FAYETTEVILLE — The big picture comments about the problems with the Arkansas defense in the first half of the Alabama game concerned losing “the edge.” Outside plays wreaked havoc.
So did Arkansas widen it's defense in the second half when the Alabama yardage slowed? That was the question for linebacker Brooks Ellis when he came off the practice field Tuesday night.
“Maybe we did some,” Ellis said. “But what I thought happened was that we got off blocks. We got blocked in the first half.
“If you get off blocks, you can make plays. We didn't get off blocks in the first half.”
That left the secondary one-on-one to make tackles in the first half. Sometimes there was air and sometimes there were missed tackles.
The fix is easy, according to Paul Rhoads, the new secondary coach. Tackle in waves.
“We did miss tackles,” Rhoads said. “We were there sometimes and didn't tackle. We lost our leverage. But that, I mean you want to take one side and force the ball carrier to where the help is coming. We lost the leverage sometimes when we were there and that leads to missed tackles.”
Still, there has to be help coming and it wasn't for most of the first half against Alabama. Ellis said that's where getting off blocks is critical.
“We worked on our tackle circuit, like we do every day,” Ellis said about the early portions of practice. “But it there was more intensity, more focus.”
Rhoads said the key is to fly to the ball with great pursuit.
“Our kids know we are a blue collar football team,” Rhoads said. “We will play good when we do everything right. It starts with flying to the ball. You take the proper angle and then get there with a buddy, it becomes easier. It's much easier to tackle with two than it is with one. We were trying to tackle with one last week. It's pretty easy to tackle with a buddy coming with you.
“First, we have to trust what we do. I saw that today in practice. I saw energy.”
The week started with great disappointment. Clearly, the Hogs were upset with the way they played.
“You better have that,” Rhoads said. “It should hurt to lose. It did with this bunch. But you have to put it to the aside after one day and focus on preparation. I think knowledge helps bring the energy. If you know what to do and you have prepared, the energy comes. I saw that today and it speaks to the preparation on Sunday and Monday and today.”
Rhoads was pleased with effort and work ethic leading up to the practice. Players supported each other.
“The older I get, the more I get exposed to the game, the more similarities I see,” he said. “You come off a loss, the naysayers surround you. You have to block that out and rely on each other, trust each other. I see that with this team.”
Ellis said it started with a strong voice in the meeting room from nose tackle Taiwan Johnson, a fifth-year senior. A hard worker, Johnson is normally quiet. But he was vocal after the loss to Alabama.
“He had some good words for us,” Ellis said. “He told us it can't be something that gets us down. We've done that before. It can kill your program if you dwell on a loss. I don't think that's going to be our problem.”
Stopping Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly is the challenge. It was a problem last year. The Hogs had to weather a spectacular game by Ellis to win a 53-52 overtime thriller in Oxford. Kelly rushed 10 times for 110 yards and completed 24 of 34 passes for 368 yards.
“We played terrible but our offense bailed us out,” Ellis said. “We got to Kelly with our pass rush, but we couldn't get him on the ground. He got away and ran for big plays. We have to get him on the ground and get the ball back to our offense.”
Ellis said the Hogs have not met expectations as far as the defense so far this season.
“We had high expectations and we have not met them,” he said. “We do have good players. We have to get our good players going and we can still have a very good season.
“We've played some good teams. I guess Alabama and Texas A&M are both in the top six. They are very good. TCU was good, too. We can play better than we've played so far on defense. We've made some mistakes and we have to fix them.”
Rhoads said the issues in the early games were not on plays to the outside.
“We had been hurt by some good offenses we've seen, but not on the perimeter,” Rhoads said. “So that was a surprise. But Alabama is very good, very explosive and they hurt us in the run game and in the passing game.
“I thought we did make some corrections at halftime. The adjustments were good and I think if you look closely you might even argue that we played winning football in the second half.
“What I did see at halftime is that our players were ready to be coached. As a staff, I thought we came together and did a good job of that, too. Immediately, some adjustments were made.
“I do think this is a good team. I'm glad expectations were high and there is disappointment. We played three teams that were ranked higher than us and we beat one of them. This will be our third SEC game and all three have been ranked as far as offensive production.
“I do think our players are excited to play this week. I am glad they were upset on Sunday because that means they don't like to lose. If you are bouncing around Sunday, that's the wrong look. But it is good that you saw energy today.”
Ellis called it “a good practice. I thought we worked and we practiced well.”
Specifically, Ellis thought the battle at weakside linebacker to take the spot for injured Dre Greenlaw was an interesting aspect. Dwayne Eugene and De'Jon Harris are the top candidates.
“I thought they practiced well,” Ellis said. “I thought they both had a good day. I think it went well for both of them and we need that to continue.”
Not having Greenlaw at practice was different. He's been the starter beside Ellis since the Texas Tech game last year. Greenlaw had surgery for a broken foot on Monday. Doctors say he'll be out from four to six weeks.
“That was weird, not having him out there,” Ellis said. “He's been one of our best players. But the other guys did well today. I think they are stepping up.”