Bret Bielema said before his address of the Little Rock Touchdown Club on Wednesday morning that the Razorbacks' 2014 schedule presented some "curve balls."
In his 15-minute question-and-answer session, Bielema shared his thoughts on the 2014 Razorbacks schedule, announced Wednesday morning. Arkansas will begin the season at Auburn, where former Arkansas offensive coordinator and noted in-state high school coach Gus Malzahn is in his first year leading the program.
Among the scheduling differences is that Arkansas' game against LSU game has been moved forward to Nov. 15, as opposed to its past tradition of being the last game of the season.
"There were going to be some curve balls thrown, I know that was one of them," Bielema said.
Bielema also touted the advantage of playing at War Memorial Stadium and also getting to play Texas A&M in AT&T Stadium in Dallas.
In terms of fall camp, Bielema also addressed injuries to wide receiver Demetrius Wilson, who is out for the year after tearing an anterior cruciate ligament over the weekend. Receiver D'Arthur Cowan broke a bone in his foot recently, Bielema added, and well be out "a period of time" following surgery, which was performed Monday.
As a result of the injuries, Bielema said newcomers such as Drew Morgan and Eric Hawkins now have a chance to step in and fill those roles. Former Pulaski Academy tight end also could be used at wide receiver in "certain situations."
When he took the dais, Bielema gave fans a glimpse into how the players have been doing in camp, saying that true freshman running back Alex Collins has been "everything we could've asked for." He jokingly added that he and Collins' mother have reconciled. Collins mother became the center of Razorback recruiting news when she took Collins' letter of intent for Arkansas and temporarily refused to let him sign it, hoping that he would choose hometown Miami instead.
On the field, Bielema told the 700-or-so fans in attendance that kicker Zach Hocker has shown improvement after a small tweak in his routine. Bielema and his staff allowed him to pick the holder. The adjustment is yielding early results as Hocker, a senior-to-be, recently kicked a 59-yard field goal in a scrimmage, Bielema said.
Bielema also gave fans a preview of this seasons' jersey schemes, announcing the team would wear the normal red jerseys with white pants and red helmets at home, while going all white on the road, including the helmets.
Read more about this story in tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.