Hogs trying to turn frowns upside down

FAYETTEVILLE — Keon Hatcher’s scream of frustration reverberated around the end zone tunnel at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, a couple of weeks ago.

As Hatcher was shouting, Arkansas teammate Jonathan Williams was trudging off the turf, the last player off the field after the Razorbacks had just given away a fourth-quarter lead before losing in overtime to No. 6 Texas A&M.

Coach Bret Bielema, wearing the pain of that overtime loss on his face, patiently waited for Williams to walk by so he could pat the junior’s back in consolation.

A similar scenario played out Saturday night in misty Reynolds Razorback Stadium, where the anguish of a 14-13 loss to No. 7 Alabama — a handful of unmade key plays swirling in the heads of players and coaches — haunted the Arkansas football team in its locker room.

Bielema struggled to control his emotions as he

opened his postgame remarks to the media.

The kick-to-the-gut losses have been the difference between a possible top-15 showdown with Georgia on Saturday in Little Rock and a 3-3 team fighting to shake a 15game SEC losing streak.

Ole Miss and Mississippi State are authoring the feelgood stories in the SEC this season, but Arkansas has been a hairsbreadth from playing a part in the same script.

“It’s hard on the kids, it’s hard on the coaches, it’s hard on everybody,” offensive line coach Sam Pittman said. “We need a win so we can go in there and do what those other folks are doing on the other side.”

The Razorbacks, playing the nation’s toughest schedule in 2014 based on opponents’ records, have no time to mope with No. 10 Georgia — their third top-10 opponent in a row — coming to War Memorial Stadium.

“Believe me, they’re frustrated,” Bielema said. “They’re disappointed. They’re sad. … I think we have a team that cares. If it wasn’t there, I would be upset.

“What they do see is they see themselves getting closer and closer. They know that they’re getting very well-respected for a 3-3 team.”

These Razorbacks know they are miles ahead of the past two Arkansas teams.

“We know we’re right under that hump and we’re trying to get over it,” Hatcher said.

The Hogs’ aggregate scores in four losses to Alabama and Texas A&M in 2012 and 2013 was 207-43 for an average score of 52-11. The combined scores in regulation of their past two games has been 42-41 in favor of A&M and Alabama, with Arkansas losing fourth-quarter leads in both games.

“You’re not talking about high school teams,” Pittman said. “You’re talking about some of the best college teams in the country.”

Senior captain Trey Flowers said he sees resilience from his teammates.

“We’re football players,” he said. “We love to compete, and that’s what we’re going to keep doing each week. No loss is going to take that love of the game away from us.”

Quarterback Brandon Allen said the locker room was still upbeat.

“We know the wins are coming,” he said. “We’re doing so many things well and moving ourselves in the right direction. Again, it’s just a little thing here, a little thing there that’s keeping us from winning these games. As soon as we put those things together, we’re going to win a lot of ball games.”

Before playing No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 7 Alabama, the Razorbacks pounded Nicholls State, Texas Tech and Northern Illinois by a combined 126 points, catapulting confidence for the current stretch.

Yet there has been little solace for the Hogs in rising from a team that was an also-ran the past two seasons into a team that can put a scare into top-10 opponents.

“We’re not here to get moral victories, but it is refreshing when you can show them that through hard work and through their determination that we’re getting closer and closer,” receivers coach Michael Smith said.

There are still opportunities to validate Arkansas’ progress and qualify for a bowl. The Razorbacks have the nation’s current No. 1 and No. 3 teams — Mississippi State and Ole Miss — remaining on their schedule, which could give them half of their regular-season games against top-10 opponents.

“We just have the mentality that the next week is our next opportunity,” sophomore tight end Hunter Henry said. “Every week in the SEC you have an opportunity to knock off a bigtime team,”

NWA Media/ANTHONY REYES Trey Flowers (right), stopping Northern Illinois running back Joel Bouagnon during a game earlier this season, says the Razorbacks are going to continue to compete despite their 0-3 record in SEC play.