FAYETTEVILLE – An informal poll around this town three or four weeks ago would have found mostly distaste for the changes to the Arkansas football team.
The defense couldn’t make a third down stop. Teams were getting yards in chunks. The red zone defense was holding up, but the team’s offensive teammates were not having near as much success in the final 20. Their yards were coming, too, but more through the air than on the ground. And because the points weren’t happening with increased aerial game, there was distress. Even loathing.
The brunt of that animosity was toward first-year offensive coordinator Dan Enos. Not unlike any other coordinator whose offense struggles, the questions directed him were loud, clear and, well, the same.
“Why didn’t you call this play?”
“Why are aren’t you passing/running more?”
“Do what works!”
All that. It wasn’t anything different than heard elsewhere across the SEC, or really elsewhere across the entire college football landscape.
But heightened expectations combined with the coaching staff’s stated intentions left the fan base, media and pundits wondering what exactly was going on. Arkansas ran for 182 yards against Texas-El Paso in its season-opener, but 70 of those came on one play. It drew some attention at the time, but the 48-13 meant no one paid attention for too long.
The next week, the pitchforks were out. Arkansas passed for 412 yards, but that wasn’t enough. The 103 rushing yards were unacceptable, it was said. The score definitely was. A 16-12 loss to Toledo had the masses calling for Enos’ job, head coach Bret Bielema’s and even athletic director Jeff Long’s. This was a team that had gone 2-14 in the SEC the last two seasons and promised next steps. The Rockets quashed those ideas to a large portion of the fan base.
But something happened over the following week. No one outside of the coaches’ meeting knows for sure, but the phrase “Come To Jesus” might be speculated. Bielema was never known as a coach who preferred the pass. His teams of the past were ball-control, and while Scott Tolzien and Russell Wilson provided competent and excellent quarterback play, those Wisconsin teams were still more about the running game when Bielema was there.
Against Texas Tech in Week 3 Arkansas was nearly split: 228 yards rushing, 196 yards passing. The team scored 24 points. It should have been closer to 35 as the red zone woes continued, but the loss, unlike the week before, couldn’t be blamed on the offense.
The fourth week was even better. A 232 to 225 mixture yielded the first game in which Arkansas ran for more yards than it passed. Still a win was left lacking.
Finally the chips fell against Tennessee. Mostly. The win came, anyway, 24-20 over the Volunteers. The yardage split was good, too, at 275 rushing and 219 passing.
Still, the red zone issues remain. Arkansas is scoring at 62.5 percent clip. That’s tied with Old Dominion and behind Charlotte, 125th in FBS. There are 128 teams.
Issues are expected in the first year of a new coordinator with a new coach. Some have been ironed out in Fayetteville. Some linger. If Arkansas wants to make good on all its promise – the team is currently 2-3 – or whatever remains of said promise, Enos will have to do a little more to earn his team’s way there.
Eric Bolin is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football and Arkansas.
