Arkansas Football: With Hogs reeling, are Bielema’s days numbered?

Another listless half of football has Arkansas football fans scratching their collective heads once again. Trailing 31-21 at half to Ole Miss, Brett Bielema‘s detractors are only gaining more ammunition.

This week was supposed to be different. Surely Arkansas would turn the corner? There’s too much talent on the roster to be this bad, right? Wrong. The Razorbacks continue to head in the wrong direction. Ole Miss is having its way offensively against a soft Arkansas defense. Pedestrian play on both sides of the ball continue to plague the Razorbacks.

Bielema’s supporters were shrinking before today’s game. You can bet those that are left, are looking for the nearest lifeboat to flee the sinking ship. Bielema’s buyout has been widely disussed. It sits at $5.9 million and is definitely a lofty number. However, Razorbacks’ fans can’t and won’t accept the current state of the program.

Bielema is 27-29 in four and a half years at Arkansas. Progress in the program is hard to find. Today’s game was winnable. The Razorbacks still have a half to turn the tide of the game. But the Rebels are playing a backup quarterback and have coaching “issues” of their own. This is a game that Bielema should win in year five.

Many times Bielema has claimed that the Hogs would win games with a stout defense and solid running game. That hasn’t happened. In fact, Arkansas has given up 66 points in its last four quarters of football. Winning defense is not being played. Far from it.

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Granted, this game isn’t over. Arkansas did find itself trailing 31-7 at one point. Rebels quarterback Jordan Ta’amu has thrown for 236 yards in the opening half. Ole Miss has rushed for 179 yards. Scoring the final 14 points of the half is a good start. Is it too little, too late for a fading Razorbacks’ team? A loss would make them 0-5 in league play. An almost unfathomable thought when the season began. A season that began with so much promise looks more and more like it will be Bielema’s final chapter in Fayetteville.