Even with a lot of personnel changes on offense, there’s confidence around Fayetteville that Dan Enos’ offense is still going to score.

A bigger question looms: Will the defense be good enough to stop people?

It’s a very big question, because if the Hogs are going to break into the upper echelon of the SEC West and contend for a title, it’s the defense that has to get better. Much better.

We can’t look ahead with promise without looking back to the disaster that was 2015 on the defensive side of the ball for Arkansas. Let’s not forget these nuggets:

Losing to Texas Tech in September: Coming on the heels of a home loss to Toledo, this was a must-win game for Arkansas. What happened? The Hogs gave up 486 yards and were tagged with a second home non-conference loss.

The Ole Miss craziness: It might have been the most exciting game of the year, a wacky 53-52 overtime win for Arkansas that ruined the Rebels’ season, but you can’t forget that the Razorback defense gave up 590 yards and 52 points. If it wasn’t for Brandon Allen’s heroics, this would have been an embarrassment too.

Scoring 50 and losing to Mississippi State: The 51-50 loss to the Bulldogs was Arkansas’ only loss in its last seven games. It took the shine off a great stretch of the season. The defense gave up a whopping 631 yards, including 508 passing by Dak Prescott.

So that was that. There is nothing more embarrassing – especially in a league where defense was once its staple – than scoring 50 points and still losing. Things had to change, no question. That will come with better personnel, but even more importantly it will come with better coaching.

What Razorbacks fans are leaning on is the fact that the defense should be better – maybe even much better – at every level. It’s important when you look at it directly, but it also makes a big difference when you put all those pieces together. An improved pass rush, for instance, will leave a beleaguered secondary less exposed.

Here are a few pieces that should make the Razorbacks better:

Defensive line: McTelvin “Sosa” Agim was a critical recruit for Bret Bielema, probably the most important one during the BB era. He’s been providing an immediate spark this spring to a group that needs to be better. He can play inside and out, and as he proved in Saturday’s scrimmage, he can be a little feisty. That’s probably not a good thing in April, but maybe it’s showing that he won’t take any gruff come September. He was whistled for two personal fouls for throwing punches. “Sosa needs to continue to mature,” Bielema said. “He had two personal fouls today for punching guys and needs to learn. He would have been ejected. He is a very talented player and needs to take a step of maturity.”

Linebacker: Dre Greenlaw made an immediate impact as a freshman last year and with another year under his belt, he’s on the cusp of being a star. Brooks Ellis is always a stud. But what might really make this group better is the re-emergence of Randy Ramsey, who’s fought his way out of the doghouse and is getting a second chance from Bielema. He played well in 2014 but spent last fall back home in Fort Lauderdale clearing his head and deciding what’s important. Now he’s back, and could be a starter come September. He’s got talent, and so far he’s keeping his nose clean and playing well.

Defensive backs: It’s amazing how much a simple coaching change can make. Former Iowa State head coach Paul Rhoads has taken over running the secondary and the players are seeing immediate improvements. Joshua Liddell and Jared Collins have both said Rhoads is the best teacher they’ve every played for. Learning the game the right way will change how this group plays.

The focus has been playing with their eyes. It sounds simple enough, but the Razorbacks secondary was caught out of position constantly in 2015 and the goal – the goal from Day 1 of spring practice – was for that to change. So far, so good.

“I like how Coach B gave both sides of the ball some keys,” defensive back Kevin Richardson said earlier this week. “Ours were eyes. That’s something we’re all working on. We want to get our eyes better. Some of the big plays we gave up last season if we can fix them we will better.”