FAYETTEVILLE — Bret Bielema sat on the plane ride home following a 27-14 loss at Alabama last week and considered the fallout.
"I spent a lot of time flying back from Alabama as a 2-4 coach, saying 'How do I spin this?'" Bielema said. "The bottom line, and the truth, really comes down to what you're made of and what you're about."
What Bielema was about following the loss was the time-honored "one game at a time" coaching script with himself, his coaches and players.
More from WholeHogSports
http://www.wholehog…">5 questions for Arkansas to answer in the season's second half
http://www.wholehog…">Fall break lets Hogs simulate early start
http://www.wholehog…">With Arkansas and Auburn struggling, is the SEC down?
http://www.wholehog…">Traffic flow changing for UA football games
http://www.wholehog…">Bring a rain jacket Saturday
http://www.wholehog…">Day cleared, but won't play vs. Tigers
His point was to remind everyone of how important it is for the Razorbacks (2-4, 1-2 Southeastern Conference) to begin the second half of their season with a win when they host Auburn (4-2, 1-2) on Saturday.
And despite any lingering disappointment following a first half of the season that saw Arkansas fall from the Top 25 to the bottom of the SEC, Bielema isn't looking ahead to the possibility of reaching a bowl game for the second straight year. He isn't talking about how the Razorbacks are likely to be favored in four of their final six games, or that they have four of those games at home.
"It's all about Auburn," Bielema said.
Arkansas was in a similarly desperate situation a year ago when it fell to 4-5 following a loss at Mississippi State.
Among those early losses was a 45-21 setback at Auburn to open the season, one in which Tigers quarterback Jeremy Johnson passed for 243 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.
Johnson was thought at the time to be the heir apparent to Nick Marshall, who was suspended for that first half, but the junior struggled to start this season and hasn't played since a 45-21 loss at No. 5 LSU on Sept. 19 — having been replaced under center by Sean White.
Regardless of who is at quarterback for the Tigers this week, and despite Arkansas' disappointing start, Bielema is drawing confidence from how the Razorbacks closed out their season a year ago.
Following that loss to Mississippi State, Arkansas won three of its final four games — earning bowl eligibility and defeating Texas 31-7 in the Texas Bowl. Arkansas' four losses this season have come against teams with a combined 22-4 record, a point Bielema brought up last week while trying to boost the confidence of the Razorbacks.
"I saw what this team did a year ago, and I see a lot of those same things coming to phase in front of us," Bielema said. "I know it's not where everybody wants to be at the right time, but the fact of the matter is that's what reality gives us right now until get a little bit better depth."