Like it is

True Bielemers will see loss as positive step

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema congratulates quarterback Brandon Allen following a second quarter touchdown against Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema congratulates quarterback Brandon Allen following a second quarter touchdown against Texas A&M on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2014 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

It will be a game that stings for a few more days.

A game that gave so much hope and ended in heartache for the Razorbacks Nation.

A game that was still rubbing Coach Bret Bielema the wrong way as he taped his weekly coach's show. He smiled only twice, and it was late in the broadcast. The smiles didn't last long.

Saturday's 35-28 overtime loss to Texas A&M was perhaps the best overall performance for the Arkansas Razorbacks since Bobby Petrino was storming the sidelines and calling the plays.

But all too often anymore, athletics is about winning.

Not only did the Arkansas Razorbacks not get routed by the sixth-ranked Texas A&M Aggies, Arkansas could have won, and many believe it should have won.

The Aggies owned the Hogs when Johnny Manziel was their quarterback, but Saturday, until the fourth quarter and overtime, the Razorbacks made Kenny Hill look more like a redshirt sophomore than a Heisman Trophy candidate.

Hill's last three touchdown passes -- covering 86 yards and 59 yards in the fourth quarter and 25 yards in overtime -- accounted for 170 of his 386 yards passing.

The Aggies beat the Hogs 58-10 two years ago in College Station and 45-33 last season in Fayetteville with Manziel at quarterback. You might notice a trend there.

The one constant on Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, was the positive attitude of the fans, who shelled out enough money to buy tickets to two games.

They never booed, and there were plenty of mistakes on both sides of the ball, choosing to encourage with cheers and applause.

Bielemers.

Errors born out of effort aren't normally as costly as the ones that come from not thinking.

All eight of the Hogs' penalties were important, not just two, but those two are still rubbing folks the wrong way because they were just not smart penalties.

There were many great plays, too, on both sides of the ball.

There was a perfectly executed play-action pass out of a three tight-end set that resulted in a 44-yard touchdown to AJ Derby on third-and-2.

The Aggies were mounting a drive late in the third quarter, but Deatrich Wise dropped Tra Carson for a 4-yard loss on first down and Martree Spaight nailed Malcome Kennedy for a 3-yard loss on the next play. Spaight had 13 tackles, 8 unassisted.

Carroll Washington came up with an interception to stop another Aggies possession, executing perfectly from his cornerback position.

Plays like that put the Razorbacks in a position to win, but the fourth quarter, and the beginning of overtime, was too much for the Hogs.

A lack of depth took its toll as the Razorbacks surrendered 208 offensive yards and two touchdowns that tied the game and allowed it to go to overtime, which is when the Aggies seized all the momentum.

Texas A&M has been surging under Kevin Sumlin, using their membership in the exclusive SEC club to outrecruit most of the schools in the country. There's a billboard on the Texas side of Texarkana declaring Texas as SEC country and showing pictures of Sumlin and the Aggies.

Bielema has been recruiting, too, but he's also instilling discipline and finding a way to win. There was a lot of discipline last Saturday, just not enough of it to find a way to win.

Saturday's game was a heartbreaker for the Razorbacks and their fans, but it was also solid proof of improvement and that the light at the end of the tunnel is not a train.

If the Razorbacks can shake off the loss, get back on course and continue to improve, victories are in the future.

Sports on 09/30/2014

Upcoming Events