Hog calls

'New' approach has old-fashioned feel

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema directs his players against LSU during the second quarter Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema directs his players against LSU during the second quarter Saturday, Nov. 15, 2014, at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE -- Bret Bielema's answer to a question during his new conference Monday revealed how full circle this Arkansas Razorbacks football program runs toward its Frank Broyles heritage.

Bielema, Arkansas' second-year coach hired in December 2012 after coaching Wisconsin for seven successful seasons that included three Big Ten championships, was asked how rewarding it must be to succeed with his style as his 6-5 Razorbacks approach their regular season SEC finale against the Missouri Tigers on Friday afternoon.

That question wasn't in style when Bielema debuted 3-9 overall and 0-8 in the SEC in 2013. Nor was it in style with the Razorbacks starting this SEC season 0-5, albeit against five teams ranked among the top 10 nationally when they played Arkansas. Arkansas played three of the elite to the wire.

The close but no cigar games won Bielema some national style points but no flattering queries on victorious success.

Now those types of questions seem to be in style after Arkansas became the first unranked team to successively shut out ranked teams with their 17-0 victory over LSU (at the time ranked 17th in the College Football Playoff poll and 20th by The Associated Press) and their 30-0 victory over Ole Miss (at the time ranked No. 8 in both the CFP and AP polls).

"I appreciate the question, but it's not my style," Bielema said. "It's Arkansas' style."

Bielema explained.

"I think when I came here everyone thought I would take a cookie cutter approach -- treat everybody like sugar cookies and all the little things we do," Bielema said. "I didn't take that approach. I knew I'd have to adjust coming to a different league."

There are always adjustments to make. The successful ones tend to make them while not straying far from their core, their style.

Bielema's style was Arkansas' style long before he came south. Hayden Fry, the University of Iowa coach under whom Bielema commenced as a college player and college coach and who influenced Bielema the most, commenced his career under Frank Broyles' influence.

Broyles was Fry's position coach when Fry was a quarterback at Baylor. Broyles was Arkansas head coach when Fry coached quarterbacks for the 1961 Southwest Conference champion Razorbacks. Assisting Arkansas' championship launched Fry's head coaching career (1962-1998) that included stops at SMU, North Texas State and Iowa.

Fry practiced what Broyles preached as Arkansas' coach from 1958-76 and what had been preached to Broyles at Georgia Tech by Broyles' mentor Bobby Dodd. Run the ball well and stop the run well, then you can pass when you choose and compel opponents to pass because they must. Complementing both, punt for field position, which Arkansas senior Sam Irwin-Hill did so well against Ole Miss that he was recognized as the SEC's special teams player of the week.

In the 17-0 first quarter against Ole Miss, only one play was conducted inside the Arkansas 50. And that was when Arkansas opened a series at its 48.

That old field position formula may have been handed down from Dodd to Broyles to Fry to Bielema, but it still worked good as new last Saturday.

Sports on 11/26/2014

Upcoming Events