Monday Razorbacks press conference notes

Arkansas coach Bret Bielema hugs quarterback Austin Allen following a game against TCU on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. The Razorbacks won 41-38 in double-overtime.
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema hugs quarterback Austin Allen following a game against TCU on Saturday, Sept. 10, 2016, in Fort Worth, Texas. The Razorbacks won 41-38 in double-overtime.

— Updates from Bret Bielema, Dan Enos and Robb Smith's Monday, Sept. 12, press conferences.

Bret Bielema

— Austin Allen won offensive MVP. Makes sense for the SEC Player of the Week.

— Brooks Ellis was the team's defensive MVP. Honorable mention to Jared Collins, Ryan Pulley, Santos Ramirez and Jeremiah Ledbetter.

— Special teams MVP was split between Dan Skipper and Toby Baker. ... JC: No word on whether Bielema plans to resign after Baker wasn't named SEC Special Teams Player of the Week.

— No serious injuries. Hogs will enter week three as healthy as they've been.

— Team goal before the season was "start fast, finish strong." Beliema notes Hogs have finished strong in the past but not always started strong.

— Ryan Pulley locked up Taj Williams for the most part while starting at boundary corner, limited him to a few catches after he had double digits in the opener. Cramped late in the game but was really impressive. ... JC: More on his big night in this week's Film Room.

— Bielema said Arkansas had four or five guys who aren't on the first-team unit on Kevontae Turpin's big return, including Devwah Whaley, who was in for Pulley on the play. Said Hogs thought about squibbing. Three or four players had chances to get Turpin inside the 25, but he was too fast. Said Limpert had three good kickoffs out of five, has solidified himself as the kickoff guy. Noted that TCU was prepared for another one, which is why he didn't let it be known Limpert had won the job until game day.

— Cole Hedlund will still be the kicker. Bielema blamed it the 22-yarder on the angle, more than anything.

— Bielema approached Austin Allen to try to loosen him before the final drive of regulation and joked like it was a Wednesday practice before adding that they needed a 2-point conversion. Allen was cool and said, "I got you, coach." Bielema walked away thinking, "That bro don't got no problems right now."

— Bielema told Dan Enos to think of a fourth-down call after second down. Hogs would've gone for it if it had been two yards or closer.

— Bielema said Skipper graded out at 90 percent. Ragnow played well and Hjalte Froholdt made a big jump. Jake Raulerson was better. Bielema said Colton Jackson had good plays, but noted they aren't locked into those five and then mentioned Jalen Merrick, Brian Wallace and Zach Rogers as options. ... JC: Merrick and Wallace would seemingly figure into the right tackle spot. Rogers could play right guard, moving Raulerson out to right tackle.

— Bielema noted that Austin ran into the end zone and spiked it, which he didn't approve of, while Brandon fell in and laid it down against Ole Miss. Plays weren't the same but similar. Noted Austin didn't see the defender until the last second when he got clocked earlier in the game on designed QB run.

— Hogs have won eight of their last nine games with the one loss being the one-point defeat against Mississippi State. A blocked FG away from nine in a row.

— Austin Cantrell lined up in the backfield a lot against TCU after not doing it often against Louisiana Tech. Obviously he left the La Tech game after getting his bell rung. Bielema said the TCU game was a more realistic gauge of how he'll be used. ... JC: That's interesting given that Hayden Johnson and Kendrick Jackson have been up-and-down at fullback.

— Bielema sent video of the play where Allen got hit in the face to the SEC office. Noted Hogs have to do a better job protecting him.

— Bielema said he probably would've sat on the field if there had been a call against Arkansas like the one Oklahoma State had against it Saturday. Said the athletic director would have to tell him the plane left.

— Bielema called the response to Ellis' injury a "sick moment" and a "sad commentary." TCU fans booed him heavily. Also booed Ryan Pulley. Bielema said Ellis may have gotten the quickest IV ever to get back on the field. "Our doctors should be the SEC doctors of the week. They probably wouldn't get it. I wouldn't quit over it."

Dan Enos

— Enos said Austin Allen "played big at the biggest moments."

— Enos said Hogs have worked on the two-point conversion play for about two weeks as part of their low red zone package. That was a play earmarked as a two-point conversion. Said after doing it 26 years, he doesn't get nervous about calling a play like that. They coach the play as run first, throw second because if players want to throw first, they tend to slow down and can't speed back up to run. Hatcher was the choice because he's left-handed and they were going left. Noted Drew Morgan's role was big, going in motion and drawing attention. Jared Cornelius or Dominique Reed would've filled the role if Morgan was still cramping.

— Enos thought TCU would slant to the left on Allen's touchdown run, but called it anyway because there likely would've been cutback lanes. Noted Allen did miss the cut on the earlier designed QB run where he got smacked, but that he's good enough to be an effective situational runner.

— Enos lauded the offensive line on the final drive of regulation because they held up even with the whole stadium knowing Arkansas had to throw it down the field. For as many issues as they had early and even in the fourth quarter, they did rise to the occasion on the last drive and in OT. Something to build on.

— Enos, former Central Michigan coach, still hasn't seen the Central Michigan-Oklahoma State finish.

— Enos said he thought Allen's demeanor was good all game, "much better" than the opener against Louisiana Tech. Enos told him after the opener that they needed to get better in their communication and needed to not dwell on negative or get to high after good plays. Noted that there were a ton of players, offense and defense, that came up to him during the game to encourage him.

— Enos didn't realize Allen scored on the last play. He thought he'd been tackled at the 1-yard line and was looking down at his play sheet for a fourth-down call. When he looked up, the whole team was running to mob Allen in the end zone.

— Skipper was late on the snap count on the sack he allowed, but played very well.

— Notes its a bit of a challenge facing Texas State, which has played just one game with a new head coach. ... JC: The Bobcats also switched to a 3-4 look this year.

— Enos liked the way the Hogs handled some of the stuff TCU did against the run, shooting LBs through gaps. Arkansas kept adjusting and using different formations to try to continue to control the clock.

Robb Smith

— Noted a lot of people are proud of the way Pulley played. "Sky's the limit for Ryan."

— Said Hogs are trying to be flexible with how the DL lines up against the spread. ... JC: A lot of mixing and matching pass rushers, two ends standing up, Randy Ramsey at LB and more. The personnel, more than any other time in Bielema's tenure at Arkansas, allows Hogs to give multiple looks.

— Smith said Ellis' anticipation has helped him in the pass game when opposing teams target him. ... JC: He still gets beat some obviously, but he was in the right place at the right time a lot Saturday. Probably his most impressive game against the spread.

— Smith said he was busy figuring out who would replace Ellis at MLB when Ellis was heartily booed by the fans. "I guess that's the way of the world."

— Smith on Toby Baker: "Toby's my favorite guy. ... I'm a big Toby Baker fan." ... JC: Obviously he really helps the defense by flipping the field and pinning opposing offenses back.

— Notes Randy Ramsey is a hybrid linebacker/rush end, then calls his position "The Joker."

— Said the defense's collective football IQ has really improved, as far as situational awareness.

— JC: Sounds like Ramsey will continue to have a bigger role.

— Smith said Pulley is a quiet guy who keeps to himself a bit but has a fun side. Said he's driven by long-term goals and is very coachable. ... JC: Smith was a primary recruiter for Pulley.

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