Hog Calls

Hogs couldn't pass up finding balance

Arkansas offensive coordinator Dan Enos watches warmups prior to a game against Alabama on Saturday, Oct. 10, 2015, at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

FAYETTEVILLE -- As an Arkansas alum and 1997-1999 starting quarterback, Clint Stoerner bemoaned the Razorbacks straying from the running game back in September.

Stoerner bemoaned but understood. He appreciated it even as Coach Bret Bielema's Razorbacks went pass happy with 53 attempts while being upset 16-12 by Toledo in the season's second game.

"Arkansas cannot be one-dimensional and win in this conference." Stoerner told the Northwest Arkansas Touchdown Club on Sept. 30. "I hate that we lost, but I understand what happened. I appreciate you have to be exotic and a dual threat to make something happen."

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In an effort to make something happen in what they hadn't emphasized during Bielema's first two seasons at Arkansas, they had to emphasize the passing game early for new play-calling offensive coordinator Dan Enos and senior quarterback Brandon Allen to get ready for the SEC season, Stoerner reasoned.

Listening Monday to Bielema and Enos, Stoerner reasoned correctly.

While certainly not their intent to sacrifice the Toledo game in Little Rock, that game likely helped prepare Allen to pass the Razorbacks by Auburn 54-46 in four overtimes on Oct. 24 in Fayetteville and pass them by Ole Miss 53-52 in one overtime last Saturday in Oxford, Miss.

"Obviously we don't want to have defeat or failure, but I think we were trying to learn some things about ourselves that were going to benefit us in SEC play," Bielema said. "I think without a doubt we learned that we could throw the ball."

And catch it and protect the passer, completing the three necessities it took to make Allen a better quarterback and Enos a better play-caller.

"I think as a play-caller when you know your players and their strengths, that really enables you to make really good calls," Bielema said. "I think that's what is happening now more than anything."

Enos, the former Central Michigan coach, arrived sharing Bielema's strong running game convictions and belief that the passing game must become equally effective.

"When I first got here my message to the offense was I want our offense to be very, very good at running the football and very, very good passing the football," Enos said. "You're going to have to do both to win, because there is going to be a game where one might not be working."

They couldn't work the passing game unless they worked it.

"Our whole thing has been let's become a very good passing team," Enos said. "Certainly in those games early we threw the ball, and in one of of the games [Toledo] we threw the ball more than we wanted to."

Early against Ole Miss, with the running game stuffed before jelling to achieve the balance that Bielema and Enos crave, the Razorbacks again had to throw more than they wanted.

More than Ole Miss wanted, too, it turned out.

Allen completed 33 of 45 passes for 442 yards and a school-record 6 touchdowns, achieving a triumph in part passed on from the tumble to Toledo.

Sports on 11/11/2015