Are Arkansas Razorback Fans Justified in Giving Up on Head Coach Bret Bielema?

Written by Ryan Wright

Twitter: @RyanWrightRNG

In Bret Bielema’s fifth season in Fayetteville, the Hogs are seemingly trending in the wrong direction coming off a 48-22 trouncing in Columbia by the Gamecocks and the fan base is unhappy. Sitting at 2-3, 0-2 in SEC action, Arkansas faces back-to-back games against potential College Football Playoff candidates in No. 1 Alabama and No. 10 Auburn, games the Hogs are sure to enter as three score underdogs. But the final five games of the season are winnable, at least in theory, and could be job saving for Bielema. The question is, can the Hogs win their final five games on the 2017 schedule but if the season cannot be salvaged, what should happen next?

A refresher – Bielema was hired as Arkansas’ head coach in December 2012 as a savior of the program ready to play “big boy football” after a disastrous John L. Smith experiment. In seven seasons at Wisconsin, Bielema coached his squad to seven consecutive bowl games posting an overall record of 68-24, 37-19 in Big Ten play. The 2013 season was unkind to Bielema and the Hogs going 3-9, 0-8. But a four-game swing took place in 2014 going 7-6, 2-6, with a win in the Texas Bowl. Improvement continued in 2015 with an 8-5 mark, his first winning record in conference action at 5-3, and another postseason win, this time in the Liberty Bowl. A setback occurred in 2016 going 7-6, 3-5, but it was how all six games were lost that ended up rubbing the fan base wrong.

In what had been a tight rivalry game, Texas A&M opened the offense against the Hogs in the second half cruising to a 45-24 win. Then- No. 1 Alabama cruised to a 49-30 win, an expected loss, but how the Auburn game turned out started tipping optimism to reality for Razorback Nation. The Hogs allowed an SEC record 543 rushing yards to the Tigers giving up an average of 9.5 yards per carry with the Tigers accumulating seven scores on the ground in a 56-3 romp. Worth noting, Arkansas was ranked No. 17 in the nation with Auburn at No. 21.

The next loss was a 38-10 home embarrassment handed out by LSU. The Tigers, led by Derrius Guice and Leonard Fournette, ran 51 times for 390 yards with five scores on the ground. Against Missouri, Arkansas was up 24-7 at halftime only to give way to the Tigers in the second half being outscored 21-0. Another second half disappointment was turned in by the Hogs against Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl. A 24-0 lead at halftime became a 35-24 loss.

Two things were obvious to even the least of informed football fans, either poor or no halftime adjustments were being made, on both sides of the ball, and the defense was not performing up to par. Bielema made an adjustment at the end of season parting ways with defensive coordinator Robb Smith hiring then defensive backs coach, former Iowa State head coach, Paul Rhoads as the new coordinator. The result was a switch from a 4-3 base defense to a 3-4 with hopes of stopping dual-threat SEC quarterbacks.

Another glaring issue was the play of the offensive line, most notably on passing downs. With junior Austin Allen taking over as starter for graduated older brother Brandon, some issues in pass protection breakdowns fell on the quarterback’s shoulders. Holding onto the ball too long while working through his progressions was one problem, but a large percentage of the issue was the lack of time to throw by the line. This lead to an SEC leading 34 sacks taken… to be continued.

In fairness to Bielema, the coaching staff, and players, the 2016 team beat then- No. 15 TCU, No. 12 Ole Miss, and No. 11 Florida. Bielema’s other notable wins came in 2015, earning his first SEC road victory against Tennessee, toppling Auburn at home and netting back-to-back road wins against then- No. 19 Ole Miss and No. 9 LSU – some very bright spots through the storm.

With a new season comes new hope, but the Hogs have not given fans much to hang their hat on going forward in 2017. The only ranked team played, No. 23 TCU, beat them 28-7 at home on national TV. Another close game with Texas A&M was had but lost 50-43 in overtime on an Allen interception. Against South Carolina, the Hogs were down 17-10 at halftime surrendering 17 points in the third quarter and 14 in the fourth in a blowout loss. The same issues from the previous season continue.

Looking past Alabama and Auburn, the Hogs go on the road to face a beaten up Ole Miss team and then return home to face Coastal Carolina. LSU is a riddle that even their head coach cannot solve at this point in the season giving hope that if all goes well Arkansas could notch a win at Death Valley. The season ends with back-to-back home games against Mississippi State and Missouri. Aside from Coastal Carolina, there are no “gimmie” games. All SEC games could be won just as easily as lost.

A 3-9 season would be disastrous for Bielema, even his hefty buyout at $15.4 million could be looked past in favor of new leadership on the sidelines. If things break slightly well for the Hogs, going 3-2 down the back stretch, that is still a losing season at 5-7. Chances are it keeps Bielema in Fayetteville for one more year but gives no job security beyond 2018. Finishing the year 7-5, with hopes of a bowl win should rally the fan base. Winning on the gridiron typically solves all problems.

Arkansas, by and large, is a very young team with promise for the future in many areas on the field. Offensive coordinator Dan Enos has proven to be a very good quarterback coach and a creative play-caller, but might not be in touch with reality on some plays called coupled with pass protection capabilities. Through five games played, Allen has taken 12 sacks but has been knocked down what seems like a 100 times, at least. His lack of time to throw is showing even when he does have time to throw, Allen does not look like the same player from the 2016 season in the pocket.

The poor line play is one of two things, or a combination of both – either the Hogs are not recruiting well enough along the offensive line or the offensive line coach, Kurt Anderson, is not very good at his job; two things can be true at the same time. Player personnel is what it is, the only thing that can change that is recruiting. The onus of taking the talent on-hand and making them better falls onto Anderson’s shoulders.

If the Hogs can put together a five-game win streak and post a bowl victory, Bielema is certainly back in good graces with Razorback Nation, but may still have to make some adjustments on his staff before spring ball begins. A losing season, depending how bad all goes, could determine the length of his stay in Fayetteville, even if it is through to Jan. 1 when his buyout drops to $11.7 million.

In 2016, Bielema giving a speech at Thomas Jefferson High School in Tampa (FL) joked about his salary stating, “I think I should get arrested every day when they tell me what I make.” What he makes is $4.25 million a year with a contract that goes through 2020. If Bielema cannot believe what he is getting paid for barely going above .500 every year and one winning record in SEC play, how can the fan base see his value as well?

As for the fan base outlook, Bielema is a charismatic guy and by all accounts is running a clean program with kids that are not getting in trouble and graduating – there is something to be said for that. He is a very likable guy. What Bielema seems to be missing, most Arkansas fans are realistic about the Hogs season to season not expecting to compete for a national title every year but want to see competitive football each game with that thought every few years a SEC West title contender can be had; so far that is not happening. If fans have given up on Bielema, it is all justified. The remedy for Bielema is simple – win, no other excuses.

Photo credit: bleacherreport.com; Bret Bielema on the Arkansas sidelines