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Arkansas Football: It was time for Bret Bielema to go

By Chris Jackson

OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 28: Head Coach Bret Bielema of the Arkansas Razorbacks yells to a official during a game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Hemingway Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. The Razorbacks defeated the Rebels 38-37. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images)
OXFORD, MS - OCTOBER 28: Head Coach Bret Bielema of the Arkansas Razorbacks yells to a official during a game against the Ole Miss Rebels at Hemingway Stadium on October 28, 2017 in Oxford, Mississippi. The Razorbacks defeated the Rebels 38-37. (Photo by Wesley Hitt/Getty Images) /
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After five seasons leading the Razorbacks, Arkansas football has relieved head coach Bret Bielema from his position following a loss to Missouri.

Arkansas football fans had a very inconsistent ride during the past five years under head coach Bret Bielema. It has been a story of losses in must-win games and “we’re almost there.”

There was much speculation that this could be Bielema’s last year as the head Razorback even as far back as the offseason. As the year progressed, it was clear that change would be coming. When Arkansas fired athletic director Jeff Long earlier this month it was all but guaranteed the head coach would follow.

For the past half-decade, Arkansas fans have seen the rise of what seemed to be a promising era under Bielema and then watched as it slipped through their fingers slowly. Injuries have plagued the Bielema era and without a doubt played a role in the ending of his time at Arkansas but that wasn’t the only issues Arkansas faced.

Bret is 1-19 in games that his Razorbacks trailed at halftime. As much as we would like to say it was injuries that hurt Bret the most, obvious coaching problems are what eventually led to his termination on Friday. He finishes his career 29-34 overall and 11-29 in the SEC.

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For many, they seemed to gravitate towards when he was fired as some sign of disrespect. To correct all the statements going around, Arkansas fired him after the game, in his office, in order to let him tell his players and staff before they left on holiday. Unfortunately, reports went out he was fired before he got off the field, which has since proven to be false.

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