CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The ride from the Hilton hotel, where the Arkansas Razorbacks are staying downtown, to their practice field at Charlotte Latin School is at times breathtaking.
Big, beautiful homes, mostly Colonial of course, line Providence Avenue. Just when you think the most beautiful mansion has been seen, another one pops up.
Chances are the Razorbacks haven't noticed.
Not so much because they are plugged into their phones with ear buds or that they don't like residential architecture.
Mostly because their focus appears locked and loaded. Their vision is 20-20 on Virginia Tech.
They know they are the underdogs and they know why: that season-ending loss to a 4-8 Missouri team, which had a dismal season even with that victory.
The Hogs' bowl opponent, the Hokies, played Clemson close in the ACC Championship game. The Hogs were spectators that weekend.
From the day Arkansas drew its bowl assignment, head Coach Bret Bielema has had his team thinking two things: final exams and then bowl preparation.
Not that he's been like the Grinch who stole Christmas. No one complained about flying here on Christmas Eve and having a full practice on Christmas Day, the Hogs' 10th workout in preparation for 7-point favorite Virginia Tech in this Thursday's Belk Bowl.
The players are having some fun.
Monday morning they had a chance to tour Charlotte Motor Speedway in race cars at speeds of more than 100 mph.
Bielema watched them do it, but there was no way he was leading by example on that, and later told the media he wasn't jumping out of a plane if he didn't have to either.
He was, however, amazed to see 6-10 Dan Skipper fold himself into a car. Bielema admired his tackle's desire to get it done.
That's the same Skipper who tried to use his bowl gift last year, a shopping spree at Bass Pro Shops in Memphis, to buy a shotgun, although officials quickly told him he needed to find something he could take home with him that day.
By the time the team arrived for Monday's practice at Latin school, food trucks were setting up to provide post-practice snacks, and the race-car rides were becoming a distant memory.
The attempts by offensive linemen to throw 35-yard passes through the goal posts -- and there were some impressive spirals -- were just a way to relax, to decompress before putting the S back in serious.
It was time to work.
Bielema was a few minutes late for his obligatory news conference, but media could see he was busy discussing Monday's practice and punctuating final details.
Besides, at this point, most questions can't be answered off the field, only on it.
And that's what is driving this team.
They didn't notice that several dozen visitors had assembled at practice. Some of the onlookers were big Hogs fans who live in his area and saw this as a rare and special treat.
But what they saw, while limited to the first 25 minutes, was serious.
No one loafed; they ran from drill to drill.
It was obvious that the time off has driven them, but just as important it has allowed them to get healthy. Austin Allen looks like he did before the Auburn game. Dre Greenlaw may not start, but he's going to play a lot. Devwah Whaley is ready again. All the aches and pains, nicks and bruises have healed.
That bad taste from the Missouri game remains, although it could have been quite different if Whaley hadn't missed the second half. But that would be viewed as an excuse, and this team doesn't seem willing to offer or accept excuses.
They came here on a mission, and that doesn't include taking time to debate mansion architecture.
Sports on 12/27/2016