FAYETTEVILLE — Coach Bret Bielema said linebacker Brooks Ellis' description of quarterback Austin Allen as "very quiet with calm confidence" fits the quarterback to a T.
"He's extremely tough, a little fiery," Bielema said. "You saw when he reached the ball across [the goal line] he was p***ed when he didn't get the call.
"There was a time on Saturday when he got hit pretty good and he kind of let a couple of his linemen hear about it, which I think you can do within reason because they see you stay in there time and time again."
Bielema added that fans are only beginning to see how good Allen can be.
"When you have a quarterback that plays the way he does, you've got a chance every Saturday," he said. "It shows up in our league, shows up in high school, shows up in the NFL. When you've got a guy of that toughness and that caliber and your team can rally behind you, you've got a chance every week."
Offensive coordinator Dan Enos said Allen took more hits in the fourth quarter, when Texas A&M's lead forced Arkansas to pass.
"Certainly, we don't want him to get hit at all, but sometimes you've got to hang in there and make a play," Enos said. "That's a testament to his courage and his toughness that he didn't once during the game peek at the rush at all. He was focused on the field, on his movement keys and his reads. He really played a heck of a football game."