FAYETTEVILLE -- Although his Razorbacks play no game Saturday, Arkansas coach Bret Bielema calls this "a very crucial week."
Between emotional recovery from losing 35-28 in overtime Saturday the Southeastern Conference West game to the Texas A&M Aggies that Arkansas led 28-14 into the fourth quarter, physically correcting mistakes made in that game and catching up on recruiting, the Razorbacks coaches indeed have much to do this bye week before next playing the Alabama Crimson Tide in an Oct. 11 SEC West game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
"We have got to take advantage of the bye week and get ourselves ready for a very physical Alabama team," Bielema said.
Alabama, 4-0, 1-0, visits SEC West rival Ole Miss Saturday.
The Razorbacks players had Monday to rest and lift weights while the coaches caught up on recruiting. They will practice today through Thursday with coaches again hitting the recruiting trail while the players get Friday and Saturday off before launching Alabama game-week practices Sunday.
Ahead for the Hogs is more gauntlet than schedule. Off losing a heartbreaker to the No. 6 Aggies, Arkansas, 3-2, 0-2, with the other SEC loss at fifth-ranked reigning league champion Auburn, plays the third-ranked Crimson Tide Oct. 11 in Fayetteville, 12th-ranked Georgia Oct. 18 in Little Rock, its final nonconference game, Oct. 25 against Alabama-Birmingham in Fayetteville then Nov. 1 visits 14th-ranked SEC West rival Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss.
After a Nov. 8 open date, the Hogs finish with three SEC games against No. 15 LSU Nov. 15 in Fayetteville, No. 11 Ole Miss Nov. 22 in Fayetteville and Nov. 28 at Missouri, currently unranked but a Top 25 team at the season's outset and the reigning SEC East champion.
"Obviously a lot of people made a lot of reference to our schedule having the toughest in the country, something that we love," Bielema said. "But it laid out pretty good for us. We have five games, a bye week, four games, a bye week and then three weeks of games before we can get a chance to play again. Hopefully we'll do enough things in these remaining games to get an opportunity to play beyond that (a bowl game)."
Regarding injuries, the Razorbacks this week monitor freshman cornerback Henre Toliver, scratched eyeball during the Texas A&M game, and senior receiver Demetrius Wilson, who has sat out the last two games but with the open week should be ready to resume against Alabama, Bielema said.
Sports on 09/30/2014