FAYETTEVILLE - Seldom do teams spend an entire spring and most of the August preseason preparing for the fourth nonconference game of the season.
Yet the Arkansas Razorbacks (3-0) and Rutgers Scarlet Knights (2-1) have practiced for today’s nonconference clash in Piscataway, N.J., since their first spring practice back in March.
Until this week, Arkansas’ emphasis on Rutgers and Rutgers’ emphasis on Arkansas were not necessarily by planned design but designed by plans.
While they may come from different places - Bielema, 43, was born in Illinois and graduated from the University of Iowa, while Kyle Flood, 41, was born in Bayside, N.Y., and has a degree from Iona College of New Rochelle, N.Y. - there are striking similarities.
Both accentuate what Bielema calls “big boy football.”
Flood came out of the trenches, too, just offense instead of defense. He was an offensive lineman and team captain at Iona, then coached the offensive lines at C.W. Post and Hofstra, both in Long Island, N.Y., and at Delaware before crossing the river to New Jersey, where he coached Rutgers’ offensive line before being promoted to head coach of the Scarlet Knights.
Both believe that football begins with the run offensively and defensively, and that offensively the passing game’s peak effectiveness primarily comes from play-action off forcing the defense to play the run.
“I don’t think it’s any secret that Coach Bielema philosophically believes in the same things we believe in here,” Flood said. “He wants to run the football and stop the run. It’s going to be a very physical football game on Saturday.”
The Arkansas and Rutgers staffs probably could swap sidelines at halftime and the players might not notice much difference other than the terminology.
“Very similar offenses,” Bielema said. “Both like to run the football. Defenses, both are 4-3 personnel and have some similar schemes defensively. There’s some carryover there that’s really, really good.”
It’s especially good carryover for Arkansas sophomore linebacker Otha Peters. He was a starter last season under Arkansas’ previous regime but was hampered last spring by a hip injury, and then he broke his arm in August and had to sit out until last week’s cameo appearance against Southern Miss.
Peters is expected to alternate at middle linebacker today in his first significant action of the season, but at least he will be facing an offense that is similar to the one he practiced against until getting injured in August.
“They pound the ball a lot, pound it, pound it, pound it and then play-action, so it does kind of simulate our offense,” Peters said. “I like this type of game, a physical game.
“We are going to see who is stronger up front.”
Sports, Pages 20 on 09/21/2013