Page 6 - Arkansas Football Sept 2016

6K Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Sunday, August 28, 2016
ARKANSAS PREVIEW
Taste test coming up
Arkansas’ defense is salty, offense light on seasoning
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TOM MURPHY ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE
FAYETTEVILLE — Bret Bielema has had several opportunities this summer to project how his fourth team at Arkansas will fare this fall.
At SEC media days in mid-July, he sum- marized the Razorbacks’ three SEC losses last year — in overtime to Texas A&M, on a blocked field goal in the final minute against
Mississippi State, and “led Alabama at half and couldn’t close it out” — before con- cluding, “I realized we’re getting really close to where we want to be.”
Later in the day at Hoover, Ala., he drew an analogy without making a prediction.
“At Arkansas we’re not built very sexy. We’re just kind of a work in progress,” he said. “We need a lot of time in the bathroom to get
ready and come out and look great.
“But when we do, we’ll stop time. And at some point we’ll get to where we want to be. And when we get there, it just means
a little bit more.”
The Razorbacks were picked fifth in the
SEC West at media days, and Bielema was asked about it at the Northwest Arkansas Razorback Club golf outing in Bella Vista in late July.
“What they say in preseason polls has nothing more to do with it than what they say in barber shops and restaurants and chat rooms and all that stuff,” Bielema said. “What we say: The end of the season is what matters. ... All I know is we’ve im- proved every year and I continue to say it.”
Then at Arkansas’ media day on Aug. 7, when asked if he thought the Razorbacks were on track to contend this season, he said, “I feel good about where we’re at. When I say I know my team, that makes
2016 schedule
All times Central
DATE
OPPONENT TIME/TV
Sept. 3
Sept. 10
Sept. 17
Sept. 24
Oct. 1
Oct. 8
Oct. 15
Oct. 22
Nov. 5
Nov. 12
Nov. 19
Dec. 3
*SEC game
^at Arlington, Texas #at Little Rock
3 p.m./SECN
6 p.m./ESPN or ESPN2 6:30 p.m./SECN
Louisiana Tech
at TCU
Texas State
Texas A&M*^ TBD
Alcorn State# TBD Alabama* TBD Mississippi* TBD
at Auburn* TBD
Florida* TBD
LSU* TBD
at Mississippi State* TBD
at Missouri* 2:30 p.m./CBS
Bielema
DATE
OPPONENT
RESULT
W, 48-13
L, 16-12
L, 35-24
L, 28-21, OT W, 24-20
L, 27-14
W, 54-46, 4OT W, 63-28
W, 53-52, OT W, 31-14
L, 51-50
W, 28-3
W, 45-23
2015 results (8-5, 5-3 SEC)
Sept. 5
Sept. 12
Sept. 19
Sept. 26
Oct. 3
Oct. 10
Oct. 24
Oct. 31
Nov. 7
Nov. 14
Nov. 21
Nov. 27
Jan. 2
*SEC game
^at Arlington, Texas
#at Little Rock
$Liberty Bowl, Memphis
Texas-El Paso Toledo#
Texas Tech
Texas A&M*^
at Tennessee*
at Alabama* Auburn* Tennessee-Martin at Mississippi*
at LSU* Mississippi State* Missouri*
Kansas State$
me feel better. But on the same account, we’re in the SEC West.”
Translation: Bielema’s not making a prediction.
Not with the Razorbacks undergoing a huge overhaul on offense. Not with Ar- kansas trying to catch up to Alabama and others in the ultracompetitive SEC West.
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