Hog Calls

Bielema still has some things to size up

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema gets angry at officials after they failed to acknowledge a timeout during the Razorbacks' game against Alabama.

FAYETTEVILLE -- During his 17 Arkansas Razorbacks seasons Hall of Fame Coach Nolan Richardson often said if it came down to size he could win strictly with athletic 6-6 basketball players.

In football, excepting of course the huge offensive line he dotes upon and has at Arkansas, Bret Bielema's ideal one size fits all encompasses the middleweights.

"We're really missing that 220- to 245-pound athlete that can play a lot of different positions," Bielema said in reference to his comment that his Razorbacks are "paper thin" at some positions. "For me, traditionally that has always been tight ends, linebackers, running backs, fullbacks, bigger wide receivers."

The tight end-linebacker type not only has the potential versatility on both sides of the ball but inevitably secures special places on special teams.

So even though backup middle linebacker Josh Williams had a team-leading 14 tackles against Georgia, injured starter Brooks Ellis, 6-2, 244, was sorely missed in last Saturday's 45-32 SEC loss in Little Rock.

"We're paper thin in that we've got a certain level of players that are playing a certain way, and when one of those players isn't there, that new guy that comes in hasn't got a lot of experience or hasn't been put in that role," Bielema said.

Or roles, regarding Ellis.

Bielema said Williams played as well as he could have expected him to play at linebacker, but he noted the Razorbacks felt Ellis' loss on the kickoff and punt coverage teams.

Now all of a sudden Brooks Ellis, not only is he out at mike linebacker, he's out at my L5 on kickoff coverage and he's out at my left guard on punt."

The ripple effect makes waves without a stalwart filling multiple roles as one size fits most.

"We're hodgepodging guys into those positions, and it obviously has a big-time effect," Bielema said.

RAISE MIGHT GET A RISE

University of Arkansas Chancellor G. David Gearhart and Athletic Director Jeff Long shared laughs, according to Tom Murphy's article in Friday's edition of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, about the prospects that Long, chairman of the College Football Playoff selection committee, could surface as a candidate to replace retiring SEC Commissioner Mike Slive.

It was announced Thursday that Gearhart will chair the committee in charge of finding a replacement for Slive, who is stepping down July 31.

The laughs are fine fun for two friends filling prestigious positions, but don't expect some boosters to be amused should Long extract yet another raise from Gearhart, especially on interest that would be associated with Gearhart's committee.

It was just last November, following a report that the University of Texas was interested in Long for the Longhorns' AD job (although the school never publicly admitted any interest in Long), that the UA began ponying a process that ultimately bequeathed Long two $100,000 raises and a $100,000 bonus.

Sports on 10/25/2014