Most close to the Arkansas football program expected Bret Bielema to be let go soon after the final whistle blew against Missouri, regardless of the outcome of the game. Few, if any, expected Bielema to be dismissed from his job as he walked off the field. However, that’s exactly how it went down.

The immediate reaction to that decision was overwhelmingly negative by the SEC and college football community but according to a source of Bo Mattingly of Sports Talk with Bo, the Arkansas athletic department believed it was the right decision.

How so? According to Mattingly’s source, the decision to let Bielema go immediately will give him one final chance to speak with his team as a group before any players leave town with the regular season coming to an end and it being a long, holiday weekend.