Arkansas Razorbacks Football

Mathematically speaking, the 3-6 Arkansas Razorbacks still have a chance to make a bowl game this year.

That's hard to believe considering how much the Hogs have struggled in head coach Bret Bielema's first season at the helm of the program. However, Arkansas would have to sweep its final three games left on the slate to go bowling.

The team's remaining schedule includes a trip to the Ole Miss Rebels on Saturday, followed by hosting the Mississippi State Bulldogs on Nov. 23 and a road matchup with the LSU Tigers on Nov. 29. 

The chances of Arkansas winning its last three games are slim to none. It would take a remarkable, make that miraculous, turnaround by the whole team. Frankly, if you're expecting the Razorbacks to end 2013 on a three-game winning streak, then you're waiting for—excuse the bad joke—Hogs to grow wings and fly.

At this point, with an 0-5 record in the SEC and current six-game losing streak, the focus for the coaches and fans needs to be on seeing progress from a team that has seemed to regress since starting 3-0.

A good thing to build off of is last weekend's performance against the now-seventh-ranked Auburn Tigers. 

Despite losing 35-17, Arkansas showed some resiliency for seemingly the first time all year. The scouting report on the Hogs has been that, if you can put them in a hole early, they will just lay down. Give them credit, the Razorbacks battled back from a 28-3 deficit to cut the lead to 11, but ultimately didn't have enough in the arsenal to topple the Tigers.

Arkansas showed it has some fight left in it and needs to make some tangible progress in the remaining three games. That means the defense cutting down on total yards allowed per game and the offense finding some sort of balance.

The linebacker unit returned no starters coming into the season, but the defensive line returned three and was considered one of the better units on the team, coming in at No. 6 in Scout.com's preseason SEC unit rankings.

It should have been expected that the Hogs would give up some yards on the ground with a ragtag group of linebackers, but not to the extent that the front seven currently has with three upperclassmen on the D-line. 

The Razorbacks rank 81st in the FBS in rushing yards per game allowed (178.8) and have given up 862 rushing yards in the last three games (287.3 YPG). Tackling has been a big problem. The Hogs have given up numerous big plays on the ground that should have been stopped near the line of scrimmage.

The linebackers have missed more tackles than any other positional unit, and as a result, opponents are making big plays once they get past the first wave of defenders.

The more the front seven can improve in the final three games, the more that the secondary can as well.

The secondary has been much better in the last two games, allowing just 313 yards. Though you can attribute a lot of it to Alabama and Auburn having great success on the ground, the secondary has cut down greatly on letting receivers get behind it and make game-breaking plays.

Yes, AJ McCarron and Nick Marshall completed a combined 22 of 29 pass attempts, but the secondary only gave up a few large-chunk gains.

If Arkansas can bolster its defense as a whole in the final stretch of the season and get more experience for guys that are the future—such as Darius Philon—it could give the Hogs some much-needed momentum and confidence heading into the offseason. It would also make for some healthy battles in the spring. 

However, it's not just the defense that needs to make progress. It's the offense too.

Excluding running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams, every player on the offense can stand to make some major improvements—most notably starting quarterback Brandon Allen. 

Allen needs to be treating these last three games as an audition for 2014 because his job is in no way safe for the years to come.

What do people do at auditions? They perform to the best of their abilities and leave it all out on the line to get the gig. That's exactly what Allen has to do in these last three games. 

If he wants to be the leader of this team now and in the future, he must show progress with his accuracy and decision-making.

Against Auburn, he had another outing during which he completed less than 50 percent of his passes (10-for-22, 45.5 percent) and has a completion percentage of 45.0 on the year. His touchdown-to-interception ratio is also not good at nearly one-to-one (nine touchdowns, seven picks).

Allen has been dealing with a shoulder injury for most of the year, but that excuse has run dry. As they say, it's time to put up or shut up. If he wants to be the quarterback of the future, he's going to have to start by completing over 50 percent of his passes in these next three games.

It can take just one good game to get the ball rolling, so if Allen can make accurate, smart throws and give Arkansas a chance to win at Ole Miss on Saturday, it could greatly boost his confidence and help him close out the season strong. 

You better believe Bielema will be evaluating Allen and the quarterback situation heavily over the remainder of the year and into the offseason—especially if Allen doesn't make any progress.

Him not showing improvement would set up a battle between him, little brother and teammate Austin Allen, and 4-star verbal commitment Rafe Peavey for the starting spot next fall.

Allen isn't the only guy auditioning in these last three games, though. Consider this an audition for the entire receiving corps.

The top receiver on the team, Javontee Herndon, will be gone after this season, leaving every spot ripe for the picking. Herndon has 377 yards on 24 catches and is the only wide receiver on the team with over 200 yards on the year.

That's excluding freshman tight end Hunter Henry (18 catches, 328 yards and one touchdown), who has been brilliant with an average of 18.2 yards per catch.

The next-best performer among receivers is Keon Hatcher (15 receptions, 175 yards and two touchdowns). He's the only other wideout with at least 100 yards on the season. The inexperience and lack of playmaking in the wide receiving corps have helped fuel Allen's struggles. Guys are dropping gimme passes and no one is stepping up.

Arkansas needs to see some guys elevate their competitiveness and refine their route running down the home stretch. Whether that be Hatcher, D'Arthur Cowan, Eric Hawkins or Drew Morgan, if the Razorbacks are to have a chance of closing out the year on a high note, they need other players to step up. 

Guys making plays in the passing game would also help progress an already stout backfield featuring Collins and Williams. Hatcher has shown glimpses of being a go-to receiver, but still has to work on consistency. 

Surprisingly enough, though, offensive coordinator Jim Chaney told HawgSports.com (subscription required) that the receivers and passing game looked much-improved against Auburn:

I think (the catching was) much improved. There's more consistency in their performance, which is what we're looking for. I think much ado has been made about the wide receivers, but I think throughout the game I thought everybody collectively played better in every aspect of the passing game. We protected better, I thought the quarterback threw the ball a little bit better, and the receivers caught the ball better. It's never one person. It's not a simple flea just to step on and squish and everything's perfect in the passing game. It doesn't work quite like that. It takes a lot.

Bielema is quickly finding out just how tough it is to be consistent in your approach and win in the SEC. Many people thought that the Hogs had a legitimate shot to go bowling this year, but forgot to account for the fact that he is running a power-style offense with a roster recruited to fly around the field. 

Sure, it has been somewhat of a disappointment. You'd like to see the Hogs battling for a good bowl or something significant, but that's just not the reality of the situation right now.

With the position Arkansas is in, you have to throw out the win-loss record for these last three games and look for solid progress from the defense, receivers and Allen. 

It's the future that matters most in tough times like these. For a young team, making improvements in these next three games would be a huge positive heading into the offseason. If Arkansas can make substantial progress by Saturday, it has the ability to catch Ole Miss off guard and upset the Rebels in Oxford.

That in turn could lead to a win at home over Mississippi State, though the Hogs aren't going to win their last game at LSU.

Finishing the year strong always provides teams with a lot of confidence and momentum going into the spring, spawning competitive, healthy battles that make the team better the next season. 

As bad as the year has been, even one win in the final three games would be great for Arkansas. What would be even greater, however, would be seeing young players who are the future of the program show that they are making strides in the right direction.

For more info on the Arkansas Razorbacks, follow Bryan Heater on Twitter @BHeaterRivals.

After a 3-0 start, the Arkansas Razorbacks have dropped its last five games and is currently in free-fall mode. 

Head coach Bret Bielema and his staff are in need of answers everywhere. The Hogs were humbled, 52-0, at Alabama two weeks ago and have had two weeks to prepare for a 7-1 Auburn Tigers team that is ranked No. 11 in the country and has been one of the biggest surprises in all of college football this season.

The Razorbacks have had a brutal schedule, and there aren't any gimmes remaining on the slate either. Arkansas can still salvage the season with some wins in the last four games, but that will be easier said than done.

Here are the best- and worst-case scenarios for the Hogs heading down the home stretch.

Best-Case Scenario 

As bad as Arkansas has been, if it can make some strides in its remaining games, the 2013 season can end on a high note. The four games are split between home and road matchups. It starts Saturday in Fayetteville against Auburn. 

The Hogs have a big test with a Tiger offense ranked 13th in the country. In this best-case scenario, the Razorback defense would finally come together and shut down quarterback Nick Marshall and the Auburn offense. Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen would also finally turn his season around and make plays with his arm to open up room for running backs Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams.

With a win over Auburn, Arkansas' confidence would soar heading to Ole Miss the following week. The Rebels' rush defense, ranked No. 67 in the country, has been suspect, so with some efficiency from Allen and Arkansas passing game, Collins and Williams could have big games and keep a talented Ole Miss offense off the field. 

After two-straight wins against SEC foes, the Hogs would welcome Mississippi State with a .500 record (5-5) and a chance at bowl eligibility.

The Bulldogs have a brutal stretch before coming to Arkansas, so the Hogs can catch them battered and bruised. Mississippi State's offense and defense has put up respectable numbers, but despite ranking in the top 50 nationally, the Bulldogs have been much worse against SEC teams. At home and on a two-game winning streak, the Razorbacks would handle Mississippi State at home before their last game on the road at LSU.

Even in a best-case scenario, Arkansas doesn't have the pieces or talent to beat the Tigers in Death Valley. 

Though the Hogs would suffer a loss in the final game of the regular season, a 3-1 record down the stretch would make the team 6-6 overall and, more importantly, bowl eligible. After a dreadful five-game stretch, finishing with a .500 record and a bowl game would be a huge win for Coach Bielema and the Arkansas program.

Worst-Case Scenario

Though finishing with a 6-6 record and becoming bowl eligible would be great, it doesn't seem very realistic with the way things have been going.

Auburn, on the other hand, has been resurrected under Gus Malzahn and is playing top-notch football right now. Home-field advantage usually plays a big part in games, but even that hasn't helped the Hogs as they got clobbered, 52-7, at home against South Carolina. 

With a loss to the Tigers, Arkansas would continue its downward spiral.

Mississippi State could legitimately be the only real shot for the Razorbacks to pick up another win if it continues to play the way it has. Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace could have a field day against the secondary if some adjustments aren't made.

With the Hogs unable to contain the Ole Miss offense and its own offense continuing to struggle in a loss, Arkansas would enter the Mississippi State game 3-7 and 0-6 in the SEC.

While the Bulldogs aren't playing great football either, they've been much more consistent than the Hogs. Arkansas has yet to show it can move the ball, let alone score points, against good defenses and Mississippi State's is 30th in the country.

A loss to the Bulldogs at home would all but assure a winless SEC season and a 3-8 mark on the year with the last game being at LSU.

As much as it hurts for a program that was on the rise just two years ago, finishing the season with zero wins in the conference is not unimaginable.

To avoid this worst-case scenario and at least get one conference win, Arkansas must get better play from Allen, the receivers and the defense as a whole. Otherwise, 2013 will be just as forgettable as 2012 was. 

For more Arkansas Razorbacks info, follow Bryan Heater on Twitter @BHeaterRivals.

Look, we all knew when Arkansas Razorbacks Athletic Director Jeff Long tabbed Bret Bielema as the next head coach last December that it was going to be a process.

Bielema was bringing his physical and punishing style that won him three Big Ten titles at Wisconsin to the SEC. It was, and still is, a big transition from a pass-oriented offense under Bobby Petrino to a run-first scheme.

The Razorbacks look to have no confidence in what they are doing and it's resulting in some very lopsided losses. In the last two games against South Carolina and Alabama, Arkansas has been outscored 104-7. 

The play has been ugly, mediocre, shoddy and whatever other adjective you'd like to use.

Bad quarterback play has slowed down a very talented running back duo in freshman Alex Collins and sophomore Jonathan Williams.  The defense has had plenty of problems, too, as teams are passing the ball at will and the rush defense has began to fall off.

All of the struggles have created unrest among the Razorback fan base. Many were expecting the Hogs to make a bowl, which seemed like a reasonable expectation. But, fans also should have known that Bielema wasn't going to walk onto campus and create a winner right away. 

The cliche saying "patience is a virtue" couldn't be any more true in the case of the Arkansas football team.

Sure, the 3-5 record has been a bit disappointing, but it is not a surprise by any means. Bielema is working with a majority of players that were recruited by Petrino to fit his scheme. Don't forget people that the players had to learn a whole new system during the offseason and have only had eight games in this new scheme under their belts.

In the NFL, eight games would be enough time to get everything down, but that's not the case in college. It can take a full season before programs fully understand the ins and outs of a new playbook. 

Under Petrino, Arkansas played far from a smash-mouth style. In fact, that was a big knock against his teams. During his tenure when the Hogs played physical squads like Alabama and LSU, they simply couldn't match the Crimson Tide or Tigers physicality and strength. 

That is exactly what Bielema and the coaching staff are working to change and it's not going to change overnight. 

Nowadays in the college game, patience is something that has been lost. Fans across the country expect new coaches to come in and start winning from the get-go. There's more pressure now on coaches to win right away than there ever has been.

The result? Coaches are being fired after just two, sometimes even one, season. 

Is it fair? No. Is it enough time to bring in your personnel and build your own brand? Nope. But, that has become the nature of the business. 

Long made the right hire when he stole Bielema, once a saint in the state of Wisconsin, from the Badgers. It's going to take time for him to build Arkansas into the strong, disciplined and physical team he had at Wisconsin.

As ESPN.com's Alex Scarborough noted, Bielema has had to play a lot of young guys after inheriting a very inexperienced roster and it showed against Alabama:

Against Alabama, Arkansas showed its youth as much as its lack of talent. The Razorbacks, who haven't finished with a top-15 recruiting class once since 2006, had more first-year starters and underclassmen on the field Saturday than most teams in the SEC. Two of its offensive linemen were true freshmen. Its brightest young star on defense, defensive lineman Darius Philon, was a redshirt freshman Alabama tried to grayshirt coming out of high school. 

A young roster, new schemes and a daunting schedule have made for a very tough season. The Hogs have 23 underclassmen on the two-deep depth chart, including six that are starting. It's a process and even the players know that Arkansas is building for a better tomorrow.

"You've got to look toward the future," Williams said. "It's tough right now but we've got to keep working toward the future." 

The future is also what fans need to look at.

Bielema has a number of talented young players to build around, including Collins, Philon, tight end Hunter Henry and offensive linemen Denver Kirkland, Reeve Koehler, who has missed his freshman year with an injury, and Dan Skipper.

Collins and Williams give Bielema's notorious ground-and-pound running game a bright future. Henry is going to be a special player for the Hogs and Kirkland, Koehler and Skipper provide a solid foundation on the O-line for the next few years.

Arkansas still has a long ways to go before seeing Bielema's vision for the program come to fruition. Many areas have to be addressed moving forward. The wide receiver position lacks playmakers and quarterback Brandon Allen has shown nothing that would say he's the answer on the road ahead, with many fans already declaring him a lost cause. The defense also lacks playmakers and depth, so Bielema will have to fill all of those holes through recruiting.

With a bevvy of young, inexperienced players and a whole new system for them and the veterans to wrap their heads around, growing pains should have been expected. Rome wasn't built in a day and neither will the Arkansas program.

Bielema knows how to build a winning program. Be patient and give him and his staff time to get all the pieces in place and the results will follow.

For more Arkansas Razorbacks info, follow Bryan on Twitter @BHeaterRivals.

For the third time during his nationwide recruitment, junior college prospect Jermaine Eluemunor has elected to pull the trigger on a commitment. The 4-star offensive tackle accepted a scholarship offer from Texas A&M Monday, decommitting from Arkansas in the process, per 247Sports writer Tom Loy.

Eluemunor initially committed to UCLA on June 10, but switched allegiances to Arkansas in late July. The Lackawanna College (Scranton, Pa.) standout became the 17th member of the Aggies' 2014 recruiting class on Monday.

He has two years of collegiate eligibility remaining. Eluemunor explained the decision to change his anticipated destination from Fayetteville to College Station during a discussion with Loy.

This wasn’t a decision against anything Arkansas did. The fans and coaches and players at Arkansas were so good to me and I really hope they don’t take this the wrong way. I love and respect everyone that I met at that school, but this is a business decision. I just need to make the best move for me for the next two years and go from there. I am truly thankful for Arkansas nation, but I’m so excited to be an Aggie. That’s the best place for me.

Texas A&M lands a polished bookend that immediately bolsters its future offensive line fortunes. The 6'5", 300-pound tackle is ranked the nation's No. 3 JUCO recruit by 247Sports.

Eluemunor holds offers from Ohio State, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin and Florida State. He spent an official visit in Columbus during the summer.

Despite the series of commitment changes, Eluemonor maintains his journey on the recruiting trail is now at an end.

“I’m done with my recruitment,” he told Loy. “I’m not taking any more visits and I’m excited to be an Aggie.”

Texas A&M coach Kevin Sumlin has compiled the nation's third-best recruiting class, according to 247Sports. The Aggies are one of four SEC squads currently ranked among the country's top five in recruiting.

Eluemenor is the third offensive tackle recruit to join the team's 2014 recruiting class. Koda Martin (Manvel, Texas) and Kealvin Davis (Garland, Texas) both committed during the summer.

The Arkansas Razorbacks continued their free fall with the biggest loss of the season thus far, 52-0, at the Alabama Crimson Tide. Head coach Bret Bielema's Razorbacks have now been outscored 104-7 in the last two games.

It was an all-around abysmal outing for Arkansas. The defense gave up 532 yards of offense, including 352 on the ground, and the offense couldn't do anything. The ground game wasn't terrible, netting 165 yards. But, the same can't be said for quarterback Brandon Allen.

You can sum up his latest performance in one word: absolutely terrible. Okay, that's two words, but the absolutely had to be added because he was that bad.

The sophomore finished the game 7-for-25, passing for no touchdowns and two interceptions with a grand total of 91 yards. 

Ouch.

His accuracy has been a huge problem. After Saturday's 28.0 completion percentage, the worst of his young career, Allen's percentage for the year is at a lowly 44.9 percent. He's simply not making good throws and it makes it worse that he doesn't have a very reliable receiving core aside from freshman tight end Hunter Henry. 

So, what is it that has made Allen struggle so much just to complete a pass? 

There's a number of things, but the main two are bad decision making and poor timing on his throws. Watching the tape on him, Allen has made many poor decisions that leave you scratching your head. 

Take his first interception of the game against Alabama, for example. The Crimson Tide were lined up in a cover two, so the corners and linebackers were in man coverage while the safeties were in a zone. Allen was targeting Henry, who was manned up against the linebacker. He let Henry run past him a bit because the safeties in the zone offered help over the top.

Allen failed to recognize this and kept his eye on Henry the whole time. Both safeties saw it and closed in on Henry. The linebacker who was playing under him tipped the ball and the safety finished with the pick. Because Allen failed to recognize the coverage, he threw into triple coverage and gave the Alabama secondary an easy play to make.

Here, you can see the play, as well as some other highlights from the game:

Bo Mattingly of Sports Talk With Bo pointed out what ESPN's Todd Blackledge said: he's just not putting himself in good position when throwing:

Coaches can drill various coverage schemes and fundamentals of the position into quarterbacks heads, but they can't make them translate that to the field.

That's ultimately up to the guy under center and Allen hasn't shown the mental capacity to pick up on defensive coverages and adjust accordingly. He's also had problems timing his throws. 

It has happened multiple times in every game he's played in. He gets a pass in the first few games, as he is in his first season as the starter and needed time to get on the same page as his receivers. That should have taken no longer than three games, but Allen is still making bad passes that are nowhere near on target.

He's had countless passes that have been behind, over and too far in front of his receivers. In his defense, Allen has dealt with a shoulder injury he sustained against Southern Miss all season and it has kept him from practicing regularly. 

However, even that is no excuse for how Allen is playing right now.

Going forward, he's going to have to show improvement because the last five games are going to show if he's going to be the guy for the next few seasons, or if 4-star commit Rafe Peavey's career will get an early start.

Fan unrest is growing with each game that Allen continues to underachieve. He has the potential to be a very good quarterback, but if he can't get his timing down and make better decisions he won't be the starter come 2014.

For more Arkansas Razorbacks info, follow Bryan Heater on Twitter @BHeaterRivals

No. 1 Alabama is understandably big favorites when it hosts SEC rival Arkansas on Saturday. That doesn't mean this game is a lock for the two-time defending national champions. 

While the Crimson Tide clearly outclass the Razorbacks in overall talent and have already faced far more complete tests this season, Arkansas will test the Crimson Tide defense in a way it hasn't been this year. 

That is because the Razorbacks feature a physical and effective ground game in a conference that has gone almost exclusively to the spread attack. 

Arkansas enters this game having lost four straight and it's getting worse by the week. However, if they can get the ground game on track early, control possession and gain some confidence, an upset of poll-shaking proportions is not out of the question. 

The Razorbacks are 24th in the nation in rushing yards, and they feature two backs in the top six in the SEC in rushing. 

The monster two-headed rushing attack of Arkansas begins with running back Alex Collins. The freshman has been outstanding while gaining 720 yards at 5.9 yards per carry.

He's been a workhorse this season. Lately, the only thing that has slowed him down has been Arkansas' inability to keep games close. The Razorbacks have been outscored by a combined 52-17 in their last two games. 

As a result, Collins is coming off the most anemic two-game stretch of his young college career with just 123 combined rushing yards over that stretch. However, that's come on just 23 total carries, so it's not like he's being stonewalled at the line of scrimmage. 

Now he will face an Alabama defense that is getting stronger as the season rolls along. The Crimson Tide have allowed just 206 rushing yards over the last four games.

However, all four of those games have been blowouts, the closest was a 25-0 win over Ole Miss, and that doesn't give us a great indication of the whole picture of the rush defense. 

In Nick Saban's 3-4 defense, his defensive linemen are huge. While this serves them well in eating up blockers in the run game, it also leaves them vulnerable to fatigue. If Arkansas controls the ball enough, it can wear that front down. 

And Arkansas can keep punishing defenses with their talented backs. 

Not only do the Razorbacks have Collins to hand off to, but Jonathan Williams brings another dynamic option in the backfield. At 6' and 220 pounds, the sophomore is a load to bring down, and he's also enjoying a nice season. He's gone for 564 yards gained at an average of 6.5 yards per carry. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7cz9X71xuWs

Like Collins, his numbers have dipped the last two weeks, but he's still running well when getting his limited opportunities. 

Two weeks ago, the Razorbacks faced Florida's mighty defense. The Gators lead the SEC in rush defense, one spot ahead of the Crimson Tide. Still, Collins and Williams both averaged at least four yards per carry. 

Of course, with the passing game hitting just 17 of 43 passes, the offense was still limited to just 10 points. 

With a limited passing game, Arkansas own the nation's 113th-ranked passing attack, it is difficult to see the Razorbacks sustaining drives. However, if they can consistently churn out positive yards with a heavy dose of the run game, they will have some easy looks off of play action and will be able to keep the aggressive Alabama defense off guard.

This is a tall order, but it is the Razorbacks only path to a victory.