Hogs Staff Keeping It Fun, Loose

Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen (10) runs a play during Saturday night's game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen (10) runs a play during Saturday night's game at Bryant-Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala.

— Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema is not beating his team over the head with its mistakes and its faults during the Razorbacks’ open week.

Bielema and the coaches kept things positive Tuesday. The coaches gave developmental players most of the snaps in a full-pad workout as Arkansas (3-5, 0-4 SEC) takes a few days to self-evaluate after a five game losing streak.

“We had red zone today, and when we scored everybody went down and celebrated in the end zone,” senior captain Kiero Small said. “That’s one of the things we did in the spring when practice wasn’t going so good or if practice was down, we did that in the spring. It got everybody upbeat. We started having a good time.”

Tailback Alex Collins said the seniors called some of the plays during Tuesday’s practice.

“That was a lot of fun … to make it not so much of a job, but like to enjoy it and enjoy practice,” Collins said. “It was a lot of fun, getting everybody laughing, celebrating after a touchdown, just getting the spirits going out there in practice.”

Quarterback Brandon Allen, who rested his throwing shoulder that is essentially completely healed, said Bielema kept on his standard track.

“He’s always got that 1-0 mentality, and that’s how this whole team has been going about it,” Allen said.

“The past few games we’ve lost are behind us and we’re moving on to Auburn.”

Inside look

Open dates are typically about self evaluation, and Arkansas has been in that mode early this week.

“I think everybody tries to be introspective when bad things are going your way,” offensive coordinator Jim Chaney said. “I know from a coordinator’s standpoint, you do that every week, but after we’ve been on the run here that we’ve been on, I’m doing a lot of it.

“I’ve also been through enough wars to understand that I can see the good that’s taking place within our offense, and I also know that throwing the baby out of the bath water is not the best way to go. So we’ll set there, we’ll stay the course, we’ll continue to try to improve things.”

Chaney added that manipulating some calls and making subtle changes in the way he handles things are better than any major overhaul.

“I don’t want to lose the foundation and what we’re trying to get done here also,” he said.

Pass problems

Asked where the offense must have growth in the final four games, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney replied that it’s in every aspect of the passing game.

“I think we rushed for over 150 yards down there on Saturday,” Chaney said, referencing the 165 rushing yards the Hogs had in a 52-0 loss at Alabama. “If someone said you can go to Alabama and rush for 150-plus yards, I’ll take that the rest of my career because they do a nice job in the rushing game.

“The problem we’re having is just the out and-out execution with any aspect of the passing game, just trying to find something to hang our hat on right there. That’s it. … When we get [quarterback Brandon Allen] protected it’s a little soggy, you know. When we don’t get him protected, it’s more difficult. When we get him all protected and receivers are open he misses them.”

“There’s always a few things we can fix, especially in the passing game,” Allen said. “It’s been struggling a lot lately.”

Tube talk

Arkansas’ on-campus finale against Auburn on Nov. 2 will be a national broadcast on either ESPN at 6 p.m. or on ESPN2 at 5 p.m., the SEC has announced. The determination for the kickoff time will be made Sunday.

Arkansas’ game against Auburn will serve as Senior Day as the Razorbacks’ last home game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Arkansas has won four of the past five games against Auburn, including the past two at Razorback Stadium.

A limited number of tickets remain for the Auburn game.

No line shuffle

Offensive line coach Sam Pittman doesn’t plan to make changes in his starting five of center Travis Swanson, guards Denver Kirkland and Dan Skipper and tackles David Hurd and Brey Cook in the wake of the Razorbacks’ losing streak.

“I think we have the right people in the right place,” Pittman said. “We just have to keep playing and getting better, and we’ve got t0 get the ball in the end zone somehow.

“Whether that’s being a little better in protection or a little better in the run or whatever it is, throwing it and catching it better, whatever it may be, we’ve got to do that.”

Arkansas rushed 39 times for 165 yards against Alabama, a 4.2-yard average per carry. The Tide leads the SEC in run defense, holding opponents to 98.3 yards per game and 3.3 yards per carry.

“The bottom line is, we didn’t score any points,” Pittman said. “We have to get better.

“I think the bye week came at the right time, because we’ve got a good football team. We do.

We just have to put it all together, and I think this week off will help us.”

James tribute

Running backs coach Joel Thomas got to know about the legacy of Don James, who died Sunday from pancreatic cancer, during his days as a high schooler in Port Angeles, Wash., and during his coaching stint at the University of Washington (2009-12).

“He was one of the reasons I loved college football,” Thomas said.

“What he did at the University of Washington, that’s how I got the itch to play college football.

“Obviously I got the chance to know him when I coached out there. It’s sad.

He is a legend in the lives that he touched, but he is in a better place now.”

The eyes have it

Center Travis Swanson said the Razorbacks are still hopeful they can make it to a bowl game, which would require finishing 3-1 in their last four games.

“You can see it in the guys’ eyes when you talk to them and you’re around them all day,” Swanson said. “Obviously everyone wants to win games.

Unfortunately, these past few weeks haven’t gone our way, but we’re going to put the past behind us and go back to work this week.”

The Razorbacks have an open date after playing for eight consecutive weeks, the past four against SEC teams that were ranked in the top 10 of the preseason Associated Press poll.

“I think with how our schedule set up, it was a pretty tough run for us,” Swanson said.

Pregame walk

Auburn will take on Florida Atlantic this week as the lead-in to its game at Arkansas the following Saturday.

Taking on lesser-rated competition prior to playing Arkansas has turned into a theme of sorts for Razorbacks’ opponents.

Three consecutive SEC teams - Florida, South Carolina and Alabama - played Kentucky, the SEC team with the worst record, prior to playing Arkansas. Texas A&M faced nonconference opponent SMU before playing the Hogs.

Ole Miss will have an open date before hosting Arkansas on Nov. 9. Two exceptions to that theme are Mississippi State, which hosts Alabama the week before, and LSU, which hosts Texas A&M prior to its season finale against the Razorbacks.

SATURDAY, OCT. 19 Alabama 52, Arkansas 0 Tennessee 23, South Carolina 21 Vanderbilt, 31, Georgia 27.

Missouri 36, Florida 17 Auburn 45, Texas A&M 41 Mississippi 27, LSU 24

THURSDAY’S GAME All times Central Kentucky at Mississippi State, 6:30 p.m.

SATURDAY’S GAMES Vanderbilt at Texas A&M, 11:21 a.m.

Tennessee at Alabama, 2:30 p.m.

South Carolina at Missouri, 6 p.m.

Furman at LSU, 6 p.m.

Florida Atlantic at Auburn, 6:30 p.m.

Idaho at Mississippi, 6:30 p.m.

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