FAYETTEVILLE — If Arkansas is going to be successful under Bret Bielema, it's going to start with the running game.
Take your pick - running the ball or stopping the run. Neither happened in a 38-10 loss to LSU.
LSU stuffed the run, then turned loose its two-headed monster of Derrius Guise and Leonard Fournette. As the night went on, the Tigers showed what a running game looks like with Guice taking over when Fournette's iffy ankle grew weary.
One week after battering what was thought to be a good Florida defense for 223 yards on the ground, the Razorbacks were held to just 81 on 24 attempts against the Tigers. Arkansas netted just 27 yards on seven rushes in the second half.
The Hogs have struggled to find their old physical ways in the running game. That's been Bielema's calling card. Consider that they've been underdogs seven times this season. In the upset wins over TCU, Ole Miss and Florida they ran for 180, 200 and 223, respectively. In the four losses to Texas A&M, Alabama, Auburn and LSU they ran for 120, 73, 25 and 81.
“When we can't run it, we don't win,” said Dan Skipper, the UA's ultra-competitive senior left tackle.
Skipper didn't say it, but he knew the Hogs were not competitive on the ground against the LSU defense.
Yes, the Hogs got a 34-yard dash by Devwah Whaley and another 18-yard scamper by Rawleigh Williams. But they made just 29 yards on the other 22 running plays.
“If we become one-dimensional, it's going to be tough for us to move the ball,” Skipper said. “That's not the way we are made, not our DNA. We have to run to get our play-action going.
“We can't be behind the stakes. We have to run it. We didn't.”
And the Tigers did. There was some evidence of the LSU ground game in the first half. There were three rushing touchdowns for a 21-0 lead. But the Hogs fought back with the last score of the half to close within 21-7, with the Tigers slowed to just 81 yards on 20 runs.
But it all came unraveled in the second half when Guice rolled for 219 yards on just 13 carries. There was a 96-yard touchdown dash – his final carry – with 6:04 left that emptied the stadium.
The sophomore with the quick hips and killer acceleration made the Arkansas linebackers and safeties wrong to the tune of 252 yards on 21 tries.
The Tigers punished the UA defense for five rushing touchdowns, running the Razorbacks' total allowed to 29 this season. It's the season record, eclipsing the 25 Arkansas allowed last year.
It's stunning, but the Hogs have been giving up an alarming number of rushing touchdowns in almost every season since 2008. There have been 20 or more in every season except 2014 when Arkansas allowed just 11 with the defense led by Martrell Spaight, Trey Flowers and Darius Philon.
The Razorbacks gave up 21 rushing touchdowns in every season from 2010 through 2013, but they are averaging 2.9 allowed rushing TDs per game this season, easily the all-time worst.
No Arkansas team has ever faced such a daunting schedule, but it's life in the SEC West. They just finished a run of five straight ranked foes.
"Obviously, we all know what the SEC West is about," Bielema said. "I get it. That's the world we live in. It's not going to do anybody any good to worry along those lines. I think we have to worry about taking care of our own house."
The good news is that it's going to get easier with Mississippi State and Missouri left as they try for an 8-4 season, a one-game improvement over last year, if they can sort out the running game issues.
"We've gotta take a big approach," he said. "It's about bouncing back. We bounced back beforeand I'm sure we'll do it again. And this team, I never worry about their character or their demeanor or their work ethic. I think that part we counted on."
Arkansas inside linebacker Dwayne Eugene led the way with 10 tackles, but gave way to freshman De'Jon Harris in the second half as the Tigers began to pound with the running game.
“As a linebacker, you see 390 (rushing yards), that's very frustrating,” Eugene said. “You have to stop the run. When you don't stop the run, it's going to be a long game. It's very frustrating as a linebacker. As a linebacker, you pride yourself in stopping the run and we didn't.
“Those are two great backs. And the LSU offensive line, it's really talented. They get to the second level on linebackers. Tonight, their line was at their finest.”
Brooks Ellis, the bell cow linebacker of the defense, said the Hogs were in chase mode all night.
“They bounced it outside, yes,” Ellis said. “But we weren't playing downhill. You have to play downhill against an offense like that. You have to play downhill against them.
“Right off the bat, they drove for a touchdown. We didn't send a message.”
Bielema didn't have to say he was concerned about the big yards allowed in the running game. You could see it in his face as he discussed the issues.
"Early in the game, LSU was running into the boundary and over loading us there," Bielema said. "So we have to look at some things to see if we are vulnerable to that."
Then, as the game progressed, Bielema thought linebacker play slipped.
"There were some plays we were trying to do too much," he said. "(Linebackers) were scraping. They just continued to scrape. I know there were a couple of plays where I saw the linebackers kept coming. They were going to make the play, but they would stop and start to invent different looks.
"So we just do have to do so much better defensively when we're coming downhill, playing aggressive and resetting the line of scrimmage. And at times we did that, but when we didn't, they gashed us."
Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen didn't want to talk about the lack of a running game. He was pointing at what he thought was his own poor play in the passing game. He completed just 15 of 31 pass attempts for 210 yards. He did have a 44-yard touchdown pass to Dominique Reed, but also threw two interceptions.
“Any time you can't run it effectively, it's tough,” Allen said. “That's our formula.
“But I didn't help us. I didn't convert third downs. I have to look in the mirror and do a self inventory.”
The Tigers shut down the proud UA outside passing game to almost a trickle. Senior wideouts Drew Morgan and Keon Hatcher, along with junior Jared Cornelius, had worked over some of the best corners in the SEC over the last two months.
That didn't happen this time. Cornerbacks Donte Jackson and Tre'Davious White matched that rotation in remarkable fashion with tight man-to-man coverage. Cornelius led the wideouts with three catches, but for only 15 yards. Hatcher had two catches for 26 yards and Morgan one for 4 yards on the game's first play from scrimmage.
“They challenged us in man across the board,” Allen said. “They played man all the way around. They try to disrupt you.
“I know I'll look at the film and see that Drew was probably open. He always is, but I couldn't find him tonight. I didn't give our wide receivers a chance to make any plays.”
There were some plays Allen thought he had Allen, but middle linebacker Kendell Beckwith seemed to provide help on the rare times there was a zone look.
“I saw Drew against the (middle linebacker) once and thought he had inside leverage, but the (linebacker) read my eyes and had the right leverage,” Allen said. “I just didn't play well.”
There were times Allen was out of rhythm the previous week against Florida. He had missed a week of practice during the team's open date because of a sprained knee he suffered against Auburn. Is he healthy?
“I'm fine,” Allen said. “I thought we had a good week of practice.
“It's just disappointing. I have a sick feeling in my stomach.”
The Hogs have played five straight ranked opponents, perhaps the reason for up-and-down stretches within a 2-4 SEC record. Sprinkled in those four losses are upset victories over Ole Miss and Florida. The Razorbacks finish with games at Mississippi State and Missouri.
“We have to bounce back,” Skipper said. “We have to get in the film room Sunday and attack it.
“It doesn't matter who you play. It doesn't matter what number is besides the name. I expect to win every one of them. Anything short of that is unacceptable.”
Allen said sending the seniors out on such a down note was unacceptable, too. Twenty-three seniors were recognized prior to their final home game.
“We wanted to play for them, they've done so much here,” Allen said. “We wanted them to out winners after all they've done here. We've got two chances now. The goal is to get to eight wins and it starts with a good Mississippi State team.”
It starts with the running game.