Arkansas’ football program expects to receive a bowl berth when the SEC announces its postseason pairings today, but Coach Bret Bielema said he believes the Razorbacks were on the verge of making a much bigger impact in 2014 than their 6-6 regular-season record indicates.
“I’m glad we’re going to a bowl game, but I feel we should have had three more wins easily and we just weren’t able to pull through,” Bielema told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “A lot of people said they’d be shocked with six or nine wins, but not me. Not in the position I’m in.
“One of these years we’re going to be hopefully undefeated or 12-1 or some kind of season like that. The definition of success for me is unwavering in that you get better every day. It’s the only way to go about your business.
Arkansas improved its regular-season record by three games from last season and made significant strides in several major statistical categories.
Arkansas held five of its last six SEC opponents to 21 points or less and an average of 10.2 points per game. Only Auburn in the season opener and Georgia managed to beat the Razorbacks by more than a touchdown. Last year, Arkansas’ first six SEC opponents beat the Hogs by 10 or more points.
This fall, the Razorbacks ranked fifth by holding opponents to 22.1 points per SEC game and posted a league-high two shutouts in conference games.
Nobody held Alabama, the No. 1 team in the College Football Playoff rankings entering the SEC Championship Game, to fewer points or fewer yards than the 227 the Crimson Tide put up in a 14-13 victory at Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Oct. 11.
“Defensively, the No. 1 thing we did better is we understood the principles of what guides us,” Bielema said. “Last year when I’d watch film, there were things that were fundamentally breaking down that made no sense. We’d lose leverage. We’d blow a coverage. We’d have a communication error. Things that really were self-inflicted.
“A lot of times this year, those things were routinely shut down. That’s why we made every opponent earn it on offense.
The Razorbacks held fourth-quarter leads in five SEC games and were tied 10-10 to open the fourth quarter at then-No. 1 Mississippi State. Big strides ere made, but Bielema said he felt his team was on the brink of making more noise in the tough SEC West.
I’m never going to be satisfied, obviously, with six wins,” Bielema said. “It’s a total that gets you bowl eligible, but my intent is for Arkansas and our fan base and our program and our family to be in the playoff talk.
“That’s why we came here, to win an SEC championship.
The Razorbacks improved from No. 99 in total offense (357 yards per game) and No. 105 in scoring (20.7 points per game) last year to No. 59 in total offense (410.6 ypg) and No. 44 in scoring (32.0 ppg).
The running game improved by nearly 12 yards per game to No. 27 nationally with a 220.3-yard average and produced two 1,000-yard rushers in Jonathan Williams (1,085 yards) and Alex Collins (1,024 yards). The passing game improved by 42 yards per game, and junior quarterback Brandon Allen bumped his completion percentage up by nearly seven percentage points to 56.3 percent.
“The improvement at quarterback was big,” Bielema said. “The tight-end passing game, when you had AJ [Derby] thrown in the mix in combination with Hunter [Henry], that really helps.
“It’s been my experience with tight-end play, when you’ve got one that’s good it’s one thing, but if you’ve got two it opens up a whole new spectrum of what you can do.”
Bielema said the emergence of wide receiver Keon Hatcher was big, and the addition of offensive guard Sebastian Tretola keyed improvement up front.
“I’d say Sebastian Tretola really brought something to our O-line that we didn’t have a year ago, as far as ability to pull, being a little nasty, bringing some toughness,” Bielema said.
The areas Arkansas needs to improve is in the trenches, Bielema said.
“I think offensive and defensive line, to get a full depth of two deep to win in this league is paramount,” he said. “We have to do that through recruiting and player development with current guys we have on campus. That’s got to be a big part of what we get done in January."
Bielema said the offense must be able to sustain what it typically did early in games — control the ball and score — into the second halves. The Razorbacks were shut out in the second halves of losses at Auburn, Mississippi State and Missouri. SEC opponents outscored Arkansas 67-23 in the fourth quarter and overtime, and 13 of the Hogs’ points came in hurry-up mode facing a big deficit against Georgia.
But the Razorbacks never stopped plugging away despite losing four consecutive SEC games in heartbreaking fashion, finally ending their 17-game conference losing streak with a 17-0 decision over LSU on Nov. 15.
“There’s a certain satisfaction that comes with being able to say that these guys never quit,” Bielema said. “I mean, they never in any way quit. That’s not common in today’s world. A lot of times kids, after two or three tough setbacks, begin to look around, they flinch, they don’t believe in what’s being told to them.
“I think our guys now … they just continue to fight through everything that faces them.”
One obstacle still hanging over the Razorbacks is a nine-game skid in SEC road games, which was extended in seven-point losses at Mississippi State (17-10) and SEC East winner Missouri (21-14).
That streak cannot be addressed on the field again until next year, which Bielema said he expects will be one in which Arkansas makes even more of a splash.
“I really like where we’re at,” Bielema said. “We have to add the right guys here in the next couple of weeks. What I do like is we project as few as 5 or 6 and as many as 9 or 10 [to enroll] in January. So we’re doing it with above-average students.”