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Maybe the numbers won’t just get smaller this year

Andy Hodges
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One glaring weakness in an Arkansas defense full of them last season was how slow they seemed at times.

Too often, Razorback defenders could only watch other guys’ numbers get smaller as they ran away from them.

In the SEC that will get you beat by average teams. The good ones will stomp a hole in your backside and walk out the water.

With the new recruits, the Hogs look faster. The upperclassmen have noticed and told Bielema that over the weekend.

“They said they are all fast,” he relayed to the media about the comments from the senior leadership committee on the incoming freshmen.

Speed kills. Especially in the SEC.

First, it was Steve Spurrier at Florida going for speed, speed, speed. Then Tennessee got on board and, finally, Alabama.

Shoot, Jimmy Johnson built first Miami, then the Dallas Cowboys later on speed. At both places, there were guys in positions that were under-sized, but, gosh, they could run. The ones who couldn’t play were gone pretty quick, regardless of how fast they were.

Arkansas’ lack of speed has been glaring.

Bielema and the PR folks can spin it however they want, but something had to change. In four years, the record is below .500 and the league record is at the point that the Hogs would have to win 12 straight league games to get to .500.

The youngsters on the team have the most important intangible: Speed.

Oh, and they are also smart. The incoming group in summer school hasn’t made a C or below.

“I’ve never had that,” Bielema said. “Usually there are some C’s, D’s and some F’s. There is usually the odd one who doesn’t even know how to log into his computer.”

Now they just have to transfer it to the field.

And hopefully catch more folks.

Bell suffers foot injury, has surgery; may miss half of season

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Jamario Bell seemingly can’t catch a break.

Bret Bielema announced at a press conference Monday that Bell re-injured a foot in practice Saturday and had surgery Monday morning.

“The kid hasn’t had an easy road,” Bielema said.

Bell, a redshirt sophomore from Junction City, had been making progress after being moved from tight end to defense, where he was manning one of the outside linebacker positions.

“He was flourishing,” Bielema said of his conversation with Bell prior to his surgery. “I said, ‘Hey, don’t let this get you.’ He’s a likable kid that guys really enjoy. He’s got some fun traits to him so I don’t think this will be the end of him.”

Offensive coordinator Dan Enos after practice

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Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos talked about the team’s development through three days of practices.

Austin Allen talks about Hogs’ new offensive players

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Austin Allen covered a wide-ranging group of topics Saturday in his first visit with the media in fall camp.

Center Frank Ragnow on line play in early practices

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Arkansas center Frank Ragnow visited with the media following Saturday’s practice and he seemed to not be concerned with the linemen fights.

New defense hot topic at early press conferences

Andy Hodges
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In case you haven’t heard, Arkansas will have a new defensive alignment this year.

Yes, that was sorta tongue-in-cheek. Every Razorback fan knows it.

And, as usual, there is a certain confidence that it will fix the problems of last year’s defense which was balanced in that it struggled stopping the run and the pass.

Now they are going to a 3-4 look, which is intriguing on many fronts.

The reason? The Hogs struggle to get quality down linemen and to have a successful four-man front, you need eight people.

“You don’t have to have eight to have a two-deep, you only gotta have six,” defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads said Friday afternoon. “It’s one of the reasons we switched to a 3-4 system.”

And Rhoads can make it sound fairly simple:

“Oh, I can tell you exactly,” Rhoads said. “The noseguard’s gotta have his hands on the center and take care of the A gap.

“The ends gotta have their hands on the tackle and take care of the B gap.

“Our outside linebackers have to set the edge and anything that comes at ’em and be involved in the passing game.

“Our linebackers gotta go where the backs go.

“And our secondary can’t let people behind ’em.

“If 11 guys are doing those things on a play-by-play basis, regardless of the call, we’ve got a chance to play good, competitive defense.”

That sounds good and doable. Traditionally, the 3-4 is prone to teams running up the middle. Some offensive systems can come up with blocking schemes that open up some wide running lanes.

But, the bottom line, it may be the only way the Hogs have a chance defensively considering the level of talent they have on the roster.

Schemes are great.

In the end, though, it nearly always comes down to who has the best players.

And that, Hogs fans, is the biggest question mark of all.

Richardson talks about defensive improvements

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Arkansas defensive back Kevin Richardson talked with the media after practice about the development of the Hogs’ new 3-4 defense.

Rhoads talks about Hogs adjusting to 3-4 defense

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Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads talks to the media after Friday’s practice about adjusting to the 3-4 defense.

Ramirez: New defense gives players chance to ‘just play’

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Arkansas defensive back Santos Ramirez met with the media following Friday’s practice and talked about the new defense.

Bielema may be ready to take talent over experience

Andy Hodges
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As college football teams begin workouts this week, it’s a time of optimism from sea to shining sea.

Even in the SEC. I actually heard someone from Ole Miss call a talk show this week that predicted a 10-2 record for the Rebels that included beating Alabama.

Seriously. That’s how crazy it gets.

Fans desperately want their team to win. They spend the weeks after SEC Media Days convincing themselves this will finally be the year.

Hope springs eternal.

And, to be perfectly honest, it’s hard to tell anything from the first days of fall practice. That’s because if players stand out from the crowd you never really know if it’s because they are that good or the backups they are doing it against aren’t.

 

If you’re looking for some deep insight to this year’s Razorback team here, I don’t have it. Bret Bielema doesn’t have it, either.

He spent over 20 minutes (longer than most Monday press conferences during the season, which is the longest of the week) talking about position moves and how high certain players can jump. In case you’re wondering, some of them can jump really high.

The two most important positions on the field, I’ve learned from coaches over four decades, are offensive tackles and defensive backs, particularly cornerbacks.

The Hogs have guys that look good in shorts and helmets at those spots, but so does everybody else. They may even look good in early scrimmages.

But how will they look against Texas A&M on Sept. 23? That’s the first real test. Oh, TCU on Sept. 9 might be a little exam, but what counts is what happens in the SEC games and the Aggies will be the first one of those.

Maybe the most promising thing about this team came during Bielema’s press conference and fans should really take notice of it.

In my opinion, experience is over-rated and a grasp from fans trying to convince themselves players get better the longer they stay. The reality is most don’t improve enough to make much of a difference from year to year.

“The worst thing to have is a bunch of players coming back from a six-win team,” legendary Alabama coach Bear Bryant said one time.

Talent beats experience nearly every time.

Which is why one little nugget Bielema dropped is very, very important.

“The older guys better wake up,” he said in the first press conference of the season. “Some guys who have been here just three months have shown that they can get it right.”

For fans looking for a positive right off the bat, that’s it.

If the talent is equal, experience provides a little edge.

Last year’s national championship game proved that. Clemson’s junior quarterback Deshaun Watson beat Alabama’s rookie quarterback Jalen Hurts because, well, he knew how to win the game in the end. He had about 60 seconds worth of experience over a player nearly as talented.

A year ago, Watson was playing in the national championship game while Hurts was wrapping up a high school career in Texas.

For Bielema, who talks about fifth-year seniors in an effort to keep hopes alive as he enters his fifth season, the fact is he is recognizing that some newcomers may be better.

Which means the recruiting is better.

Which also means the team could be better.

Bielema with media after Hogs’ opening practice

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The practice report from Razorback Sports Communications:

A new season officially began Thursday as coach Bret Bielema and the Razorbacks hit the field for their first official practice of preseason training camp.

Here’s a few notes and key storylines from Practice 1:

At A Glance
The Razorbacks kicked things off at 4:10 p.m., at the Fred W. Smith Football Center outdoor practice fields and went through a 24-period workout, which included two water breaks, in helmets and shorts.

Following individual drills, the Hogs went through multiple periods of 7-on-7 with an emphasis on 1st-and-10.

There was one position change of note. Redshirt freshman Dylan Hays was working out at defensive tackle instead of on the offensive line. Bielema told the media following practice that he and the staff have been impressed with Hays ever since he arrived on campus. The move will allow Hays, a native of Little Rock, to see time on the field more and give redshirt freshman Jonathan Marshall the opportunity to get reps at both defensive tackle and end.

Hunter Henry was in attendance before heading to Los Angeles Chargers training camp, which begins July 30 in Costa Mesa, California. Henry is entering his second season after leading all NFL tight ends with eight touchdown catches and earning a spot on the PFWA All-Rookie team last season.

Safety First
In an effort to reduce impacts of practice hits, multiple players on the offensive and defensive lines wore padded helmet covers.

“It’s an added layer of protection for big guys who get continual reps,” Bielema said following practice. “And I think it’s something that’s really positive.”

SEC’s Top Returning QB
Austin Allen, who led the Southeastern Conference in total passing yardage last season, is back for his senior campaign and second season as the starting signal caller. Allen took the reins at QB from his older brother Brandon a year ago and immediately made his mark. He led the SEC with 3,430 passing yards, including a league-best 2,291 in conference play and finished with 25 touchdown passes, which ranked second in the conference.

One of Allen’s top targets will be senior Jared Cornelius, the veteran of the receiving corps.  Highlighted by three straight 100-plus yard receiving performances, Cornelius recorded 32 receptions for 515 yards and four touchdown catches, while adding a rushing score, in 2016.

Whaley Ready to Carry the Load
After backing up regular-season rushing champion Rawleigh Williams III last season, sophomore Devwah Whaley will be counted on for more carries in 2017 and looks to become the featured running back in the Razorbacks’ offensive attack.

Whaley, who came to Fayetteville from Beaumont, Texas, as one of the top backs in the country, ranked as a four-star prospect and No. 3 at his position, rushed for 602 yards and three touchdowns on 110 carries 13 games played last season.

A Doak Walker Award candidate, Whaley will have the opportunity to become the latest member of Bielema’s elite 1000-yard rushing club. Bielema is well experienced in producing 1,000-yard rushers. In fact, he’s the only active FBS head coach with a 1,000-yard rusher in each of the last 11 seasons (2006-present).

The Hogs’ backfield will also feature some new faces, including graduate transfer David Williams, who also saw first-team reps Thursday with Whaley, and freshmen Maleek Williams and Chase Hayden.

Anchor of the Line
Senior All-American center Frank Ragnow will lead the offensive line for the second straight season.

Ragnow was college football’s best offensive lineman in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus. This year, he’ll look to repeat that. He’s a candidate for the Rimington, Outland and Wuerffel trophies and boasts spots on several preseason All-America teams, including earning first-team honors from Athlon Sports and Lindy’s Sports as well as second-team status from Sporting News and Phil Steele.

Earlier this month at SEC Media Days, Bielema had high praise for his star lineman.

“He might be the best I’ve ever coached,” Bielema said. “Not just at the center position, at the offensive line position.”

New Look D
Led by new defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, the Razorbacks’ 2017 defense will feature a new 3-4 scheme.

Defensively, Arkansas returns 23 letterwinners, including five starters. Led by captains Santos Ramirez and Kevin Richardson II, the secondary is arguably the most veteran unit on the roster having combined for 57 starts heading into this season.

Rhoads’ defense also includes Butkus Award candidate linebacker Dre Greenlaw, a freshman All-American in 2015 who played only seven games due to injury last year, and cornerback Ryan Pulley, who tallied the second-most pass breakups in the SEC in 2016.

Up Next
Arkansas is scheduled to be back on the practice field for another 4:10 p.m. workout on Friday.

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