FORT SMITH -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema had to put his wit to use Tuesday night at the Fort Smith Razorback Club when an audience member piped up midway through his question-and-answer session.
"Is this the year we're going to beat Alabama?" the fan asked.
"I thought I said 'All easy questions' there at the start," Bielema quickly responded, referencing a common line he uses when he opens the floor to questions.
After a moment, he said, "I know this: Before we win an SEC title, we've got to beat them. It's on my daily agenda."
Bielema's off-the-cuff remarks were the highlights of the night, along with former Arkansas quarterback Brandon Allen receiving the Chism Reed award, which is given annually by the Fort Smith Razorback Club.
Allen was introduced by his former teammate and previous Chism Reed award winner Tyler Wilson.
"Speak about a guy who I think really represents what it means to be a Razorback," Wilson said before mentioning some of the grief Allen endured early in his career. "You defined the back half of your career like few Razorbacks have done."
Allen, who is one of the top quarterback prospects available in the NFL Draft that starts Thursday, spoke about moving to Arkansas as a 6-year-old.
"I've been a Hog my whole life," he said. "There was never a doubt in my mind. When I got my offer, my one and only offer from Arkansas, it was a dream come true for me."
Allen briefly touched on the turmoil he went through.
"I think a lot of people were calling for my head," he said. "I had people ask me did I ever want to transfer. It never crossed my mind to go anywhere else. I have Razorback red in my blood."
Bielema touched on a few highlights from 2015, such as the fourth-and-25 conversion play that led to Arkansas' 53-52 overtime victory at Ole Miss. There was another one Bielema recalled with glee.
"To be at LSU's stadium in the third quarter and see it mostly empty was a hell of a lot of fun," he said.
A fan also asked Bielema about where the expansion of the north end of Reynolds Razorback Stadium stands.
After commenting that he "just goes to work every day," Bielema mentioned how the renovations would help in football recruiting because it would mean a new game-day locker room.
"It's a great locker room -- in the '60s," Bielema said. "In 2016, I don't need that locker room. A byproduct of the north end zone is we'd get a new locker room."
Sports on 04/27/2016