The Razorbacks are in desperate need of a marquee win. Come to think of it, Bret Bielema may need one even more. Arkansas will have a chance to earn just that this weekend in Fayetteville.

Remarkably, Saturday will be the SEC home opener for Arkansas when a ranked Auburn comes to town. Razorback fans are well aware of the beating this Auburn team gave Arkansas last season and nothing would be sweeter than sending Gus Malzahn out of Fayetteville with a scorching hot seat Saturday night.

Bielema previews the matchup during Wednesday’s SEC Coaches Teleconference. Here’s a summary of what the Arkansas coach had to say during the call:

  • Opening statement: “Excited to get back home. Auburn is a team that we’ve had some good games with here at home. The guys are eager to get home in front of our fans.”
  • Thoughts on Jarrett Stidham? “He’s a guy in their system, they’ve had different guys. When they are rolling they put up points left and right. He’s talented, can execute the offense.”
  • Thoughts on Cole Kelley’s first game? “He’s an exciting player. Very aggressive, very confident. We’ve used him to spark us. He ran with his first opportunity last week.”
  • Why is there a perceived animosity between by these two schools? “Several players on each roster that know each other in recruiting. With Gus’s history here, I think that was more parlayed in the media that adds fuel to the fire. There is a respect level there.”
  • Thoughts on Auburn after watching the LSU tape? “The start of the game is so important and the same to the 2nd half. In the 2nd half, LSU was making more opportunistic plays. Whether you have success or failure, I think everyone feels it and the tide turned in that game for LSU in terms of momentum.”
  • Has the rebuild been tougher than you thought? “Great question. I walked into the environment in Wisconsin and I already knew things. To walk into this situation, you want to have success in Year 1, whether it’s X&O’s, recruiting, etc. You miss landmines that could come up down the road. There are many different factors that come into it. All the drama to Petrino and the JL era, turned it into a tougher job. There’s no one that wants to be positive these days, everyone wants to be negative. I’m excited, we just need to win games.”
  • What’s the biggest challenge? “The hardest thing, once you win, it’s easy to keep winning. Turning the corner is the toughest thing. We have to play hard for four quarters, that’s what we need to learn.”
  • Status of Ramsey, Patton, Austin? “Ramsey 100%, Patton 100%, Gibson as well, full-go. Allen continues to make strides. He did not practice but he could play Saturday.”