Arkansas Razorbacks Football

Devwah Whaley gave Arkansas fans a taste of what's to come during Saturday's Under Armour All-American Game. The 4-star running back also used the occasion to commit to the Razorbacks, according to EJ Holland of 247Sports. 

Gerry Hamilton of ESPN passed along video of the announcement:

VIDEO: #ESPN300 RB @devwah_whaley commits to #Arkansas at #UAAllAmerica Game. pic.twitter.com/1o0aAggx3S

— Gerry Hamilton (@GHamiltonOTF) January 2, 2016

Whaley is the No. 4 running back and 119th-best player overall in the 2016 recruiting class. He ran for 1,530 yards and 21 touchdowns on 230 carries this year for Beaumont Central (Texas) High School.

Whaley originally committed to Georgia, but those plans changed after the Bulldogs fired head coach Mark Richt.

"When Coach Richt got fired, it just wasn't feeling the same," Whaley said in December, per Bleacher Report's Damon Sayles. "He was a big part of why I chose UGA, and it just didn't feel the same."

Georgia's loss is Arkansas' gain.

MaxPreps provided some highlights from Whaley's junior season. Not only does his athleticism stand out, his ability to absorb and bounce off contact shines as well:

Listed at 6'0" and 209 pounds, Whaley would benefit from adding a little bit of muscle once he joins up with the Razorbacks. He's a good inside runner and will only improve in that regard should be bulk up slightly more.

Reporting from the practices ahead of the Under Armour All-American Game, 247Sports' Tom Loy was more than impressed with Whaley's more direct running style.

"Whaley doesn't waste energy dancing, he did a great job at finding the hole and exploding into the secondary," Loy wrote. "His legs looked fresh, and he caught the ball well out of the backfield when called upon."

While he does well in between the tackles, Whaley is also quick enough and agile enough to make defenders miss on the outside, and he'll be a tough back to bring down in the open field.

Whaley looks like the proverbial home run threat—capable of finding the end zone just about any time he touches the ball with green space ahead. In addition, his willingness to run inside will keep him on the field for more snaps and give Arkansas' coaching staff some options.

In a few years, Whaley could emerge as the best running back to come out of the 2016 class.

Note: Recruit star ratings are courtesy of 247Sports.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive end Anthony Brown is transferring from the school, Andrew Hutchinson of WholeHogSports.com reported Thursday.

Brown came in as a 2-star recruit from Miami but was seldom used as a freshman and did not play in a game during the 2015 season after being suspended in the spring by head coach Bret Bielema for an unspecified reason.

The 6'3", 270-pound sophomore took to Twitter after announcing his intent to transfer, and there didn't appear to be any ill will toward Arkansas in the message:

It feels like it was yesterday so many memories in so lil time I leave Arkansas a better man with a lot to prove. May all my brothers EAT!

— Anthony W. Brown III (@Anthony33brown) December 14, 2015

In an odd twist, Brown is one of four Florida recruits from his class who have now transferred from the school, per Hutchinson.   

Although his playing time at Arkansas was limited to three games in 2014, he did have a quarterback hurry and knocked down a pass against the Auburn Tigers, according to Hutchinson.

His situation this past season was an odd one. When he was initially suspended, it was thought he might not return at all in the fall, per Scottie Bordelon of SB Nation's Arkansas Fight. He did, but he never saw the field.

Brown has not announced his intentions for a new destination, but if he transfers to another Division I program, he will have to sit out the entire 2016 season.

Star rankings from 247Sports.

Arkansas is 3-1 both straight up and against the spread in its last four bowl games; Kansas State is just 1-4 both SU and ATS over its last five bowls. So the bowl betting trends seem to favor the Razorbacks heading into their scrap with the Wildcats in the Liberty Bowl in Memphis, Tennessee.

Liberty Bowl point spread: The Razorbacks opened as 13-point favorites, according to sportsbooks monitored by Odds Shark (line updates and matchup report).

College football pick, via Odds Shark computer: 35.6-19.0 Razorbacks

Why the Wildcats can cover the spread

Coach Bill Snyder's Wildcats opened this season 3-0 but then struggled through a six-game losing streak. However, half of those losses came by one score or less, two of them in the final two minutes. Then, needing three wins in its last three games to become bowl-eligible, Kansas State did just that, knocking off Iowa State, Kansas and West Virginia in succession to make a bowl for the sixth straight season.

The Wildcats trailed the Mountaineers early in the fourth quarter 23-17, but defensive back/kick return specialist Morgan Burns brought one back 97 yards for what turned out to be the game-winning score, his fourth kickoff return for a touchdown this season and his third in the last four weeks.

On the season, Kansas State is 4-3 ATS as an underdog and 1-0 ATS when getting double digits.

Why the Razorbacks can cover the spread

The Hogs stumbled out of the gate this season 1-3, fell to 2-4 after a loss to Alabama but finished with five wins in their last six games, including a 28-3 victory over Missouri in the regular-season finale. Arkansas outgained the Tigers by 139 yards, outrushed them by 120 and secured the cover as a 15-point favorite by pitching a shutout in the second half.

Arkansas has now outgained and outrushed six of its last nine opponents. It's also 6-2 ATS over its last eight games.

The Razorbacks would own a six-game winning streak if not for a late blocked field goal in a one-point loss to Mississippi State.

Smart pick

As the Bill Snyder era nears its end, Kansas State isn't the program it once was. The Wildcats have been outgained by nine of their last 10 opponents, six times by at least 130 yards. Arkansas, meanwhile, is averaging 40 points per game its last six times out, and that's without the overtime periods. The smart money here lies with the Hogs.

Betting trends

• Arkansas is 7-2 ATS in its last nine games against the Big 12.
• Kansas State is 1-8 ATS in its last nine bowl games.
• The total has gone under in Arkansas' last nine bowl games.
• The underdog has covered in six of the last eight Liberty Bowls.

All point spread and lines data courtesy of Odds Shark. All quotes gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted. Check out Twitter for injury and line movement updates and get the free odds tracker app.

We've seen this script recently from the Arkansas Razorbacks.

But like any good Hollywood director would do, head coach Bret Bielema has a few tweaks for his sequel to 2014's blockbuster of a late-season surge.

Arkansas picked up its fourth consecutive and most impressive win of the 2015 season Saturday night, dominating an LSU team that was ranked No. 2 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings a couple of weeks ago.

It doesn't matter what side of the ball you looked at for Arkansas in its 31-14 win over LSU in Baton Rouge—the Razorbacks had the clear edge.

Bret Bielema: "To get one over here -- at night -- shows what we're about."

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) November 15, 2015

Arkansas' defense, which had been struggling with injuries all season long, consistently fought through the LSU offensive line for big plays. 

The Razorbacks entered Week 11 with eight sacks in nine games, a rate that ranked fourth-worst in the country among all FBS programs. LSU, on the other hand, was tied for 17th nationally in sacks allowed.

So, naturally, Arkansas sacked LSU quarterback Brandon Harris five times for a loss of 42 yards Saturday night in Death Valley.

But the Arkansas front wasn't done, as it limited falling Heisman contender Leonard Fournette to just 91 yards on 19 carries—the superstar sophomore's second-lowest total of the season.

Bielema on how they stopped Fournette: "He's very good once he gets shoulders downhill." Focused on making him go east-west

— Chandler Rome (@Chandler_Rome) November 15, 2015

This was the same Arkansas defense that allowed 222 rushing yards to Ole Miss last weekend, 162 to Auburn last month, and 171 to Texas Tech earlier this season.

It wasn't quite the 17-0 shutout effort Arkansas put on LSU last season to spark a late-season turnaround of three wins in its final four games.

No, this Arkansas team is looking better on the offensive side of the ball.

The Razorbacks put up 440 yards on the LSU defense, giving them at least 400 in each of their four straight wins. Brandon Allen didn't have nearly as impressive of a game as he had last weekend in the wild overtime upset of Ole Miss, but he didn't really need it.

"Arkansas Offensive Coordinator Dan Enos has said a balanced offense isn't equal rushing and passing. Enos defines balance as being able to take what the defense is giving you," Otis Kirk of Hawgs247 wrote. "If they need to pass, that is what they do, as evidenced by the Ole Miss game...or they can win it on the ground, as they did tonight."

Arkansas scorched LSU with a season-high 299 rushing yards. The powerful style of football was peak Bielema, who turned Wisconsin into a machine with that same kind of offense.

Running back Alex Collins averaged 8.8 yards per touch against the Bayou Bengals, and wide receiver Jared Cornelius put any talk of an LSU second-half comeback to bed with a slick 69-yard touchdown on a reverse.

Arkansas strikes again on the big play:
Arkansas WR Jared Cornelius takes the handoff on the sweep ... https://t.co/NNVilYyyBy via @ESPN

— Feeding the Hogs (@FeedingHogs) November 15, 2015

Despite a weak performance on third downs, Arkansas only committed two penalties and was able to cash in on most of its scoring opportunities.

While the defense kept LSU off the board for most of the game, the offense made sure there would be plenty of room for its teammates on the other side of the ball to operate.

"We're not known for quick-strike touchdowns, but any time we can get points on the board we're going to take them," Allen said, per Matt Jones of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "We have people on our offense who are able to make big plays like that. They're starting to pop up here late in the season."

Now Arkansas is bowl-eligible with two winnable home games coming up against Mississippi State and Missouri. The Hogs just need victories in two of their final three games in order to surpass the record they posted last season.

As Bielema noted Saturday night, Arkansas will have a good bit of starters and contributors coming back for next season, and a strong finish to the season should set up quite a bit of hype for 2016.

Perhaps Arkansas could learn from the mistakes that doomed the team during the first few games of the 2015 season, when it went from being ranked in the preseason to 1-3 with home losses to Texas Tech and Toledo.

Next season, the Razorbacks will have a tough-looking road matchup at TCU in Week 2, but they could start the season stronger with wins over the likes of Louisiana Tech and Texas State.

The fact remains that when it's clicking, Arkansas under Bielema is the team no one wants to face in the SEC West. It's knocked off three bowl-bound teams in its last four weeks and blew the doors off a FCS foe.

Bielema: When you play Arkansas, want you to know you're in a street fight. Think we get respect in our league before we take the field now.

— Kyle Deckelbaum (@KyleDeckelbaum) November 15, 2015

If Bielema can continue to keep this momentum going through the rest of the year and into 2016, he'll have more than another fun comeback story on his hands.

He could be in charge of an entire must-see franchise.

Game statistics courtesy of StatBroadcast. Unless otherwise noted, other statistics courtesy of CFBstats.com. 

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.

It doesn’t really matter the setting, time of year or whom he’s addressing—when Bret Bielema speaks as the University of Arkansas head football coach, everyone can count on a few things.

His words will be emotional and confrontational, draw attention and may not be exactly eloquent. He will say what’s on his mind and what the average fan is thinking, and he won’t really care about whose coaching feathers he could be ruffling.

If you don’t wear cardinal red, then Bielema doesn’t necessarily care if you don’t like the message. He won’t make excuses for the times he doesn’t use coachspeak, and he’ll never apologize for being the biggest fan of his own players.

That’s just the way he is, like during this week’s Southeastern Conference teleconference with reporters while fielding questions about Saturday’s game at No. 8 Alabama.

"Nothing prepares you for this venue," Bielema said about Bryant-Denny Stadium. He called the 52-0 defeat there two years ago "probably one of the most embarrassing losses for me as a head coach, personally."

Regarding powerful Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry, he said, "I don’t know how pretty his stride is and all that jazz, I just know he’s a really good player." Regarding Nick Saban: "We’re trying to put a little speed bump in 'The Process.'"

And then, like usual, Bielema was a little off with a detail but otherwise dead on in his assessment: "They’re an NFL front. They have 12 to 13 guys in the interior D-line that play a lot of football. You have guys who are listed as third string who come in and make an unbelievable play."

Alabama does, in fact, have players listed as third string who are making big plays, but the number wasn't quite right. It’s been rotating 10 defensive linemen but will creatively attack with its linebackers.

The point is that Bielema isn’t a stereotypical football coach. Nor does he want to be.

He enjoys reggae music, embraces "flip-flop Fridays" and met his wife in a Las Vegas casino. Not only does Bielema frequently tweet @BretBielema, but during the offseason the couple posts recipes with step-by-step pictures.

"He’s his own guy, and he’s going to do it the way that works for him," said associate athletic director Kevin Trainor, who heads Razorbacks sports’ public relations department and gets the phone calls whenever Bielema says or does something out of the norm.

That’s pretty often. A perfect example was early in training camp, when reporters and players alike saw running back Alex Collins and wide receivers Jojo Robinson and Cornelius Floyd carrying a mattress around the practice field. It was their punishment for being seconds late to a team meeting.

Bielema wanted to make a point while embarrassing them in a way no one would forget. It was strength and conditioning coach Ben Herbert who saw the mattress and said, "Ooh. I think it’s wet, too."

Stories like that make Bielema such a big hit with national media, along with his refreshing answers, even though they sometimes need to be double-checked.

“I love it from him because it shows that he’s human,” said Tom Murphy of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette, who calls Bielema "The Malaprop King."

But while that didn’t necessarily play well in Wisconsin (one time Bielema accidentally referred to a player as self-defecating instead of self-deprecating), he was able to quickly connect with the Razorbacks fans. Unlike his predecessors, he is viewed as being one of them.

That didn’t really happen at his previous job. Although he was Barry Alvarez’s handpicked successor, Bielema sometimes came across at Wisconsin like he does while wearing a suit: uncomfortable. Yes, he had success, but he was following a local legend who continued to cast a large shadow.

Bielema inherited some of the assistants, such as offensive coordinator Paul Chryst (now the Wisconsin head coach), but he grew frustrated at the lack of competitive salaries for them. He also publicly feuded with other coaches, including former Minnesota coach Tim Brewster and current Ohio State coach Urban Meyer—somewhat like he has this fall with Texas Tech's Cliff Kingsbury.

Year, Team	Record	AP Highest
2006 Wisconsin	12-1	6
2007 Wisconsin	9-4	5
2008 Wisconsin	7-6	8
2009 Wisconsin	10-3	16
2010 Wisconsin	11-2	4
2011 Wisconsin	11-3	4
2012 Wisconsin	8-5	12
2013 Arkansas	3-9	NR
2014 Arkansas	7-6	NR
2015 Arkansas	2-3	18
Totals	80-42

Part of the Badgers fanbase would never accept him simply because he wasn’t Alvarez, who is still Wisconsin’s athletic director. Bielema lost too many close games, or the fans accused him of running up scores. Despite having three straight Rose Bowl appearances, he was 1-5 against Ohio State, 2-3 versus Penn State and 2-4 in bowl games.

The fans were even more unforgiving when he left, claiming Bielema turned his back on the program that gave him his big chance. The truth was he had probably taken it as far as he could—somewhat similar to what his mentor Hayden Fry had experienced at Iowa. At age 42, Bielema had a 68-24 record but felt it was time for a new challenge.

"When you get a little older you get a little wiser," Bielema said. "I love to compete—don’t get me wrong. I think I used to relish that moment probably a little bit longer than I needed to, and it was competitive nature thing all the time. I was relentless at that. That probably rubbed some people the wrong way. I’d kind of remind people of it all the time. We were kind of successful, maybe a little overconfident.

"Don’t confuse confidence with cockiness. I really believe that. I want our players to be confident, as well as me, but a lot of times people confuse that with cockiness and I can see how that came across at an earlier age. I’m very respectful and humble for what I’ve been given here."

Enter Arkansas, which, after having scandalous Bobby Petrino and John L. Smith at the helm, was a mess. In addition to eight players being arrested, others were failing out of school, and the NCAA’s 2013 Graduation Success Rate report had Arkansas dead last in the SEC.

Although Bielema had been to Arkansas only once before on a recruiting trip, he liked what he saw and the program’s potential. Fayetteville was in the middle of a dramatically growing area, and five different SEC teams had combined to win nine national titles since 1998, including an unprecedented seven straight (2006 to 2012).

Why not Arkansas?

"First and foremost the demographics," he said. "I was excited that kind of like at Wisco you’re the main program in the state. No disrespect to Arkansas State; I love what they accomplish and what they do. To be the one program in the state in the Power Five conferences and then not have any pro teams in the state, I knew it was a chance to kind of galvanize the state if you did things right, and get everyone behind you from east, west, north, central...

"That’s been really fun."

Moreover, the money was better, not just for him but for the assistant coaches as well. In addition to Arkansas paying the $1 million contract buyout to Wisconsin, his salary went from $2.5 million to $3.2 million, and Bielema recently got a bump to $4 million this year ($4.25 from 2016 to 2020).

That was despite not having won an SEC road game yet (which he’s since rectified), but perhaps last year's defense was the best indication of the program’s progress. Arkansas went from giving up an average of 25.8 points in August and September games to just 9.5 in November.

After playing eventual SEC champion Alabama and then-No.1 Mississippi State both close, Arkansas became the first unranked team since 1942 to shut out Top 25 teams in consecutive weeks, defeating Ole Miss and LSU by a combined score of 47-0. For an encore, it limited Texas to 59 yards during a 31-7 bowl victory.

Winning that game against its former Southwest Conference rival was a big deal to the Arkansas fanbase, which Bielema understood and stoked. During a photo with Texas counterpart Charlie Strong, he appeared to give a “Horns Down” signal, which the coach said wasn’t intentional, but at SEC media days he described taking a knee in the Texas Bowl as both “fulfilling” and “borderline erotic.” 

That was definitely intentional, along with his attire. After Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen drew attention by sporting a new pair of Adidas Yeezy Boost shoes the day before, Bielema showed up wearing custom Air Force 1s and mentioned that being with Nike helped him in recruiting after being at Wisconsin (which was an Adidas school).

“When they first hit the sunlight I had to put on my sunglasses,” fifth-year quarterback Brandon Allen said. “They’re pretty out-there shoes.

"It’s just like him to wear those shoes and pull it off."

Similarly, Bielema, who was a marketing major at Iowa and has the Tiger Hawks logo tattooed on his left calf, sparked a rift with Auburn fueled by a statement during one of his numerous preseason speaking engagements: “I know you guys know I really hate Auburn.”

“He’s kind of the anti-Gus Malzahn,” Bob Holt of the Arkansas Democrat Gazette said about their personalities. “He has a lot of bravado. I don’t think it’s false. You can see why he’s such a good recruiter.”

At the 2014 media days, Bielema brought three seniors he thought “represent what Hog Football is all about” and topped that by putting the starting five offensive linemen on the cover of the 2015 media guide.

“I think it’s awesome. I really do,” Allen said about the cover that could have featured him or the high-profile running backs. “Playing offensive line is so tough. You play the dirtiest, the grittiest position and you get no recognition for it. So any little thing you can do, take them to dinner, put them in first class on our planes, put them on the cover of the media guide—I think that’s huge. They deserve every bit of the recognition that they get.” 

It was anything but surprising. During last season’s 45-17 victory over UAB, he had 350-pound lineman Sebastian Tretola throw a short touchdown pass. And not only did Bielema say during his halftime interview “Coming to Arkansas, if you’re an o-lineman, we’ll make you famous,” but the school started a mock Heisman Trophy campaign for the guard. 

That’s the real key of Bielema’s success—the way he’s been able to relate to his players. Sometimes it’s with humor or how his emotions show through, like when he started to tear up on senior day when players he didn’t recruit were being honored.

They’ve responded, and although Arkansas is off to another tumultuous start, having lost to Toledo, Texas Tech and Texas A&M (in another heartbreaking defeat), only to turn around and win at Tennessee, the coach continues to take the pressure off the players and keep Razorbacks football fun. 

“I feel like it was a blessing in disguise,” said senior running back Jonathan Williams, who was sidelined by a foot injury during training camp, about the turmoil during his first years on campus. “Nothing against the former coaching staff, I liked them obviously because I committed to them, but having Coach Bielema the way he is, how personable he is, how much of a competitive coach he is, I see the program turning around.”

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.

Two weeks isn't that long of a time.

But that's been more than enough for Arkansas to fall from a dark horse in the SEC to a squad facing back-to-back home nonconference losses and a whole host of issues.

"Wish I could say something to make people feel better," Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema said after the game, per radio host Bo Mattingly. "We're just not good enough to win without playing a perfect game."

The Razorbacks fell 35-24 on Saturday evening to Texas Tech in Fayetteville, failing to bounce back from last weekend's crushing 16-12 loss to Toledo in Little Rock.

In just two weeks, Arkansas has fallen from the No. 18 team in the land to a team that will have to go at least .500 in SEC play just to make a bowl game.

Two weeks is a lot shorter than 10 months, and that's about the length of time the Razorbacks spent as one of the SEC's new "it" teams.

Last November, Arkansas posted consecutive shutouts over ranked divisional foes LSU and Ole Miss. The next month, it held Texas to just 59 yards of offense in a blowout postseason victory.

But that momentum the Arkansas defense generated seems like ancient history after Saturday's loss to Texas Tech.

One week after giving up 318 yards to Toledo, Arkansas' defense surrendered 486 to the uptempo Red Raiders, who averaged 8.6 yards per play.

Before Texas Tech worked the clock in the fourth quarter, Bob Holt of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette noted how much the Red Raiders moved the ball in less than 16 minutes of possession:

Texas Tech has gained 413 yards in 15:45 time of possession.

— Bob Holt (@BobHoltADG) September 20, 2015

Texas Tech had two turnovers and missed a short field goal late, but its offense never punted. Every other drive resulted in a touchdown for the Red Raiders.

While the Arkansas offense can point to several injuries as part of the reason for its slow start to 2015, the defense simply can't.

The Razorbacks have had too much turnover from the defense that handled Texas Tech last season, and the replacements simply haven't lived up to expectations.

This Arkansas defense is bad. Some of us thought they would have trouble without 5 of top 6 defenders from '14. Sure looks that way so far.

— Gabe Bock (@GabeBock) September 20, 2015

Even worse, one of the areas in which Arkansas returned the most starting talent—the secondary—was overmatched for the most part Saturday.

Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes finished 26-for-30 passing for 243 yards, and those numbers included a pair of Mahomes interceptions.

According to CFBStats, Mahomes' completion percentage of 86.7 percent was the best against Arkansas since Auburn completed eight of nine passes in their 2013 matchup. Before that, one would have to go back to Texas' 91.3 percent clip against the Razorbacks in 2008.

Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury rubbed some more salt in the wound for Arkansas after the game by calling out Bielema, according to Ken Bradley of Sporting News.

"That's a program that prides itself on being physical," Kingsbury said. "At the Texas High School coaches convention this summer he stood up and said if you don't play with a fullback we'll kick your ass, if you throw it 70 times a game we'll kick your ass and he just got his ass kicked twice in a row and probably next week by A&M as well."

While that physical defense struggled Saturday against Kingsbury's pass-heavy attack, Arkansas' offense failed to keep up the pace.

The Razorbacks hit a groove during the first half, scoring touchdowns on three straight possessions.

After the break, though, they scored just three points, turned the ball over twice and had a crucial touchdown called back in the fourth quarter for offensive pass interference.

This inefficient performance came against a Texas Tech defense that surrendered 637 yards and 45 points to FCS program Sam Houston State in its season opener. 

As health continues to be a problem for the skill positions after wide receiver Jared Cornelius' horrific arm injury against Texas Tech, the Arkansas offense must hit a treacherous SEC schedule against some fearsome defenses.

Well the good news for Bielema is he won't be playing many unranked teams the rest of the way. 1-2 against those.

— Stewart Mandel (@slmandel) September 20, 2015

And with a defense that had a hard time getting off the field Saturday and a special teams unit that hasn't impressed early, the road is only going to get tougher for Bielema and his team.

Outside of the homecoming game against UT-Martin on Halloween, Arkansas doesn't have a guaranteed win left on its schedule.

Date	Opponent	Location
Sept. 26	Texas A&M	Arlington, Texas
Oct. 3	Tennessee	Knoxville, Tennessee
Oct. 10	Alabama	Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Oct. 24	Auburn	Fayetteville
Oct. 31	UT-Martin	Fayetteville
Nov. 7	Ole Miss	Oxford, Mississippi
Nov. 14	LSU	Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Nov. 21	Mississippi State	Fayetteville
Nov. 28	Missouri	Fayetteville

Now, after the two losses to Toledo and Texas Tech, Arkansas now has to win at least half of its SEC games in order to be eligible for the postseason—a far cry from the heights of the preseason hype that surrounded this program.

With nine games left in the season, there's still room for Arkansas to get healthier on offense and improve on defense. 

But the buzz surrounding these Razorbacks has quickly changed for the worse.

If Arkansas continues its inconsistent play in all three phases of the game, Bielema could go from preseason hog heaven to postseason hot seat in just a few months.

All game stats courtesy of Arkansas' StatBroadcast.

Justin Ferguson is a college football writer at Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @JFergusonBR.

The University of Arkansas has lost wide receiver Cody Hollister because of a broken foot on Tuesday. 

Continue for updates.

---

Hollister Underwent Surgery

Thursday, Sept. 17

Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema told John Taylor of College Football Talk that Hollister suffered a broken foot during Tuesday's practice and underwent surgery to repair it on Wednesday. 

No timetable for a return has been announced.

Hollister joins Razorbacks top receiver Keon Hatcher on the injury list as Arkansas' pass-catching group is further depleted. Hatcher also suffered a foot injury and had surgery, according to Fox Sports' Bruce Feldman, and is set to miss at least six weeks. 

A junior, Hollister looked to be well on his way to surpassing last year's numbers. He recorded four receptions for 65 yards in two games compared to his 13 catches last season. 

Arkansas' aerial game will now be heavily reliant on the likes of Hunter Henry, Jared Cornelius and Drew Morgan, all of whom have over 100 yards receiving in two games combined apiece. 

The timing of these wide receiver injuries is less than ideal for Arkansas, who is coming off of a 16-12 loss against unranked Toledo despite passing for over 400 yards on the day. The loss sent the Razorbacks tumbling out of the Top 25 rankings after coming in at No. 18.

Now without a depth man in Hollister, opposing defenses have one fewer target to worry about and can further focus on the trio of Henry, Cornelius and Morgan. Arkansas has to find a way to put points on the board if it has any hopes of re-entering the Top 25 polls. And it'll need a passing game that can get in the end zone in order to do so.    

Stats courtesy of ESPN.com.

2015 began as a season of hope for Arkansas.

2014’s late-year surge to bowl eligibility, capped with a Texas Bowl stomping of old Southwest Conference rival Texas, sent expectations soaring in Fayetteville for Bret Bielema’s third season.

The Razorbacks were a Top 20 preseason pick and an SEC West dark horse, hype that was justified given the return of nine offensive starters, four offensive linemen and a pair of 1,000-yard tailbacks.

But following Saturday’s stunning 16-12 loss to Toledo in Little Rock, it appears to be time to recalibrate those hopes.

While Toledo is one of the best teams in the Mid-American Conference, the Rockets have no business going into an SEC stadium and winning, much less the way they did.

While Arkansas actually outgained Toledo 515-318 in yardage, the Razorbacks managed just 103 yards on the ground and passed the ball 53 times while rushing it 31. That’s a stark reversal from 2014, when the Hogs averaged 218 yards per game on the ground, No. 24 nationally.

Bielema: very disappointed. Today we earned that defeat by the things we weren't able to do

— Thomas Murphy (@TomMurphyADG) September 13, 2015

It shows just how much Arkansas misses senior tailback Jonathan Williams, who will miss at least the entire regular season with a foot injury suffered in August. While junior tailback Alex Collins also rushed for 1,100 yards last year (just behind Williams’ team-leading 1,190-yard total), Williams’ absence means the entire rushing game rests on Collins’ shoulders.

Saturday, that wasn’t such a good thing. Collins carried 20 times but managed just 54 yards and a touchdown, a paltry 2.7 yards per carry.

Meanwhile, Razorbacks' quarterback Brandon Allen threw for 412 yards. He set career highs for both yards and attempts (he threw 45 times for 296 yards in last fall’s 45-32 loss to Georgia). But such stats go against Bielema’s ethos: i.e., winning with a pounding run game.

A late-game series sums up Arkansas’ run-game issues. With just over three minutes left, the Razorbacks drove inside the Toledo 10 trailing 16-10. This was the exact time for the run game to take over and pound the ball home, right?

On 1st-and-goal from the Toledo 4, Allen threw into the end zone incomplete. On second down, he gave it to Collins up the middle, and Collins pushed near the goal line. But, wait: A holding flag.

That pushed Arkansas back 10 yards, nullifying the ground game’s impact. On 4th-and-goal from the 7, Allen targeted Hunter Henry at the back of the end zone, but his pass hit the crossbar, ending the threat with nothing to show for it.

So @RazorbackFB has thrown for 360 & rushed for 103? Has @BretBielema been kidnapped? #TOLEDOvsARK

— Ivan Maisel (@Ivan_Maisel) September 12, 2015

Given Bielema’s history, the series didn’t make a lot of sense, and Arkansas ultimately paid. We’ll see how quickly the offense learns from what is certainly a teaching moment.

Now, the real fun starts for the 1-1 Hogs. Next up? A home game with a potent Texas Tech offense, followed by a matchup against Texas A&M at neutral-site AT&T Stadium in Dallas and road trips to Tennessee and Alabama. There are no gimmes left on the schedule until a Halloween matchup with FCS foe UT-Martin, last seen on the wrong end of a 76-3 blowout at Ole Miss’ hands.

While the league is increasingly pass-oriented, a strong, physical offense, like the one Arkansas displayed in 2014, can still be successful.

The SEC West is one of college football’s best divisions and certainly its most unforgiving. Unless Arkansas gets back to its offensive foundation, the Razorbacks won’t take a leap forward in 2015 and could even take a big step back.

McTelvin Agim, a 4-star defensive end recruit from Hope High School in Arkansas, has committed to play college football in his home state for the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Agim confirmed his decision via his Twitter account Saturday:

I am officially ending my recruitment and committing to The University of Arkansas🏈. Not time just yet for me to leave this state. #WPS 🐗🐗

— McTelvin Agim (@So_Splash) September 5, 2015

Agim is regarded as the Class of 2016's third-best strong-side defensive end prospect and the No. 53 recruit overall, according to 247Sports' composite rankings.

Already sporting a stout 268-pound frame with a height of 6'2.5", he is also listed as running a 4.70-second 40-yard dash, per 247Sports. Such a combination of size and speed is rare for anyone, much less a teenager.

Arkansas has to be thrilled that Agim is joining the fold. He has the functional strength and frame to make the instant leap to top-notch NCAA competition and be a dependable contributor.

Because of his quickness for his size and natural instincts, Agim is rarely out of position when in pursuit, taking proper angles and closing fast with an explosive burst. This serves him well in defending the run, but he's also a dynamic pass-rusher.

Agim registered a whopping 22 sacks as a junior, steamrolling the competition with superior athleticism and a nose for the ball. Although Arkansas isn't the biggest football state in the country, it's impossible to ignore the type of production he enjoyed in high school.

Depending on the type of defensive front Arkansas wants to deploy in the coming years, it could conceivably slide Agim inside to defensive tackle if it bulks him up a bit or have him function as a 3-technique edge presence.

On the other hand, he could focus on quickness and getting the most out of his body, as he stands to become more of a speed-rusher off the edge. Arkansas has the enviable opportunity of molding Agim for the next stage of his career.

Once Agim settles into a position, he figures to be an absolute force, with the upside to eventually go to the NFL. But there's plenty of work to do between now and then, and he figures to shine in college for multiple years before even thinking about that potential jump to the pros.

You just don’t replace a running back like senior Jonathan Williams.

There’s no way for Arkansas to suddenly find his experience, talent or leadership on the roster midway through training camp, and it can’t just trade a future prospect for a comparable veteran like teams do in the pros.

Last year Williams accumulated 1,190 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, even though every opponent was geared to try to stop him. His career numbers of 2,321 yards and 5.72 yards per attempt put him among the program’s all-time leaders in both categories.

Williams was optimistic about the 2015 team, voted second-team All-SEC and represented the Razorbacks at media days, which made him a good bet to be voted a team captain.

Only his season is already over after suffering a foot injury during a scrimmage over the weekend. Many wonder if the team’s hopes of getting out of the SEC West cellar are gone as well.

“I have no doubt that Jonathan will come back stronger than ever,” Bret Bielema said in a statement. “Anyone that knows Jonathan Williams knows this is just another opportunity for him to prove the man of character and substance that he really is.

"It's an unfortunate injury to a great young man, but we are in the process of gathering as much information as possible. There are short- and long-term impacts of how he proceeds, and we want to make sure he does what's best for him and his family and his career beyond Arkansas."

The latter part of that alludes to the strong possibly that even though Williams never had a redshirt season, he might have played his last game with the Razorbacks.

It was a tough decision for him not to enter the 2015 NFL draft, and as part of the league's "I am the SEC" promotion, Williams openly talked about his family’s financial struggles while he was in high school. After his mother and father both lost their jobs, the family came close to being evicted from their home in Allen, Texas.

"I prayed a lot about it," Williams said. "Coach Bielema helped me out. A lot of it was he preaches becoming a man on and off the field, and I just wanted to graduate. It would have been easier to go to the NFL.

"Just seeing the potential of this football team and seeing where we could be going this season, I definitely wanted to be a part of it. I didn’t want to be watching on Saturday mornings, Saturday evenings, and wishing I was part of the Razorbacks still."

Nevertheless, Williams is just one class short of finishing up his communications degree. He can take it while recovering from foot surgery and participate in the fall commencement ceremony.

If this discussion was about one of the other top running backs in the league—such as Nick Chubb at Georgia, Leonard Fournette at LSU or Derrick Henry at Alabama—the doom-and-gloom talk would be nothing short of deafening, with scores of fans writing off the season before it even started.

Arkansas won’t, though, at least not yet. Yes, Williams is a huge loss because quality 1,000-yard running backs aren’t easy to find, and yes, to use a medical analogy, the paddles have been brought into the room, just in case. 

The Razorbacks may be dangerously close to being on life support but the offense wasn’t expected to live or die with Williams alone this season, and there’s enough depth at his position that the Razorbacks can compensate for his loss.

Even with a new offensive coordinator, Dan Enos, this was supposed to be the year that Bielema really seemed to have all the pieces in place to field his kind of team: physical and nasty but also diverse.

The offense has an established veteran quarterback in Brandon Allen who looks poised and ready to do more. Although the personnel have been juggled, the Razorbacks have another massive offensive line. Tight end Hunter Henry is prepared to make bigger contributions, and the young receiving corps figures to only get better.

Still, all of that was expected to revolve around the running game. Williams and junior Alex Collins were the only returning 1,000-yard rushing tandem in the Football Bowl Subdivision, and junior tailback/fullback Kody Walker stole the show during the spring game with 174 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

That’s more than Walker accumulated all of last season: 31 carries for 149 yards and one touchdown.

Collins, who had 204 carries for 1,110 yards in 2014, will have to shoulder a bigger load, which he can do, but Williams was a better receiver and short-yardage option and had played in 36 games. He knew how to get through the grind.

So some elements of the offense will have to be tweaked or shelved, but there's no reason to think that Walker and some of the other, younger running backs can't step up and help fill his void.

One favorable thing about Arkansas not facing an SEC opponent until the neutral-site game in Dallas against Texas A&M on Sept. 26 is it will give coaches time to get some players like freshman tailback Rawleigh Williams III and redshirt freshman fullback Tyler Colquitt extra work.

But then the Razorbacks go through a meat grinder, with seven of the final nine games against ranked opponents and the only relief being a bye sandwiched between at Alabama and Auburn and a Halloween matchup against the University of Tennessee-Martin. That sets up the unbelievable final month of at Ole Miss, at LSU, Mississippi State and Missouri.

That’s brutal by any standard and means that Bielema and Arkansas now have a new primary concern/enemy for the rest of the season: attrition.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer. Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.