The Walrus

As for the direction of the program and the Ole Miss game...we'll chat in Sept. As for the myth that people like you perpetuate about Morris and "those two national championships," read what The State (Columiba SC) wrote in 2015: "Chad Morris doesn’t hold the franchise rights to the Clemson offense anymore than Bill Walsh did on the West Coast offense...The seeds of Morris’ concepts were rooted in the spread, no-huddle scheme he embraced as a Texas high school coach – largely borrowed from Gus Malzahn...Much of Morris’ success at Clemson was because of the arm and strong will of quarterback Tajh Boyd, and the talent of receivers DeAndre Hopkins, Sammy Watkins and Martavis Bryant..." Jeff Scott and Tony Elliot - and Bret Venables took Clemson to the top while Chad Morris flopped at SMU. But you keep your hope alive...I'll wait on people to come to their senses and drop the rah-rah high school nonsense.

The Walrus never wanders...but he does wonder how so many people can be so clueless when it comes to the direction this program is headed.

You don't have to be conflicted to lament the fact that Arkansas fans have been sold a bill of goods with the hiring of a high school coach who has implemented a bad high school system yet the past staff and players got blamed for a 2-10 record. What a joke. Now some want to convince us a bowl game is just around the corner? Get serious. This pipe dream will crash in Week 2 when Ole Miss welcomes Arkansas to Oxford... Arkansas will have 6 wins alright...but it will take 2 seasons.

boss...seriously? Take a dive off a roof? Did you think of that one on your own or did you have help? Jeez...

Swine...absolutely with all sincerity I thought and still believe Coach Bielema would have won here. I have posted so many of these facts before but I gladly do so again. Fact - He recruited very well and is in no way responsible for last yrs poor recruiting class. Bielema's five classes had an average 247Sports Composite national ranking of 25.2, which is more than two spots better than Petrino (27.6) and more than six spots better than Nutt (31.4). The 2013, 2015 and 2016 classes each checked in at No. 23, giving Bielema three top-25 classes. Petrino and Nutt had only two top-25 classes apiece.In five classes, Bielema signed 25 four- or five-star recruits. That is two more than Petrino signed during his tenure and 14 more than Nutt signed over his final five years. 15 of those 4-5 star recruits were in spring practice with Morris. Bielema left a class in Dec. with an avg commit rating that ranked No. 22 nationally and No. 8 in the SEC. Unfortunately, Morris could not keep that class intact. As far as playing Bama football against Bama...Bielema's 2 best teams lost 14-13 and 27-14(in a game closer than the final score indicates). Regardless of what bar stool coaches will say...it takes longer than 3-4 recruiting classes to build a program. You might win in the short term (Petrino) with a couple of very good classes, but Bama wins because they have the talent 2-3 deep every year. Bielema was trying to build depth at the same time he was losing quality starters to graduation and to early NFL departures. Bielema's most glaring problem was putting together a staff that got along. Pittman left because of Enos and our offensive line never recovered. After a couple of good seasons, Robb Smith went rogue. After the Auburn debacle in 2016, Bielema used the off week to retool the D and look at the result against the eventual Eastern champ Florida. I could give you another essay on why I think he would have won but it's done...over. I'll say this - the great recruiting class Morris just landed has more glitter that previous classes but the rankings have it similar to previous classes. Please post your thoughts next yr when we go 4-8 and Morris is 0-16 in the SEC.

I hope Coach Bielema gets the job he wants and is finally allowed to coach without the constant nonsense from bar stool coaches who wouldn't know a draw from a trap. But, I also wish he would kick back, take 100k per yr as a consultant, and take every penny we owe him. Meanwhile, we can watch our program continue to digress into a bad high school team, led by a high school coach who couldn't win in the AAC. And as for "Jeffery," keep an eye on the fundraising campaign at Kansas,followed by the renovations the $$ will bring to the football stadium and venerable Allen Fieldhouse. KU moves forward and UA takes a giant step backward. Enjoy the ride guys...

More high school rah-rah nonsense from a high school coach...

Bama...what is memorable to me is that a new coach took a very young team that won 4 games the previous season, had 17 returning starters, and managed to post the first 10 loss season in school history. It's even more memorable when the fans blame the losses on the players (and the former coach) - not the HS coach and his embarrassingly poor HS coaching.

Yeah boss...because we all know the Greatest Coach in the history of the NFL can't evaluate talent, right?

I think the OT rule is just fine - especially in light of what the NFL has trotted out since its advent. On targeting, the rule is a good and necessary but I do believe the issue of the offensive player initiating the "target" should become a major point of emphasis. Too often the defensive player would make contact below the the head and shoulders until the offensive player lowers his head and or torso and causes a helmet to helmet hit. A defensive player should not be punished for this type of hit and I'm not sure the offensive player should either.

Hey...Arkansas has a coach who left a 14-22 record behind in the American Athletic Conference. Might as well grab his QB who guided that SMU juggernaut under Morris. I wish Hicks well - but Morris found out the SEC West was not the AAC last season and I suspect his new/old QB will learn the same lesson this season.

And I'll agree with you guys as well. Ty Storey gave everything he had to this team and should always be remembered for that - but sadly and with all respect, he's not an SEC caliber QB. Morris would like a grad transfer but I would certainly see if Noland is SEC worthy and if the frosh, Jefferson, can take the job, so be it. I will say something you guys will probably not agree with. Kelley should have been the QB last season. Morris should have designed a modified package for him the way he did for Storey. There would have been at least one, possibly two more wins and if you had an experienced Kelley coming back this season, with the very winnable non-conference schedule, there may have been a chance at 6-6. Unless Noland or Jefferson turn out to very very good...it will be another long yr.

Enos is a great hire...Bielema's teams did not suffer from a lack of offense but the inability to find the right D-Coordinator. One interesting note and one that did have a negative effect on the Arkansas offense involves the failure of Enos and Pittman to coexist. Enos apparently was not fond of the "road graders" Pittman wanted in the OL - Enos wanted a quicker and faster OL that could pull more and get out on screens quicker. Most believe the loss of Pittman was the end of Bielema's favorite O-scheme and has resulted in mediocre O-lines since. That said, I wish the very talented Enos had been offered the head job here instead of the high school coach who now occupies that position.

That's for you ESAD.

I wish Chandler would commit to Les. Maybe that would keep Chandler's father with his own team the night before games?

How's 4-7 gonna work for you next season Stoby? All the Morris apologists are talking about his players - his recruiting class. Well, you can start 11 skilled position players on offense and his O-line recruits are not highly ranked. The simplistic offensive scheme he ran this season will be no better next. We were sold a bill of goods on this guy...look at the two lowest rated coaches in this report. The one we wanted and the one we got!

Saban is unquestionably the GOAT. Saban inherited a program that had been broken by violations during two coaching regimes at Bama which resulted in "less than stellar recruiting." Saban built the juggernaut he runs now - the studs didn't just appear. When the inevitable occurs and Saban rides off into the sunset, I think Virtual's argument will be shown invalid as the SEC undergoes a sea change.

Stoby...we ran a "relevant" coach off to hire a bad high school coach. A D- for Chad Morris is a gift. It's a shame when everyone wants to blame a talented group of kids for the ineptness of a coach who is in way over his head. Bielema would have won 6-7 games this season with this group. And if Georgia is getting fed up with Kirby Smart - they are crazier than Arkansas! This league belongs to Saban - everyone else is a guest. When Saban does retire, I'd sure like to have Kirby Smart at the helm of my program.

Of course it's a different system Hogman and one that proved highly ineffective regardless of how much was installed. I recall OC Cheney making the same claim before he moved on. And I'm going to disagree with you regarding it's promise for the future. Ask Gus and the Auburn fans how that future looks... And Early..."funny" is sarcasm. What's "funny" is that we brought in a high school coach who spouted off a lot of slogans..."hammer down," "full tilt boogie" ad nauseam and he delivered an offense that wasn't close to the offense that Enos/Bielema ran, with Cole Kelley starting 4 games last season with that offense. Just look at the final two games as an example. Last season we lost on the final possessions against Miss St and Mizzou while this season, running a high school system we were blown out in both - with 6 total points! And you can expect the same next year. This coach is in way over his head.

Funny how Arkansas won as many games with Kelley as a starter last season than they won this entire season - yet he can't play for this coach.

Hugh Freeze...Ole Miss...Rcruiting Rank in 2012 #48...Recruiting Rank in 2013 #8...January 2016 - Boom Do you think anyone might find this "miracle" hard to explain?

OK boss...whatever you choose to believe. If you honestly think they didn't put Noland in because it "would't have been fair to him" in spite of the fact he would have given them the best chance to win, it got bridge between NYC and Brooklyn to sell you. If Noland shines tomorrow, I'll be the first one to get on and say I was wrong - but for now I'll repeat that Kelley gives them the best chance to win tomorrow with a package that plays to his strengths.

You folks tend to forget that Cole Kelley won 2 games as a starter last year, running Dan Enos' system, which required much more reading of pass routes. The TD pass he threw the other night against Ole Miss was not his primary receiver - in fact, he read that Pettway had single coverage. You also forget the current system was installed for Storey to play to his strengths and weaknesses. Story can't throw the ball downfield so this package are the short throws to TE's and RB's, generally ignoring WR's, and trying to get outside with his legs. You also forget Kelley didn't have Boyd or Whaley in the backfield last week. If Conner Noland was the answer. He would certainly have been in the game when Storey left against Ole Miss. Kelley is a good college QB who this staff had all week to install a package that fits his strengths. If they didn't do that, it is yet another example of coaching that is not ready for prime time.

Wolf...it's politics. When Fayetteville and NWA had a combined population of less than 100k, Broyles took the program to LR and established the 'brand.' Now that NWA is over 600k and the stadium was renovated to seat 75k, Broyles and Jeff Long began to move away from LR. BUT, that upset the good old boys in central and southern Ark and they put Long in their sights from Day 1. This is the #1 reason Long and Bielema were fired regardless of the excuses you hear otherwise. Long was going to end all games in LR and Bielema complained about LR being a road game and not being able to host recruits. The Board gave in to yrs of lobbying, fired Long and Bielema, and hired a LR friendly AD and a Hootie Nutt 2.0 coach who says whatever the the people pulling his strings want to hear. Worse, the SEC allowed them to do it. The stadium is a wreck - not just the turf. You'll see for yourself next yr. It's a joke. A bad joke.

Rebel...I'm sorry to hear about Metcalf. I hope his surgery is a 100% success and his NFL future is not affected. You have every right to blame the University of Arkansas who succumbed to the pressure of big $$ donors and the SEC who simply "acted" tough when it came to games at War Memorial Stadium and but then gave their blessing. Again, I caution Mizzou fans...this is the type of nonsense you can expect as we farm out that game to LR.

Just a sample of what goes on when Arkansas wastes a home game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. It's a disgusting joke and an absolute embarrassment to the University of Arkansas - but destined to continue under the new regime. Missouri fans...this is what you can expect the next several years.

Hogman...I'm a "usual suspect" and I won't belittle what good we did. The Defense was excellent - and in reality, have played well all season. Most people don't realize our offense only ran 6 plays in the 4th Qtr and caused our D to be worn out (at 6000 ft.), or that our 6 turnovers against NoTex kept our D on the field the entire game in extremely hot conditions. We have some very good players on that side of the ball - and depth. That said...sure, special teams are a joke and we won't even talk about it. But, our offense is a joke as well. Morris said last week "he know's about offensive football." But he has shown since Day 1 he doesn't know about offensive football at this level. He simplified the game plan last night to the a Jr High offense. And the running game was fairly effective - because we have major league backs. But, we have no passing game, in spite of having a corp of very good receivers. And it's not just on Storey's lack of a strong arm (or on Kelley for that matter), it's on the simplistic patterns these guys are running. Thankfully, the "Hammerdown" nonsense has been abandoned - but we didn't have 300 yds total offense last night. And let's also face the fact that this Auburn team is not very good. They will be 4-4 in the league at best. Look, we have a good D because we have good players and a legitimate D coach. We have a HS-JHS offense, not because we don't have good O talent, but because we have a coach who is out of his league. Things will not get better on the offensive end as long as this guy is the head coach.

Razorhog said this: "People said the same thing about giving Bielema time, but in time he never recruited which is evident now." I responded to that very popular misconception. What the coaches did with the classes is a fair point and I would submit that Bielema's teams lived up to their talent and showed steady improvement in Yrs 2-4 until those last 2 games. Bielema's team in his last yr certainly underperformed. However, I challenge you to argue that if Bielema were still coaching the current team, it would be 1-2. Hogman uses Broyles first two yrs (below) of how a new coach using someone elses players needs time. How is Moorhead faring at MissSt? How is Jimbo Fisher doing at A&M. Or Pruitt at UT? All in their first yr. Do you honestly think UT has more talent that Arkansas? Morris has had this team together since Jan and he and his HS staff have failed miserably to install a coherent offensive system. Regardless of how good the opponent, the vaunted Hammerdown "most explosive offense in college football" looks like kids drawing plays in the dirt. This is a sad joke and it's not going to get any better - certainly not this yr nor in the future. Morris is in way over his head in the SEC...and by the look of things, in the Mtn West and the Sunbelt too.

Bielema's five classes had an average 247Sports Composite national ranking of 25.2, which is more than two spots better than Petrino (27.6) and more than six spots better than Nutt (31.4). The 2013, 2015 and 2016 classes each checked in at No. 23, giving Bielema three top-25 classes. Petrino and Nutt had only two top-25 classes apiece.In five classes, Bielema signed 25 four- or five-star recruits. That is two more than Petrino signed during his tenure and 14 more than Nutt signed over his final five years. 15 of those 4-5 star recruits were in spring practice with Morris. Bielema left a class in Dec. with an avg commit rating that ranked No. 22 nationally and No. 8 in the SEC. Unfortunately, Morris could not keep that class intact.

Sorry, but this is nonsense and another lame excuse. London, you are correct about the basic simplicity of this offense. Further, you don't need as many skilled players to run it. Why do you think a majority of high schools run the system? Do you believe for a second the QB at Anytown, TX is smarter and more capable than the QB's we have on campus? Don't forget, Cole Kelly won 2 games last season in a much more sophisticated offense that Dan Enos installed than this one. And look...every one of these QB's were on campus by January. Morris had 9 months to teach this offense to not only the QB's, but the receivers, the O-line, and the RB's. Remember, this is a simple offense - a high school offense. So, if it's not being run properly by a team full of quality athletes with SEC experience(I won't get into the pedigree of each player. I've profiled that on numerous occasions) - whose fault is it? It's plain to see that this staff is in over their collective heads.