It is difficult to get any kind of real feel for how good a football team might be in the fall after a spring football game.
First, all spring games are controlled scrimmages against teammates.
Second, there is a lot of time before the Arkansas Razorbacks open their season Aug. 29, and that means a lot of good can happen, or not.
Finally, it is a controlled scrimmage between teammates.
However, a few things seemed apparent as the game unfolded Saturday.
The team looked well-oiled and organized. There were a lot fewer penalties than one might have expected from a group of guys who have had a handful of practices with a new staff.
Brandon Allen and Brandon Mitchell did some nice things at quarterback, but one can only wonder whether Mitchell’s best shot at playing on the next level might be at receiver, where he spent last season showing great moves, hands and good speed. He’s also a load to try to tackle.
That’s definitely not saying that’s where he should be, that’s a coaching decision. But he’s an athlete who needs to be on the field somewhere,and Bret Bielema said that after the game. Mitchell, who has also helped Arkansas’ basketball team in the past, has been a team player since he arrived on campus.
Maybe it was because everything was so controlled, but no one really stood out as a game breaker, although Jonathan Williams showed signs last season.
Probably what really stood out was the crowd.
Bielema asked for a record attendance to make a statement, and he got even more than the 50,000 he asked for.
Maybe the last year won’t be forgotten for a while, but it was obvious by the numbers, and the talk around town (my pharmacist at Kroger said she couldn’t believe it was the fourth spring game she hadto work, and she was just sick about it) and the state.
The healing has more than begun.
On Sunday afternoon, Ted Thompson, a State Farm agent from Dumas, was helping move a table in my neighborhood for his girlfriend’s sister.
He was very hoarse. It could have been all this pollen and barometric pressure changes, but it wasn’t; he had been to Fayetteville the day before and yelled for the Razorbacks until he couldn’t yell anymore.
Thompson is one example of the type of fan who will fill Razorback Stadium this fall with support, hopes and dreams.
Which is why fans wanted to support Bielema and his request to get 50,000 fans at the game, and also get their own view of B-Ball.
Saturday, the Razorbacks ran 97 plays, 56 rushing and 41 passes. If B-Ball is 42 percent passing and 58 percent running, that should be good enough to keep the fans excited and still be balanced enough to be competitive.
Being competitive is the key phrase right now.
Bielema wants to win every year, he expects to win. If he didn’t; he wouldn’t be a successful head coach.
Coaches have to be confident or no one around them will be.
The main thing evident Saturday was that these players, from the most talented to the least talented, believe in him. They already know he cares about them. You don’t suspend a player for a half of a Red-White game for academic reasons and not care about him. That’s the only reason you do it for a game that doesn’t really count.
Apparently, the recruits who were on hand, and there were about 50 of them, also liked Bielema and his staff. Arkansas only has four commitments for the class of 2014, yet the class is ranked No. 19 nationally.
Overall, Saturday was just a good day. The play was fairly crisp, and the offense won, barely, 34-27. But this fall, Zach Hocker, who scored 18 points for the defense, will be on the same team.
Sports, Pages 17 on 04/23/2013