After suspension, Bielema expects Collins to bounce back

Arkansas running back Alex Collins looks for a running lane during the Razorbacks' game against Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 11, 2014 at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

— While Arkansas played one of its best games of the season against Alabama, one of the Razorbacks' best players was noticeably quiet.

Running back Alex Collins was suspended for the first quarter of the game and finished rushing just six times for a career-low 13 yards in the loss. Collins also had a fumble, which led to Alabama's first touchdown that broke a scoreless tie in the second quarter.

Collins was suspended for missing a pair of workouts, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema said Monday. Collins was absent from a weight-lifting session on the Friday during the Razorbacks' off-week and another workout two days before the game against the Crimson Tide.

Bielema said he informed Collins of his suspension in the hours leading up to kickoff Saturday. It was the second time Collins, a sophomore, has missed playing time because of showing up late to workouts.

“He had a bad stretch there, and when that shows up, it’s bad for everybody," Bielema said. "By far, he probably had his worst performance on Saturday, and it was almost kind of like one of those situations where you see coming. As a head coach, I knew it was coming.”

Collins entered the game as the SEC's leading rusher, recording 621 yards and 6 touchdowns during the Razorbacks' 3-2 start. Arkansas finished with 89 yards on 39 carries against Alabama, which entered the game with the nation's third-best rush defense.

Like the Crimson Tide, Georgia has one of the nation's top rush defenses, allowing 101.7 yards per game. The Bulldogs rank 12th nationally in rush defense.

Bielema said he expects Collins to bounce back well Saturday as the Razorbacks look to snap a 15-game conference losing streak.

“I talked to a lot of people in his life that are trying to help him through these situations, and he’s been very, very positive since that point,” Bielema said.

"Hopefully, this last one will put him over the top because we’re a better team when he’s in there.”