Commentary

TCU win proves Hogs are heading in the right direction

Arkansas defensive coordinator Robb Smith watches from the sideline during a game against TCU on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas.

Robb Smith is notoriously unwilling to be satisfied with his defense — he’s a classic grinder.

But there were times throughout the summer I could tell he liked his group and thought they would be better against the spread. Saturday left no doubt.

Since Bret Bielema arrived at Arkansas there have been plenty of doubters. The first wave was the “you can’t out-physical Alabama and LSU” crowd. Most of those folks have gone radio silent after the last two years.

“This style has withstood the test of time,” Bielema boldly proclaimed again last week. While seemingly everyone except LSU, who nobody is accusing of doing anything innovative on offense, is going to the spread, Arkansas has not budged an inch.

Early in the TCU game week, I thought this was a no-lose situation for the Hogs. By Friday, I had changed my mind. Sports talk radio callers will do that to you. It keeps you in touch with the critics who can spread like a virus when there’s even a hint they might be right.


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For the most part, Bielema seems to have overcome his early doubters. Most people have bought into what he is trying to do, but even for the hopeful, until you do it, there’s doubt. When you stomp Texas Tech in Lubbock there’s plenty of belief to go around. When you inexplicably lose to Toledo and then let that same, soft Red Raiders bunch come into Fayetteville and run you off the field, the critics come back.

The reality is we still don’t know if Bielema can deliver on his promise to win the SEC, but this 41-38 win in double overtime at No.15 TCU is clearly another sign that you are headed in the right direction. TCU has been one of the most explosive offenses in college football over the past two years and was picked by some to win the Big 12 and go to the College Football Playoff.

Horned Frogs’ head coach Gary Patterson said this would be a stretch game for his team to see where they were. You could also say this was a stretch game for Arkansas to find out where they were as a program in year four under Bielema.

I heard from Hog fans all summer who said the TCU game was pivotal to the Arkansas season. That remains to be seen, but there’s no question it would be pivotal to perception. “They can build that north end zone now,” my man Clay Henry (publisher of this magazine) told me after the game.

Bielema is now 4-1 against the Big 12 at Arkansas and has repeatedly said he wasn’t losing any sleep heading into this season because he really knew his guys.

He knew he could trust them. Over his career, it was seniors who paved the way for his most successful seasons. Not a lot of five-star flash and hype but a lot of experience and substance.

This team had that look, but there was one glaring question: Could the veterans, who are spread around the roster, do enough until the rest caught up? It sure seems like snapping TCU’s 14-game home winning streak last Saturday night gave a pretty solid answer.