LIKE IT IS

Bielema needs to make changes ... in a snap

Arkansas' Austin Allen scrambles out of the pocket as he is pursued by Virginia Tech's Tremaine Edmunds (49) late in the fourth quarter of The Belk Bowl Thursday in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Last Thursday's Belk Bowl was not simply a tale of two halves.

It was day and night, and it was too indicative of this season.

The Arkansas Razorbacks got out of the gate fast against Virginia Tech, took a 24-0 lead to the halfway mark, and then for the second game in a row totally spit the bit.

The second half was much like the regular-season finale at Missouri, only it was owned by Virginia Tech.

It appears the Hokies picked up on Arkansas' snap count. At one point, they were penalized for taunting for calling out the count and making the Razorbacks jump into action.

A flag was thrown against Tech, but suddenly it seemed clear why it could stunt most of the second half and get clean shots at Austin Allen with blitzes.

A stunt is like a pick-and-roll in basketball. The defensive players trade spots just before the snap and the Arkansas linemen couldn't adjust.

Allen was 13-of-16 passing for 215 yards and 2 touchdowns in the opening half. He also ran for a touchdown.

But the Hokies seemed to impose their will any time they chose to in the second half, when Allen was 5 of 15 for 63 yards.

Allen went from looking like Belk Bowl MVP to looking like he tried to go 12 rounds with Jermain Taylor in his prime.

In the second half, Allen was sacked six times and he threw three interceptions, and that gets back to what happened too much of the time this season.

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The Hogs weren't good enough in the final 30 minutes. They were outscored in the second half of eight games, and while they managed to hold on to victories against TCU (in two overtimes) and Mississippi State, that isn't acceptable.

Yes, this is where everyone jumps up and down and starts screaming about halftime adjustments, but adjustments have to be made on the run, not just during the few minutes at halftime when all the coaches are face to face.

The Hogs were outscored in the second half during five of the final six games by a total score of 129-23.

Being outscored 21-0 in the second half and losing to lowly Missouri left a terrible taste in the mouths of some very loyal and very disappointed members of Razorbacks Nation.

Then came Virginia Tech and a second act of being even more dominated in the final two quarters, and the fans don't like it.

Neither coaches, players nor administrators approve either, but without fans you don't have first-class facilities and a program in one of the Big 5 conferences.

Bret Bielema has promised to evaluate his program from A-Z, and he should. He should do that every year, and while he's at it he might want to ask every coach on the staff if they noticed the Hokies knew the Hogs' snap count.

It is not time to fire Bielema, and not because he has a $15 million buyout (how have so many schools gotten themselves into such a bad business model with coaches?).

If he looks at his program objectively he will see it's not where it needs to be to compete in the SEC. Maybe in the Big Ten, but not in the South, where football is Saturday's religion.

Arkansas has to get more speed on both sides of the ball. Texas seems to be full of speedsters who need a year to grow and mature. Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are not thriving off in-state players. They are living off the Lone Star State.

Plus, most kids east of the Continental Divide want to play in the SEC.

Arkansas obviously needs more depth, and perhaps the players aren't in shape for the track meets that are SEC football either. Fading fast is not good, finishing strong is.

The Belk Bowl left a lot of questions and unhappiness. Change has to be on the horizon.

Sports on 01/03/2017