Arkansas players Devin Cosper and Malica Monk met with the media after the Razorbacks’ 84-63 win over Samford on Sunday afternoon.
Kelley arrested for DWI in Fayetteville early Sunday
Cole Kelley didn’t play much in Arkansas’ 33-10 loss in Baton Rouge on Saturday, but was arrested after the team got back to Fayetteville and charged with DWI.
He was also charged with careless driving in the Washington County Detention Center report you can see here.
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema issued a statement through the sports information department later Sunday morning.
“I was informed early this morning of an incident involving Cole Kelley,” the statement said. “We are gathering all information from the proper authorities and will make a determination upon review of that information.”
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
Should Long wait or pull trigger now on Bielema?
Bret Bielema has partially fullfilled at least part of what he stood at midcourt at Bud Walton Arena in December 2012 and announced to the crowd.
He told them he was here to do what has never been done at Arkansas and win an SEC championship.
Give him this: He has fulfilled the first part of that.
The Razorbacks have never performed this bad over a five-year period in the SEC. Bielema has already lost more SEC games than Danny Ford did in five years.
Forget the second part. Bielema doesn’t have a clue how to win an SEC title.
Now, with fan apathy for Arkansas football at what may be an all-time low, athletics director Jeff Long officially has problems at both ends and in the middle.
With the Razorbacks at 4-6 on the season, the absolute mathematical best they can do is finish 7-6. The GPR is not good enough to get into a bowl with a 5-7 record (never mind bringing that into the discussion).
To tell you the truth, if the Hogs win out that shouldn’t be enough to save Bielema’s job.
In that marathon Board of Trustees meeting Thursday, could instructions have been given to Long’s boss to let Bielema go sometime after the LSU game and the end of the season?
If that’s the case, the move should be made immediately.
There is absolutely nothing to be gained by Bielema coaching these final two games. To be honest, you can’t find an overwhelming number of people that think the Hogs have a shot to win either of the last two games.
Yes, Razorback football has fallen to the level where nobody thinks they can beat either Mississippi State or Missouri. At home.
At least Long could generate SOME form of excitement or support for just the players by making the move now.
All of this is why the names for the coaching carousel have started in earnest.
Names to forget
Chip Kelly and Jon Gruden aren’t coming to Arkansas. They are only interested in places where they can win a national title and that isn’t something they think can be done in Fayetteville.
Mike Leach would be a disastrous fit. Scott Frost is going to Nebraska or Florida. Bob Stoops has no interest in coaching. Les Miles would be a worse fit than Leach.
Art Briles isn’t even up for consideration despite the fact Baylor cleared him of any wrongdoing in that whole fiasco.
Money isn’t everything
Because the great state of Arkansas has a state income tax that makes the finances a little different.
To compete with jobs in some states like Texas, Florida and Tennessee, keep that in mind. That little seven percent adds up when you’re talking millions.
The Hogs also play in the SEC West and there are very few people interested in trying to do a rebuild in the toughest division in college football, especially if they don’t know the state or the recruiting nuances.
Don’t believe that just throwing money at someone will make them come these days.
Who should have to say no
These people should at least be made to say no.
They would come to Arkansas if the circumstances were right. Don’t assume that everything is simple. Somebody with Arkansas has got to sell these guys the commitment is there to compete for a championship.
That includes everybody from the Board of Trustees to the janitors.
• Gus Malzahn, Auburn: He is still the No. 1 choice of a lot of fans. Considering that he just beat the No. 1 team in the country he should be made to say no. Besides, his ultimate dream job is to coach the Dallas Cowboys and, well, doing the job at Arkansas does kinda put you on the radar with the owner.
• Mike Norvell, Memphis: While he didn’t go to school at Fayetteville, he did play at Central Arkansas and his wife is from Fort Smith. Plus, he knows how to recruit in Texas (he did it for Tulsa, Arizona State and now at Memphis where he has a dozen players from all over the state).
• Chad Morris, SMU: He would be tough to get out of Texas and he is rumored to be at the top of Texas A&M’s list if they let Kevin Sumlin go. He did attend A&M, but did not play college football.
• Skip Holtz, Louisiana Tech: Graduate from Fayetteville High School and is much more easygoing than his dad, who is often an unpaid consultant. If he’d had a kicker in the Liberty Bowl following the 2009 season, his East Carolina team would have beaten the Hogs.
• Lane Kiffin, Florida Atlantic: Don’t laugh. Spent some of his toddler years in Fayetteville when his dad was defensive coordinator. Say what you want but he does know how to recruit, his offenses work and he wins games. His overall coaching record is 42-24 and he’s never been fired in college for not winning.
These are who should be the frontrunners, in my opinion. I’ll admit it, Kiffin is there because he would be best for media fun and business.
The guess here is Long won’t be making the decision. He has said he doesn’t like search committees, but the guess here is the Board of Trustees doesn’t trust him to make the decision and that might have been relayed to his boss last Thursday.
Plus, Long has shown, well, he’s not very good at it.
That leaves a search committee. And the guess here is somebody named Jones will be on it.
No use in waiting around.
KNWA VIDEO: Allen on hard loss to Tigers
VIDEO COURTESY OF KNWA
Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen talked with the media after the 33-10 loss to LSU on Saturday about how big this game is to him.
KNWA VIDEO: Harris after Hogs fall to LSU
VIDEO COURTESY OF KNWA
Arkansas linebacker Scoota Harris talked with the media after the Razorbacks’ 33-10 loss to LSU on Saturday.
KNWA VIDEO: Safety Ramirez after loss at LSU
VIDEO COURTESY OF KNWA
Arkansas safety Santos Ramirez talked about needing to play four quarters to win games.
KNWA VIDEO: Hogs TE Patton after loss
VIDEO COURTESY OF KNWA
Arkansas tight end Jeremy Patton talked with the media after the loss to LSU on having hope at halftime.
Maybe not the end, but you can see it from here
It’s official.
Arkansas, for the second year in a row, will take a backwards step in football.
Mathematically, they could equal last year’s 7-6 record, but that’s a step backwards in a coach’s fifth year at a school.
LSU sealed that fate Saturday in Baton Rouge. On a day when the Tigers were ripe to be upset at home, the Razorbacks simply didn’t have the players — or the plan — to do it.
Almost everything that can define this team was on full display in a 33-10 loss that really never felt that close.
There was a fifth-year senior quarterback Austin Allen, who has the heart and desire but not the arm strength he had previously, trying to rally a team from a season that has gone down the tubes.
Then there was the redshirt freshman quarterback Cole Kelley, who was brought into the game after the wagon had sailed off the road, and he didn’t fare any better.
If it hadn’t been for graduate transfer David Williams’ 81 yards rushing and Will Gragg’s 47 yards receiving, the Hogs’ offense could have stayed on the team plane and nobody would have noticed much.
Yes, it was that bad.
The only reason it looked anything as close as it did was, well, LSU was suffering one of those hangovers from the Alabama game like you get staying out until 6 a.m.
The Hogs got what they were hoping for from LSU, but simply couldn’t do anything about it.
Still think beating Ole Miss and Coastal Carolina by a single point were signs of progress?
Bret Bielema likes to talk about how close this team has been all season, which was simply coachspeak used to try and save his job.
It’s a good bet it hasn’t.
And only a precious few want him back.
Saturday showed every problem this team has. The only aspect that has been a problem at times that didn’t show up was in the kicking game.
The worst thing there was a kickoff that sailed out of bounds, but it’s not like there was a ton of kicking off for the Hogs in this game.
The Hogs wanted to try and be physical with LSU. That’s what we’ve heard from Bielema for five years now. We know his whole spiel about imposing will and all.
That is a sound theory when you are equal or close to the same talent level as your opponent. In the past, it’s worked against the Tigers because under Les Miles when they lost to Alabama they collapsed.
Ed Orgeron cut practices short this week by 15-30 minutes a day. Miles would have done Oklahoma Drill practices as long as possible.
That was the difference in the second half that was tied at 7-7.
And few Arkansas fans were expecting much at that point. Oh, some had a glimmer of hope, but nobody was really expecting anything.
They’ve seen this act play out before.
In the second half, Derrius Guice (21 carries, 147 yards, three touchdowns) got rolling and Danny Etling looked like a Heisman Trophy candidate quarterback, completing 11-of-16 for 237 yards and two touchdowns with a 223.9 quarterback rating.
As we said, it’s the same song, different verse.
When the axe falls on Bielema is anybody’s guess.
The question is if the powers that be want two straight weeks of an empty Razorback Stadium for games against Mississippi State and Missouri or maybe get some sort of enthusiasm that a new direction is coming.
If you have any doubts a change is coming, consider these numbers:
• Bielema’s overall record is 29-32, which means it is mathematically impossible for him to do anything better than .500, but the Hogs would have to win out and win a bowl game for that to happen.
• Bielema’s SEC record is 11-27, which already worse in his five seasons than Danny Ford’s was in five years (16-24-1).
• There are rumors swirling of issues in the locker room and on the coaching staff. From the outside looking in, there’s absolutely nothing to dispute that.
• In the SEC West, Bielema is 8-21 now. The only school he holds the edge on is Ole Miss and there are zero wins over Alabama and Texas A&M.
There is absolutely zero benefit to Bielema staying for another year. In fact it’s getting hard to see any benefit of him staying for another game.
The end isn’t here yet.
But you can see if from where we are.
KNWA VIDEO: Bielema after loss to LSU
PHOTO COURTESY OF KNWA
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema visits with the media following the loss to LSU on Saturday.
