Should Bielema shoulder responsibility for TCU loss?

Based on Wednesday’s press conference, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema didn’t say the one thing many expected him to say.

Not once did he mention it was his responsibility for the 28-7 loss to TCU.

In fact, between Bielema, offensive coordinator Dan Enos and defensive coordinator Paul Rhoads, only a couple of times did they came close with one sentence.

“We just need to do what we do better as coaches and players,” Bielema said.

“We’ve got to play better,” Enos said, “and coach better.”

For many of the Razorback fans, that last one is maybe more important than the first.

• COMPLETE BIELEMA PRESS CONFERENCE
• COMPLETE ENOS PRESS CONFERENCE
• COMPLETE RHOADS PRESS CONFERENCE

You can watch the video and draw your own conclusions, but the Bielema that stepped up to the microphone Wednesday was defensive, talked in coach-speak and never once took responsibility for the embarrassing loss.

As one media wag said later, “I was halfway expecting to hear ‘SMILE!’ come out of his mouth,’” a reference to a famous John L. Smith press conference in 2012.

That didn’t happen, but it was a strange press conference.

It was as close to throwing the assistants under the bus for the Razorbacks that I can recall since Lou Holtz pitched defensive coordinator Don Lindsey there after a loss to SMU in 1983 and backed it over him.

The most often-quoted stat over the past few days has been pointing out the Hogs have been outscored 70-0 in the second half against their last three big boy opponents.

And, yet, Bielema at one point basically threw it back at those saying negative things about the team.

“Understand, we all want to be successful,” he said wrapping up Wednesday’s press conference, his first appearance since Saturday. “Today’s world is mean. It’s just what it is. I don’t think it makes our players react any way. It probably unites.

“I don’t think people realize how much it means for an 18 to 21-year-old kid to get support. In today’s world it’s just so different. Support is not something that’s very common.

Advertisement

“I just look out for people’s well-being, too. I mean, Christ Almighty, if you sit there and scream bloody murder about how bad you suck, you’re going to carry that in your personal life. I feel bad for them.

“If they sat there and said, ‘Let’s go Hogs!’ they might feel better. Might have better blood pressures and better color. When you get your face red from screaming it’s not a good thing.

“Less negative, more positive might work for everybody.”

I put all that in there so you don’t miss it. Yes, you actually have an SEC coach asking the fans to be positive cheerleaders.

That doesn’t sound like a coach confident about the future.

Bielema has repeatedly asked for patience, said this is his fifth season and it’s time to produce, has said it’s time to raise the bar. The request seems to change with the score of the last game.

Some of the sports radio callers have listened, like Sterling from Center Ridge, who was advocating Wednesday that fans get behind Bielema and give him at least a couple of more years.

The only flaw in that reasoning is that it doesn’t take that long to see what you have with a coach and his program.

If you think it takes five years, well, then you haven’t been paying attention to the world of college football over the last decade.

You have a pretty good idea in three years, four at the most.

Don’t believe it?

Mike McIntyre took over a Colorado team in 2013, the same year Bielema came to Fayetteville.

Last year they won 10 games and were in the Pac 12 championship game. Don’t tell me he inherited a better situation there than what Bielema got.

The Buffaloes had won exactly one game the year before. Three the year before that. Four wins in two years.

Bielema inherited a team that a couple of national folks predicted would be in the BCS Championship Game and were legitimate contenders to challenge Alabama and LSU in the SEC West.

Advertisement

That was AFTER Bobby Petrino flew through the handlebars between Fayetteville and Elkins.

That team won four games. Bielema wanted to change the culture to a ground-and-pound running attack, and vowed to bring an SEC Championship to Arkansas. I was there the night he said it at Bud Walton Arena and everybody in the place wanted to believe.

The thought then was he better have some sort of secret formula because for that to work in the SEC West, because he was going to have to have better athletes than Alabama and LSU if he was going to win.

We got a clue when the Hogs were embarrassed on homecoming by South Carolina that first season and Steve Spurrier said afterwards that, “Bret’s just gonna have to recruit his way out of this and get better players.”

Not smarter. Not better citizens.

Better players.

Are we seeing now that he isn’t able to get enough to do what he wanted and, in fact, has the program headed downhill at what appears to be a staggering rate?

All of which is why the Texas A&M game is big.

Maybe the biggest of the season.