent message, and I think he’s done more than an admirable job of just being who he is.”
Arkansas team leaders spoke up for Bielema’s handling of the team through a rough stretch.
“We’ve been positive, regardless of what’s been going on, wins or losses,” defensive captain Kevin Richardson said. “We all still try to keep positive attitudes in the locker room and show our coaching staff that we’re still with them regardless of what everybody’s talking about on the outside world.”
Offensive guard Hjalte Froholdt said: “He’s in a tough spot with fans and all … but like he told us, and it’s something that really came into my heart, is that you’ve just got to ignore everything in the outside world. The only people who know what we’re doing is within these four walls.”
Linebacker De’ Jon Harris said the players try to steer clear of rampant speculation.
“Obviously we see it on social media,” he said. “Coach B tells us not to pay attention to the negativity around us outside the building. But you can’t say nothing back to the fans. We understand where they’re coming from. We don’t have a problem with it.”
Bielema has stressed in recent weeks the amount of underclassmen contributing across the board on both sides of the ball, sometimes out of necessity due to injuries to running backs Rawleigh Williams III and Chase Hayden, cornerback Ryan Pulley, receiver Jared Cornelius, quarterback Austin Allen, center Frank Ragnow, tight ends Cheyenne O’Grady and Austin Cantrell, and offensive linemen Froholdt and Ty Clary.
Allen returned from a shoulder injury last week and is expected to start and be backed up by sophomore Ty Storey due to an indefinite suspension for Cole Kelley following his arrest on Sunday for suspicion of DWI. Froholdt and Cantrell are also expected to play, while the others are out for the season.