Head coach Bret Bielema and the Arkansas Razorbacks are set to begin SEC play Saturday against Texas A&M.

Bielema and the Hogs are in desperate need of a bounce-back performance following their outing against TCU. The Arkansas offense struggled for much of that game, and the defense struggled late as TCU scored 14 fourth quarter points on its way to a 28-7 victory.

Fans were frustrated with the performance against TCU, and a number of fans even signed a petition to bring in Mike Leach as head coach. Bielema is certainly on the hot seat moving forward, but Arkansas still has the opportunity to provide a strong finish to this season.

TCU appears to be a strong team that is now up to No. 16 in the AP Poll, and Bielema believes the Hogs learned some things from that battle with the Horned Frogs.

“I would much rather lose that game against a non-SEC opponent,” said Bielema, “Because we learned some things we needed to learn. The byproduct is now we get an A&M game that we’re very hungry.”

ESPNU Radio shared audio of Bielema’s comments on Twitter:

The Razorbacks and Texas A&M will square off Saturday in Arlington, Texas. Kickoff is set for 12 pm EST on ESPN. It will be the first SEC game of the year for each team.