FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema called SEC officiating the best in the country a couple of times last week, but that didn't win his team any favors in the Razorbacks' 28-21 overtime loss to No. 14 Texas A&M on Saturday.
Arkansas was penalized 11 times for 93 yards, including four holding calls and two roughing the quarterback infractions, by the Hubert Owens-led crew working the SEC opener at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Bielema acknowledged Monday that some of the holding calls were warranted, argued that one was not, but tried to paint a bigger picture of how games are judged.
"The only thing I asked the officials and kind of sent in [to the SEC office] was if it's going happen, let's have it go both ways," Bielema said. "That was the frustrating part."
Bielema said he sent a few plays in to the league office from the Texas A&M game, including a look at the Aggies' 63-yard pass play late in the fourth quarter that set up their tying touchdown.
"Mitch Loewen hit a speed rush from the three technique and got yanked down from behind," Bielema said. "If that call comes back, it literally changes the game. It changes the game, changes the play, it changes a season. That's how delicate these things are."
Bielema said he also sent in tape of Texas A&M's first touchdown, a 44-yard catch and run by Christian Kirk on a short crossing route. Replays showed Arkansas cornerback Jared Collins, the last defender on the play, being pushed in the back to the turf by A&M receiver Noel Ellis around the 10-yard line as he neared Kirk.
Asked about what looked like a horse collar tackle on receiver Drew Morgan that was not called in the third quarter, Bielema replied, "You should be on the rules committee. I'm with you."
Texas A&M was flagged seven times for 52 yards in the game.
Allen rally
After quarterback Brandon Allen's repeated assertions Saturday that the overtime loss to Texas A&M was all on him, the Arkansas coaching staff rallied to his defense Monday.
"He was doing everything he could to win that game," Coach Bret Bielema said, after pointing out that Allen completed his first 13 passes, finished 20 of 25 and popped up after taking two huge hits on the Arkansas sideline in the game.
"He takes every game personally, as we all do," offensive coordinator Dan Enos said. "He's been through a lot since he's been here. ... Every day we come in here, we chase perfection. Brandon does, I do with him at that position. No one's ever going to reach that playing that position.
"That guy made so many really, really good plays on Saturday. The plays he didn't make get magnified when you lose a close football game. He knows that. We all know that. ... We've got to get him to make 100 percent of the plays that he can make."
Bielema also pointed out something injured tailback Jonathan Williams brought to his attention Sunday.
"Obviously J-Will has a lot of time on his hands," Bielema said. "So I think he's been on the Internet or communicating with the outside world or reading things, and he's like, 'How can people be down on B.A. if they knew what he brings to us?' And I'm like, 'It's just part of the world, J-Will. It's commonplace for people to do that.' "
Tube talk
Arkansas' road game at Alabama next week will kick off at 6 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN. The Razorbacks, the homecoming opponent for the Crimson Tide, will be playing their fourth game in a row with a 6 p.m. start.
Injury update
Bret Bielema said running back Kody Walker, who suffered a dislocated thumb on his left hand against Toledo and has been wearing a cast, should be able to contribute this week.
Tennessee Coach Butch Jones said Monday that receiver Pig Howard is "still day to day" with an undisclosed injury and cornerback Cam Sutton does not have a broken jaw contrary to speculation and is expected to play against the Razorbacks.
Standout Volunteers linebacker Curt Maggitt has been out since Tennessee's 31-24 double overtime loss to Oklahoma on Sept. 12 with a hip injury that Jones called one of the most "freakish" he'd ever seen. Additionally, defensive back Rashaan Gaulden is out for the season, safety LaDarrell McNeil is rehabbing a neck injury and defensive tackle Danny O'Brien returned from an indefinite suspension last week.
Dobbs data
Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs led the Volunteers with 136 rushing yards, 83 passing yards and 58 receiving yards in Saturday's 28-27 loss at Florida.
He became the first Division I player with 100 rushing yards, and 50-plus yards passing and receiving in the same game since Indiana's Antwaan Randle El did it vs. Cincinnati on Sept. 26, 1998.
'That's on me'
Defensive coordinator Robb Smith said the blame for Texas A&M's 63-yard pass to Josh Rutledge that led to the Aggies' tying touchdown late in the fourth quarter can be laid at his feet.
Rutledge raced quickly down the right sideline behind linebacker Dre Greenlaw, who turned and lost the ball, hauled in the deep pass from Kyle Allen and made it to the Arkansas 7 before being chased out of bounds by safety Santos Ramirez.
"We've got to do a better job, No. 1, of putting Dre in position to succeed," Smith said. "We're trying to match some personnel and find a running back. We didn't get that communicated the whole way across and I did a poor job."
When a reporter pointed out that Coach Bret Bielema said Saturday that a defensive back was supposed to be over the top, Smith said, "Let's put it this way: It wasn't a well thought-out scheme on my part and therefore it wasn't executed, and that's on me."
Beanum up
Sophomore Tevin Beanum was listed ahead of junior captain JaMichael Winston at the defensive end spot opposite Jeremiah Ledbetter on Monday's updated Arkansas depth chart after Beanum and Ledbetter started against Texas A&M.
"Tevin and Jeremiah were over on that same side together, and they'd been by far our most productive defensive ends through the first three games," Bret Bielema said. "Then again, that game kind of fit those two personalities a little bit more, so that's why we went with that start."
Bielema said Tennessee's offense presents more of Winston's style of game this week.
Additionally, Bielema said tackles Bijhon Jackson, Hjalte Froholdt and Armon Watts played no snaps against Texas A&M but would be more likely to see action against the Volunteers.
Rowdy Rocky
The Razorbacks are likely to have their fill of Tennessee's fight song "Rocky Top" before they kick off against the Volunteers on Saturday.
The speakers inside the Walker Pavilion weight lifting area on Monday were blaring the song on a loop, over and over.
Sports on 09/29/2015