Hogs aim to forget the end of last season

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark.—Arkansas almost feels like it’s starting over in 2017.

After an embarrassing ending to 2016, where the team blew sizable leads to Missouri in the season finale and to Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, the program is trying to get back on the right track.

“Obviously, the end of last season was a unique situation for me,” Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said. “In fact, even when we went 3-9, which I’ve never had a losing season in my career, other than the first year at Arkansas, I felt at the end of the year we were getting better at moving in the right direction. And last year, our last two games were not highlights, especially the way they both ended.”

Bielema, who became a new father in July, is 25-26 through four campaigns as the Head Hog. He knows that mark needs to improve and in a hurry.

“Our kids have been great,” Bielema said. “They’ve owned and embraced what we didn’t do well at the end of the year. They’ve focused on what we can do well. We’re going to focus on winning games in the second half, not losing them, putting our best personnel on the field, no matter how that comes about, and then really trying to play and understand what it means to be at Arkansas and have that come through.

It helps that the Hogs are returning a senior quarterback in Austin Allen, who threw for 3,430 yards and 25 touchdowns a year ago.

“He graduated already,” Bielema said. “He started masters classes. He will get about two-thirds of the way through his masters before he is ever finished playing college football for us. Very, very talented player that’s going into year two as our starter.”

Allen should have an improved offensive line to work with and a talented stable of running backs, despite losing Rawleigh Williams to

injury and his subsequent retirement from football in the spring.

Devwah Whaley, a sophomore from Beaumont, Texas, will be counted on to take ownership of the position. They also gained a graduate transfer from South Carolina in David Williams, and add talented freshmen Chase Hayden and Maleek Williams.

Wide receiver is an unknown, as Arkansas graduated nearly everyone at the position save for Jared Cornelius and T.J. Hammonds.

Nashville’s LaMichael Pettway has impressed the coaching staff during fall camp, and a host of capable newcomers should see a lot of action, like Brandon Martin, Jordan Jones, Jonathan Nance and Koilan Jackson.

At tight end, despite losing Jeremy Sprinkle, the Hogs return Austin Cantrell and Cheyenne O’Grady, while being supported by Jack Kraus and Will Gragg.

The offensive line will be spearheaded by senior Frank Ragnow, who is on the Rimington Award watch list. Hjalte Froholdt, Johnny Gibson and Brian Wallace should all return to their starting positions. Nashville’s Kirby Adcock will likely redshirt but may compete for a backup spot.

On defense, Arkansas switched to a 3-4 scheme in the offseason and replaced Robb Smith with Paul Rhoads, the former Iowa State coach, who was just an assistant a year ago.

“Last year — two things that Coach (Hayden) Fry taught me a long time ago about running the football is if you want to win games, you got to run the football and stop the run,” Bielema said. “And last year offensively at times we weren’t able to run the football effectively because of good defenses, and defense there were times where the game got away from us and stopping the run.

So there’s two huge points of emphasis, they kind of fed off one another, so in the spring I could really emphasize on that and work off it. I think the 3-4 allows us. Just by pure math you got 11 guys on the field. Eight guys now will be on their two feet. You got eight guys on two feet being able to change and run. You naturally become more athletic with the 3-4 scheme with athletes on the field.”

In this new scheme, Texarkana native and former Hope standout McTelvin Agim will be asked to play a pivotal role. He had a solid freshman campaign and should develop further in 2017.

Dre Greenlaw emerged as a leader at linebacker until his season was cut short because of injury. If he stays healthy, he may compete for being the SEC’s leading tackler.

The secondary is young but has a lot of potential, with returnees Ryan Pulley and Santos Ramirez, along with Josh Liddell, Kevin Richardson and Henre Toliver.

True freshmen Chevin Calloway and Kamren Curl should see time, and maybe even Ashdown’s Montaric

Brown.

Cole Hedlund returns at kicker, but Blake Mazza challenged him in fall camp.

The schedule does Arkansas no favors. Opening with Florida A&M, the team hosts TCU the following week before an open date, then faces 10 straight opponents in succession without a reprieve.

Arkansas will be looking to make a bowl for the fourth consecutive season.

Kickoff for the season opener is 7 p.m. on August 31 in Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium. It will be televised by the SEC Network.