Hogs (3-7) down to talking ‘pride’

FAYETTEVILLE — For the first time in eight seasons as a head coach, Bret Bielema won’t be taklng his team to a bowl game.

Arkansas (3-7, 0-6 SEC) was eliminated from bowl consideration with a 34-24 loss at Ole Miss on Saturday.

Bielema led Wisconsin to a bowl game the previous seven seasons, including Rose Bowl appearances his past three years, though he didn’t coach the Badgers against Stanford in last year’s trip to Pasadena, Calif., after accepting the Arkansas job.

“I’ve never been in this position as a head coach, so it’s very frustrating, just because I know what this team needs, and this team needs practices,” Bielema said of missing a bowl. “It allows you to get extra practices with our young guys. It allows you to do some more things within your program before spring ball.”

Instead of getting an additional month of bowl practices, the Razorbacks have three weeks of practices left with a bye before finishing the season against Mississippi State and LSU.

“We’ve got two games to show what kind of pride we have,” Bielema said. “I think our seniors will lead the way.”

Arkansas’ seniors have gone through three head coaches in three seasons after Bobby Petrino’s firing and John L. Smith’s interim stint before Bielema’s hiring.

“My motivation is the seniors,” freshman running back Korliss Marshall said. “I mean, nobody else on the team has been what they’ve been through. I think to myself if I were in their position. … I would want somebody else who is not a senior to play just as hard as I play.”

Marshall said there’s also plenty of motivation for the younger players to finish strong and build for the future.

“There’s no reason for us to just throw two extra games away,” he said.

Arkansas has to beat Mississippi State to avoid losing eight consecutive games for the first time. The Razorbacks also need to win one of their final two games to avoid their first nine-loss season.

If they lose to Mississippi State and LSU, they’ll go winless in conference play for the first time since Arkansas went 0-6 in the Southwest Conference in 1941 and 1942.

“We’re being prideful about our program,” senior receiver Julian Horton said. “We are Arkansas, and we’re trying to get back to the way we used to be.

“Each and every week we’re trying to get better and keep being motivated to go out there and get wins.”

Arkansas has lost 10 consecutive SEC games going back to last season, but junior defensive end Trey Flowers said the Razorbacks can compete in the conference that has produced the past seven national champions. They were 12-4 in SEC games Petrino’s last two seasons in 2010 and 2011.

“We know we belong in here,” Flowers said. “We’re just going to keep on pushing, keep on chugging along.”

Bielema said he’s excited about the way the Razorbacks are continuing to compete.

“Obviously, we want wins,” he said. “It’s hard to say that a 3-7 football team is moving in the right direction, but I think it is.

“It’s going through some really dark days to get where we want to be, and hopefully that day comes sooner than later.”