FAYETTEVILLE -- For this Arkansas bye week, the twos become ones, the ones become twos, the place-kicking job becomes "opened up for competition" and when he's not coaching he'll be out recruiting, including on CBS national television, Bret Bielema said Tuesday.
Bielema's Razorbacks (3-2, 0-2 Southeastern Conference) come off a hearbreaking 35-28 overtime loss to No. 6 Texas A&M, which the Razorbacks led 28-14 in the fourth quarter, but don't play again until Oct. 11 against No. 3 Alabama at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville.
Bielema went recruiting Sunday and Monday, returning Tuesday just in time for a noon press conference. He'll supervise practice thorugh Thursday, fly on the school plane for recruiting visits Thursday and Friday and wind up Saturday in New York as a CBS college-football analyst during the Alabama-at-Ole Miss game before returning to Fayetteville for a Sunday practice.
Of course, Bielema can't actually recruit on CBS but he said the CBS invitation to analyze Saturday's college games "presented an unbelievable opportunity for exposure for our program."
"It doesn't have anything to do with me," Bielema said. "I've probably got more of a face for radio."
A reporter informed Bielema that Auburn coach Gus Malzahn had done the CBS in-studio gig during an Auburn off week and was able to devote off-air time for prep and scouting work.
"Yeah, I'll do it just like Gus," Bielema said with a wry smile. "You like that one, don't you."
Bielema said with his laptop computer he can watch video of his team and Alabama on recruiting trips and his off time Saturday at CBS.
Regarding the twos becoming ones and the ones becoming twos, Bielema,, for Tuesday's "intense" closed practice and the "get after it" practice today, said he reverses the increased reps time normally bestowed on the first offense and first defense and gives the second units the bulk of the reps.
First-team running backs Alex Collins, 86 carries for 621 yards and six touchdowns, and Jonathan Williams, 66 carries for 486 yards and eight touchdowns, will use the week to refresh and practice in green no-contact jerseys, Bielema said.
The bye week should allow Razorback freshman starting cornerback Henre Toliver and sophomore receiver Drew Morgan time to recover from freakish injuries, Bielema said Tuesday.
Toliver's eye injury sidelining him the remainder of the A&M came not from an Aggie but one of his own.
"Henre Toliver got hit by a football we (Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen) threw during the first quarter that came out of bounds and hit Henre straight in the eye," Bielema said. "So we lost him to friendly fire."
Toliver should be OK by the Alabama game, Bielema said. The concern initially was such that Toliver had to clear tests at a Dallas hospital before allowed to fly back with the team, the coach said.
Morgan, during a noncontact drill during the light Thursday practice before the A&M game, "fell down and dislocated his kneecap," Bielema said.
Morgan tried to play against A&M but was ineffective and pulled quickly, Bielema said. Bielema said he anticipates Morgan and ailing senior receiver Demetrius Wilson, withheld from the A&M game, to play against Alabama.
Kicking this around: Last February the Razorbacks signed high school All-American place-kicker Cole Hedlund of Argyle, Texas, but have been redshirting him with senior walk-on John Henson, since placed on scholarship, winning the job during the August preseason.
Now Henson, missing badly on what could have been 44-game winner in regulation against A&M and missing a 43-yarder against Northern Illinois, faces "open competition," Bielema said including Hedlund and walk-ons Adam McFain, winning the kickoff job two games ago, and Lane Saling.
"Obviously last week and then this week causes us to make a further evaluation of what the situation is," Bielema said.
Other than the hard practices Tuesday and Wednesday, closed practices that end with scrimmages for redshirts and non-varsity reserves, the Razorbacks will have a lighter practice Thursday geared towards working on Alabama, use Friday for weights and conditioning while the coaches recruit, then take Saturday off before Sunday's game-week launch.
Sports on 10/01/2014