FAYETTEVILLE -- When not affectionately calling his Arkansas defense the "Bad News Bears," Bret Bielema often refers to it as the "No-Name defense."
"New-Name" defense may be the more accurate moniker now. At least for the second-team defense.
During Saturday afternoon's scrimmage at Reynolds Razorback Stadium, more than a third of the second-team defense was manned by true freshmen. Hjalte Froholdt, the nose tackle from Denmark via Warren G. Harding High in Warren, Ohio, and IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., enrolled at the UA in January and went through spring ball.
Weakside linebacker Dre Greenlaw of Fayetteville, cornerback Ryan Pulley of Fort Myers, Fla. and safety Willie Sykes of Houston all are brand new to the Razorbacks. They scrimmaged Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium for the first time.
Bielema has praised all four throughout the August preseason and individually praised them again Saturday.
It was impossible not to notice Pulley and Greenlaw.
Pulley spied a pass by backup quarterback Austin Allen sailing for the picking. He plucked it, returning full stride for a 41-yard touchdown.
Third-year Arkansas Coach Bielema believes his Hogs are close to cornering their cornerback market with Pulley and sophomore Cornelius Floyd behind first-team corners Jared Collins and DJ Dean and first-team nickel/cornerback Henre Toliver.
"I have never been in a position where we have three solid starters at corner and now we add him [Pulley] in there and Cornelius Floyd has had a really good camp as well," Bielema said.
Most of Greenlaw's eight tackles Saturday were eye-catching, particularly two behind the line.
Though sophomore first-team middle linebacker Khalia Hackett made a scrimmage-leading nine tackles, Bielema didn't sound first-blush sold on his overall performance.
"We'll continue to evaluate that Mike [middle linebacker]," Bielema said. "But it is a little bit of a concern to me where I want to go."
ARKANSAS RAZORBACKS
They aren't called the Razorback Foundation Razorbacks but the Arkansas Razorbacks.
You wouldn't have known that, though, by the athletic department's invitation e-mailed to Razorback Foundation members for the "exclusive opportunity to attend a member's only football practice" which was Saturday's scrimmage.
Certainly for what they pay in donations for tickets and parking, Razorback Foundation members deserve the game-day privileges that their generosity entitles them.
But the unifying Arkansas essence of the Arkansas Razorbacks and the University of Arkansas they represent generates from them belonging to all of Arkansas.
Lose that Arkansas everyman loyalty and the Razorbacks eventually lose Arkansas. Lose Arkansas and they lose reason for their existence and the unique passions sustaining it.
Linda McBride, the widow of lifetime generous Razorbacks booster Bob McBride, a couple of years ago eloquently expressed the richness lost should the Razorbacks become reserved just for the rich.
"Just because we have been blessed with more wealth than some Razorback fans doesn't make us better than any Razorback fans," she said.
An open scrimmage like Saturday's was an ideal occasion for Arkansas inclusion, not exclusion.
Sports on 08/17/2015