State of the Hogs: Answering 2017's burning questions

Arkansas offensive linemen Frank Ragnow and Hjalte Froholdt take part in a drill Tuesday, March 29, 2016, during practice at the university's practice field on campus in Fayetteville.

— If you score 24 points in the first half, what changes to where you can't score at all in the second half?

That's among the burning questions – and there are many – for this 7-6 Arkansas football team.

Being outscored 56-0 in the second half by Missouri and Virginia Tech makes that the question of the day.

First, let's rule out conditioning. Everyone should have been rested at halftime.

There are plenty of defensive problems, most notably lack of speed. More ability to rush the passer is needed and that's in the front and at linebacker. That's the issue that led to the opposition scoring 39 rushing touchdowns, a UA record and 14 more than the second place.

But at the crux of the collapses in the second half is inexperience on offense, most notably up-front. All five starters in the offensive line played new positions this season. Three of those had no starting experience ahead of this year, including left guard Hjalte Froholdt, who converted from the defensive line in the spring.

Arkansas could not run the ball in the second half against top defensive lines. That includes Missouri. The Tigers were not good on defense, but they had terrific ends and a decent front that took away the run and pressured Austin Allen in the second half almost as well as Virginia Tech did in the second half.

I think it comes down to inexperience in the offensive line. This continues a season-long trend. The Hogs couldn't run it against movement (stems and stunts) against solid defensive lines, outside of the Ole Miss and Florida games. I don't consider Mississippi State's defensive line to be solid.

At no point in the spring or camp did I think the offensive line was ready for the SEC. It was the part of the team that I wrote about and questioned all the way through the first game.

Bret Bielema-coached teams are generally solid in the offensive line. He said there was “concern” about the rebuilding project there after the spring, but expressed confidence it would turn out fine. He'd done it before, he said over and over. It did not.

Experimentation up-front dominated the season as parts were shifted until the point Brian Wallace replaced Colton Jackson and Johnny Gibson replaced Jake Raulerson. There was even a try with Frank Ragnow at guard before settling for good at center.

It was the team's weak point all year and the key to the Belk Bowl collapse. Virginia Tech's movements and stunts destroyed the Arkansas front in the second half, just like Missouri.

The strength of the Arkansas passing game is play action. That's built around a run game. If you can't run it, the play-action pass is worth zero. When the Hogs ran it well (Ole Miss, Florida and Mississippi State), the passing game was easy to see.

With no running (Alabama, Auburn and LSU), the protection slipped. The running disappeared in the second half against Mizzou and Tech. Ends and linebackers came more and more, without fear of a running game. That's what I saw mostly.

Now, in some of the other games, it was defensive failures and a lack of speed scattered through the defense. Losing Dre Greenlaw, Kevin Richardson and having Deatrich Wise at less than full speed were blows. Those were not mental situations, they were physical.

Youth in the offensive line will kill you. It's the one place that experience is needed, along with quarterback. Allen is a junior, but he hadn't played. Some things he handled, some things he didn't.

The failures of wide receiver Drew Morgan in the bowl game are tough to explain, other than I think he tried too hard. Experience should have told him that is the sure way to fail, although his main strength is that he has always been a try-hard guy.

However, you can't let effort add risk as far as ball security. Morgan did that. It was a bad half of football for Morgan even before the spitting incident that caused his ejection.

I think the offensive line issue will ease next year. Ragnow returning for his senior season is a huge recruiting success. Redshirted junior college linemen Paul Ramirez and Deion Malone are prepared to play now, with more knowledge of the system and rebuilt bodies. Ramirez was too lean when he arrived this summer, but looks the part of an SEC lineman now.

That leaves the next big question: What to do about the awful defense?

No doubt, there will be several staff changes. Where does Bielema go with his hires? I have a guess, at least as far as coaching philosophy and background.

First, seldom do any coaches hire someone they don't at least know a little bit. I don't think that's any different from any business anywhere. Trust and familiarity are important.

One thing I do know, Bielema seems intent on moving to the 3-4. I would think he's going to look for someone with a 3-4 background.

Someone with ties back to his Kansas State and Iowa roots with knowledge of a 3-4 would be my guess. I think he likes some of what they are doing at Oklahoma, Clemson and Kansas State in defensive schemes.

I watched Oklahoma closely in how it defended Gus Malzahn's Auburn offense in the Sugar Bowl. It was 3-4-based. Young linebackers made plays on the outside. I saw pressure coming from the field, then the boundary sides.

It was exactly some of the stuff that Bielema talked about leading up to the bowl. Now, Oklahoma numbers were not always good on defense this year. There were some wild games in the Big 12.

I'm not sure how Auburn would have done with a healthy Sean White. But Oklahoma looked like it had defensive answers. I'm sure personnel has something to do with it.

When you look at the Stoops brothers, they have ties back to the Iowa-Kansas State tree with Hayden Fry and Bill Snyder - just like Bielema. Perhaps someone in that Stoops tree (and I'm not talking about them specifically) ends up at Arkansas.

Do the Hogs have the personnel to play the 3-4? That might be the next burning question.

I don't know. I haven't seen Michael Taylor, the JUCO transfer who sat out this season at Arkansas. He's a defensive end/linebacker with speed. That's required at one outside spot in the 3-4.

I know that the four freshmen linemen in last year's class give hope. McTelvin Agim, Austin Capps, Briston Guidry and Jonathan Marshall are all big-time players. They have size and speed. I like the prospects there.

So it comes down to line play. It always does. I think the Hogs will improve there on both sides of the ball. They must.

It's the answer to the big question on whether Bret Bielema gets it done at Arkansas.