Bret Bielema Getting Arkansas Back on Track in His Own Way

HOOVER, Ala. — He sees the upward swing, feels the momentum changing and knows that the University of Arkansas football program is on the rise. But Bret Bielema is still quick to put things into perspective.

So when the coach met with his players recently he curtailed some of the buzz and excitement surrounding the Razorbacks by reminding them, again, of the “tremendous challenge” that lies ahead.

“We’re in the SEC West,” he said. “We’re a team looking to improve."

A “no excuses” guy who was doing everything imaginable to try to convince people that he was going to make a big splash in the SEC a couple of years ago, Bielema was more deliberate and methodical Wednesday afternoon than in his previous appearances at media days.

That doesn’t mean that the coach didn’t enjoy himself.

For example, after Mississippi State coach Dan Mullen drew a lot of attention for wearing a new pair of Adidas Yeezy Boost shoes Tuesday, Bielema showed up wearing custom Nike Air Force 1s.

“Just having a little fun,” he said. “We're a Nike school. First thing I said was, 'Hell, let's start a little Nike-Adidas war.'”

He then made a point of saying that his previous school, Wisconsin, had a contract with Adidas, yet being with Nike was helping him in recruiting.

When asked about South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier’s comment that the fans in Arkansas and Tennessee were doing backflips and cartwheels after having a 7-6 season, Bielema responded with: “I respect my elders.”

He also talked about having NFL-friendly schemes, of having an “abundance” of players on offense and “no-name guys” on defense—a unit he’s tabbed the “Bad News Bears.”

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Some would consider this stirring the pot, but it’s basically just the way Bielema is. Not many coaches would have put the offensive linemen on the cover of this season’s media guide to reward what might have been the most anonymous group on the team. “Selfishly, it’s the only group I feel good taking a picture with,” he quipped. “They won’t be on it next year, an extremely handsome group.”

Yet, for now at least, Bielema doesn’t have to do much to draw attention to his program because nobody wanted to face the physical Razorbacks at the end of last season.

Granted, Arkansas did see its SEC losing streak reach 17 games with a 17-10 defeat at Mississippi State, only to rebound with a 17-0 victory against LSU, a 30-0 win against No. 8 Ole Miss and finally the 31-7 pounding of Texas in the Texas Bowl.

“It just seemed like we couldn’t finish for some reason,” Razorbacks wide receiver Keon Hatcher said. “We just didn’t know what to do in the fourth quarter. Coach B kept telling us we’re close, we’re close for a breakthrough, we are almost there.”

Despite the successful closing stretch, Bielema is essentially continuing to send the same message, because in his mind the program hasn’t arrived yet. It still finished last in the SEC West and was the only division team to not be ranked in any 2014 Associated Press poll.

Respect was important step, but respect will only get a team so far.

“I’m a big believer that you earn everything in life,” said the coach, who won three straight Big Ten titles (2010-12) at Wisconsin before heading south to Sooie-land.

Obviously, the rebuilding hasn’t been easy, and to his credit, Bielema hasn’t taken any shortcuts. The schedule hasn’t been kind either, and this fall Arkansas will be the only SEC program playing back-to-back league road games not once, but twice.

Specifically, the Razorbacks play at Tennessee and at Alabama on Oct. 3rd and 10th, respectively, and at Ole Miss and at LSU on Nov. 7th and 14th, respectively.

“We still haven’t won on the road,” Bielema said. “The last five SEC West champions are 18-2 on the road. Three of those teams went undefeated and two teams lost one game apiece. So if we lose more than one game on the road, history tells you you're not going to win in the SEC West. That's something I've addressed to their players.”

Consequently, Bielema isn’t about to say that his team has arrived, or provide any sort of indicator of how far along the Razorbacks are in his rebounding plan.

But they’re getting a little closer with each season, each game and each day. 

“It’s kind of one of those things you build the program, and then you let it run itself,” he said.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Christopher Walsh is a lead SEC college football writer.

Follow Christopher on Twitter @WritingWalsh.