Arkansas Football: Bret Bielema loses another must-win
In what has become a common occurrence, Arkansas football and Bret Bielema lost another must-win game, this time to Texas A&M in Arlington, Texas.
Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema totes that his Razorbacks are “uncommon.” What is uncommon in the Bielema era, however, is winning “must-win” games. To say that he is in the hot seat is an understatement.
It’s year five for Bielema and outside of his first two years, not much has changed. In fact, Arkansas has been more problematic than progressive for the past two seasons. Although injuries have plagued the Razorbacks, that doesn’t come close to covering what the real problems are. For starters, Bielema prides himself on his teams “winning in the trenches” with big offensive lines and a power run game.
Unfortunately, that offensive line has been worse and worse each year. His two quarterbacks, Austin and Brandon Allen, have been two of the most hit or hurried quarterbacks in the country. That’s three years of failing to find success at what Bielema hangs his hat on.
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His trench Hogs aren’t the only problems, though. Poor game planning, red-zone efficiency and who can ignore second-half woes all come back to one thing. Coaching. In today’s game, in which Bielema lost his fifth straight game to Texas A&M, Arkansas scored their first second-half touchdown against an FBS team since Mississippi State last season. That is abysmal.
What is more abysmal than that? Look at his record in the SEC. Arkansas is 10-13 in their league since 2013, which is only better than Kentucky and Vanderbilt. So how is he still employed after greatly underperforming at his job? I’ll give you 15.4 million reasons why.
Jeff Long tried to get it right only to be wrong
Arkansas athletic director, Jeff Long has done a lot for the University of Arkansas. After his hire of Bielema, he saw that the Razorbacks were starting to find success and wanted to keep the good times rolling. Long jumped the gun and gave the coach an extension that included a jaw-dropping $15.4 million buyout clause.
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Jeff Long thought he was doing the right thing, but unfortunately for him, he locked down a coach that would consistently hold emotional press conferences saying “The wins will come.” Sadly for Razorback fans and players, the wins have not come.
I have met Bielema. I have sat in his office across from him on his couch and talked to him. He is a genuinely great guy and I will never say anything other than that about him because it’s the truth. But being a nice guy doesn’t mean he’s getting the job done he’s paid to do.
The reality is that Arkansas is stuck between mediocrity and $15.4 million. Long will soon have to make a very hard and costly decision. Arkansas fans have been angry but as the losses keep coming, the cries for action are becoming deafening.
As hard as it may be, Long will have to relieve Bielema of his duties and soon. The Razorbacks have passed the event horizon and regardless of the outcome of this season, Bret Bielema has lost the loyal fans of Arkansas.
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The end of an era is at hand. Nationally, analysts are talking about the impending change and locally, so are season ticket holders and fans everywhere. I am a proud Razorback fan and Arkansas native who wanted Bret to have great success. Sadly, that didn’t come to fruition and I can say without a doubt, it’s time to move on.