FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema tried to put the Razorbacks' loss to No. 1 Alabama in perspective and discussed general plans for improvements during his weekly news conference Monday.
The Razorbacks (4-2, 0-2 SEC) have no time to mourn last Saturday's 49-30 loss to Alabama with No. 12 Ole Miss headed to Fayetteville this weekend, looking to snap a two-game losing streak in the series.
Arkansas remained in both of the major polls Monday, perhaps because both of its losses have come against unbeaten, highly regarded teams.
"We've lost to two teams that are in the SEC West, that are also two teams that are probably in the top 5 in the country by a lot of people's perspective," Bielema said. "The SEC West is pretty good if you haven't noticed.
"We've got six games in froth of us guaranteed and we definitely want to concentrate on the bigger picture. But for us to get to where we need to be, we just have to worry about Ole Miss."
Alabama shredded the edges of Arkansas' defense, particularly in the first half, when the Crimson Tide rushed for 214 yards on 21 carries to average 10 yards per run.
For the game, Alabama rushed for 264 yards and 3 touchdowns, averaging 7.8 yards per carry and 10.1 yards per play. Alabama freshman quarterback Jalen Hurts completed 76 percent of his passes (13 of 17) for 253 yards and averaged 14.9 yards per attempt.
"I think we're more of an SEC caliber type of defense than we've ever been here, so I do want some guys that kind of stand up and take hold," Bielema said.
The loss of linebacker Dre Greenlaw to a broken foot played a part in the defensive lapses, but the Razorbacks had breakdowns in other areas.
"It's a collective thing," defensive coordinator Robb Smith said. "It's not one guy. We have to do a better job of setting the edge. We have to do a better job of pressing the hip. We have to do a better job of using our tackling system."
Bielema said some of Arkansas' defensive issues resulted from self-inflicted damage.
"Getting guys lined up in the right spot, getting guys that set an edge, and as coaches being able to put them in the right spots," Bielema said. "I had some nice conversations with Robb and exactly our approach and what we can do better philosophically to get them in a better position before the snap. I think that's been really healthy."
Bielema, whose coaching background is on defense, said he would get more involved on the defensive side if it's needed.
"We gave up too many yards, too many points, too easily," Bielema said. "A couple of mis-alignment issues that were taken advantage of by a very, very good football team."
Arkansas coaches had been reluctant to give substantial reps to any linebackers behind Greenlaw and senior captain Brooks Ellis outside of blowout victories against Texas State and Alcorn State, but now they are forced to rely on backups.
Freshman De'Jon Harris and junior Dwayne Eugene split snaps at linebacker after Greenlaw's departure. Harris had four tackles and a forced fumble against Alabama, while Eugene posted three tackles and grabbed his first interception.
"He's a pretty mature freshman and he's got a lot of given tools, but you can tell the game was a little big on him when he first got in there," Bielema said of Harris. "So that's when they put Dwayne in there. And Dwayne actually responded very, very well. Dwayne, as coaches, we just love him to death."
Bielema and Smith said Khalia Hackett, who had been demoted after Arkansas' 41-38 victory at TCU in the second game of the season, would get another look this week, as would Josh Williams, Josh Harris and former linebacker Randy Ramsey.
Bielema also suggested that free safety Josh Liddell, who missed a few tackles against Alabama, would probably be better off playing two thirds of the snaps rather than a full game. Strong safety Santos Ramirez, who played only sparingly against Alabama due to a leg injury, is expected to be a bigger part of the safety rotation with Liddell and De'Andre Coley this week.
On the other side of the ball, the Razorbacks are trying to shore up pass protection after Alabama sacked Austin Allen six times.
Offensive coordinator Dan Enos said the blame for the sacks can be passed all around: To offensive linemen, tight ends, running backs and one to quarterback Austin Allen's pocket posture.
"Obviously, we gave up some sacks," Enos said. "That was disappointing, but you know what? When you play a team like that, you play the No. 1 team in the country ... you have to take some risks.
"No risks, no reward. We knew that going into the game that we were going to have to be aggressive and attack. You're not going to win if you just sit on your hands. So we knew there'd be a little bit of risk to it, but there were some things in there."
Bielema agreed each position on offense could take some of the heat for the large sack total.
"We've got to make better communication before Saturday," he said. "Yeah the O-line [too], but they're big boys. They get a lot of hype in this program so they have to accept [blame] as well."
Sports on 10/11/2016