Bielema knows difference of a year

FAYETTEVILLE - Shortly before addressing a Thursday gathering sponsored by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette at the University of Arkansas’ A-Club, new Razorbacks Coach Bret Bielema learned that media wrapped up SEC football media days in Hoover, Ala., forecasting his Razorbacks to finish seventh in the seven-team SEC West.

Bielema, senior center Travis Swanson, senior fullback Kiero Small and senior defensive end Chris Smith addressed the Arkansas portion of media days on Wednesday in Hoover.

Apparently their lasting impression was last place.

Hired from Wisconsin last December, Bielema smiled Thursday like a new coach expecting to conclude November by exceeding July expectations.

“At media days,” Bielema told Thursday’s gathering, “I said, ‘Rank us as low as you want to because it’s going to be fun to watch us climb back out of it.’ And they did it. We were ranked last.”

The coach deadpanned to accompanying chuckles.

“It was the first obedient media group that I have ever been around that followed orders,” Bielema said. “But I did point out to our guys, ‘I think it’s the same group of people that voted you No. 1 in your division a year ago.’

“I know how much difference a year can make, and I am excited about the challenge.”

Coming off an 11-2 season in 2011 with a Cotton Bowl victory and No. 5 final national ranking, the Razorbacks were voted 10th in the 2012 preseason national Associated Press poll and even picked by some to win the national championship.

They crashed to a 4-8 record. Their season unraveled from the scandal causing the April 2012 firing of Coach Bobby Petrino right through the injury-filled, rudderless ship campaign under an interim coach and a lame-duck staff.

Nevertheless, Smith, Swanson, Small and senior kicker Zach Hocker, all lettermen factoring in the Hogs’ hype last summer, were honored Thursday like they can raise these Razorbacks above expectations.

Swanson and Smith were voted preseason first-team All-SEC, and Hocker was voted third-team All-SEC at media days.

Nationally, Small and sophomore running back Jonathan Williams were announced Thursday on the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, the award annually voted postseason to college football’s outstanding running back.

The offensive players’ successes and even Hocker’s successes are interdependent on each other.

Defensively if Smith, “one of the best I’ve seen at his position,” Bielema said, is to make first-team All-SEC, the coach implies junior Trey Flowers must hold up his end.

“Defensive ends are kind of like corners,” Bielema said. “If you have one really good one, it really doesn’t matter because they always are going to the other guy.”

So, the greater Flowers blooms from his defensive end, the more opportunities Smith gets at the opposite end.

“Trey Flowers is a shooting star,” Bielema said. “He reminds me of J.J. Watt [one of Bielema’s great Wisconsin defensive ends and the 2012 NFL defensive player of the year] because he’s got those big hands. I don’t know where they find gloves because they are just like huge meat hooks. I am very excited about him.”