What was Bielema's high-water mark at Arkansas?

[Tejano Jawg]

Yes, there's a "reflective" intent to this post. Like everyone, it's impossible for me to fully grasp the depths we've fallen to this season. But if you think farther back, there were some "up" times during BB's watch that were fun.

Here are a few candidates (and I'll add, these seem like a hundred years ago)—

–2016 Liberty Bowl. 45–23 win over Kansas State. A solid win. This is the first one I thought of, since it capped off an 8-5 season. And unbelievably, a season with a 5-3 SEC record.

–2014 LSU and Ole Miss shutouts. I'm grouping these 2 back-to-back games for a couple reasons. They stopped the bleeding of SEC losses. And, I remember how happy I was for our players, the emotion they showed winning the Boot back, and the optimistic feeling about our program. The Ole Miss blowout, in the rain, was one of the funnest games I've been to in the last 10+ years.

–2014 Texas Bowl. How could pounding the Longhorns not be on the list?

What else?

[Sed76]

Unfortunately the fluke 4th and 25 play in Oxford which helped give Saban another trophy. At the time it was great but it has always made me sick to think we contributed to helping the Tide to another title.

[East Clintwood]

The first day he got here. 

It's been all downhill from there although it was a gentle slope at first  but now it's a cliff.

[go hogues]

Unfortunately the fluke 4th and 25 play in Oxford which helped give Saban another trophy. At the time it was great but it has always made me sick to think we contributed to helping the Tide to another title.

I'm the exact opposite. It prevented Ole Miss from winning one

[factchecker]

I'm the exact opposite. It prevented Ole Miss from winning one

Amen.

Ole Miss has never made it to the SEC championship game.  I loved being the team that kept them out of the title game.

[moses_007]

His high water mark was clearly the 2015 team, Brandon Allen's senior year, when we went 5-3 in the SEC.

All other seasons with Bielema have been absolute disasters.

[checkraiser88]

I think the back to back shut outs against top 20 opponents was the high mark. Everybody thought we were back!

[Elvis P Hogg]

I thought the Texas Tech game where we imposed our will
I could see what He was building but then the SEC happened

[factchecker]

As a Razorback fan - my top 6 at game experiences with Bielema as a coach were probably.

6. Florida 2016 - Beating Florida is always fun, especially when you remember the screw job with Curles back in 2009.  Seeing our defense have a little life was refreshing.

5. Ole Miss 2016 - probably the loudest game in Razorback Stadium for Bielema.  The final defensive stop was awesome.

4. @ Mississippi State 2016 - Getting that bulldog off of our back was fun.  Watching RWIII play an amazing game (one of his last) made the game memorable.

3. Ole Miss 2014 - Coming off the LSU game - it was rainy and cold and we were fighting to clinch a bowl berth.  We did so in convincing fashion.  A 30-0 beat-down.

2. Texas Bowl - Destroying Texas is always fun.  Watching their fans leave the game early was icing on the cake.

1. LSU 2014 - Sadly, this is probably the best experience.  Why is it sad? The fact that we celebrated breaking a losing streak by rushing the field.  I would have rather that moment follow clinching the SEC West or at least beating #1 Bama but it is what it is...... and it was fun.

Nothing really high water under Bielema.  No relevant wins or big bowl games.  This is year 5 and it's time to find another coach.

[Simple Swineman]

I think the back to back shut outs against top 20 opponents was the high mark. Everybody thought we were back!

That's the high point in my opinion. I forgot Ole Miss was #8 in the country at that point and we totally dominated them. It felt like CBB had us turning the corner at that point. In hindsight, that's as good as it would ever get.

[Hawgzinbowlz]

2015...Brandon's senior season.

" GO HOGS "

[Karma]

High mark was the 3rd quarter of the Rutgers game his first year. We were 3-0 and up 24-7 and it appeared that we were going to be 4-0 and the new coach was building on Petrino's success. Then we gave up 21 points and in a sense it's been downhill ever since.

[rtr]

High mark was the 3rd quarter of the Rutgers game his first year. We were 3-0 and up 24-7 and it appeared that we were going to be 4-0 and the new coach was building on Petrino's success. Then we gave up 21 points and in a sense it's been downhill ever since.

This is so true.  That game turned out to be a preview of things to come. 

[Hogsmo Kramer]

When he introduced his wife.

That's. About. It.

[bscinar]

Bielema's high water mark was the moment he signed the contract with the ridiculous buyout clause!

[Porkchop#1]

I'll say that time he climbed in to a hot tub was the high water mark for Coach Bielema.

[Locutus_of_Boar]

I thought the Texas Tech game where we imposed our will
I could see what He was building but then the SEC happened

That's a good choice.  Many Arkansas fans thought that game marked the first of what would be many Wisconsin style poundings delivered by punishing Bielema offensive lines.  Instead it was a never repeated one off event.

I then to pick the end of the 3rd quarter at the Rutgers game in 2013 with Bielema's record still perfect at 3-0 and a ten point lead with only a quarter to play.  That night saw the first of many 2nd half collapses that defined much of the next five years.

[Foshodo]

I think the back to back shut outs against top 20 opponents was the high mark. Everybody thought we were back!

Pelphrey had a similar trajectory after whipping Oklahoma and Texas in back to back games, right?

[PonderinHog]

When he introduced his wife.

That's. About. It.

"Hop on Jen."

[Iwastherein1969]

I think the best game we played was the year we beat LSU at Death Valley at night. Look, I honestly like Bielema and I think he has beautiful wife and daughter. But this is a business and Arkansas is not going to put up with the BS going on up there in year 5. Jeff Long can provide his favorite coach so much cover before he becomes the shark bait. And the sharks are circling smelling blood as I write this. Brett, the year we had Hunter Henry, AJ Derby, Alex Collins, the biggest O line in the country, a fine WR corps and on defense there was Philon, Flowers and Spaight. All of the above plus a few more off of that team are now on NFL rosters and the best we could do was win the Liberty Bowl. 8-5 with that talent. That team should have been 10-2 or 11-1 with all of that talent. We will never get talent like that again on a Bret Bielema coached team, never. So therefore, Bielema and his whole coaching staff short of Lunney must go.

The new hire must do two things and do them exceptionally well, 1) create a defense through recruiting that can get a 3 and out most of the times they take the field, and 2) get a staff that can recruit the best players in the country...we have the facilities, we just don't have the players nor the coach. I'll say this one last time, when a coach is spending most of his time at Fayetteville High, well that should tip Razorback fans off to the fact that recruiting is not going well.

[HoggyCat]

Yes, there's a "reflective" intent to this post. Like everyone, it's impossible for me to fully grasp the depths we've fallen to this season. But if you think farther back, there were some "up" times during BB's watch that were fun.

Here are a few candidates (and I'll add, these seem like a hundred years ago)—

–2016 Liberty Bowl. 45–23 win over Kansas State. A solid win. This is the first one I thought of, since it capped off an 8-5 season. And unbelievably, a season with a 5-3 SEC record.

–2014 LSU and Ole Miss shutouts. I'm grouping these 2 back-to-back games for a couple reasons. They stopped the bleeding of SEC losses. And, I remember how happy I was for our players, the emotion they showed winning the Boot back, and the optimistic feeling about our program. The Ole Miss blowout, in the rain, was one of the funnest games I've been to in the last 10+ years.

–2014 Texas Bowl. How could pounding the Longhorns not be on the list?

What else?

You call a win against that weak and slooooww KSU team "solid"??  They had a WR playing QB.

[rude1]

Yes, there's a "reflective" intent to this post. Like everyone, it's impossible for me to fully grasp the depths we've fallen to this season. But if you think farther back, there were some "up" times during BB's watch that were fun.

Here are a few candidates (and I'll add, these seem like a hundred years ago)—

–2016 Liberty Bowl. 45–23 win over Kansas State. A solid win. This is the first one I thought of, since it capped off an 8-5 season. And unbelievably, a season with a 5-3 SEC record.

–2014 LSU and Ole Miss shutouts. I'm grouping these 2 back-to-back games for a couple reasons. They stopped the bleeding of SEC losses. And, I remember how happy I was for our players, the emotion they showed winning the Boot back, and the optimistic feeling about our program. The Ole Miss blowout, in the rain, was one of the funnest games I've been to in the last 10+ years.

–2014 Texas Bowl. How could pounding the Longhorns not be on the list?

What else?

The irony to his tenure here is that he squandered the two seasons that would have allowed him to survive this season. The 8-5 season was his best, but if he just beats Toledo & Tx Tech you are talking about a 10-3 season. Then last year he implodes his last two games of the season and finishes 7-6, win those two games where you had big leads and you are talking a 9-4 season. He does that and I suspect that you would be seeing more patience for what he is going through now.

[Nosboar Accubond]

High mark was the 3rd quarter of the Rutgers game his first year. We were 3-0 and up 24-7 and it appeared that we were going to be 4-0 and the new coach was building on Petrino's success. Then we gave up 21 points and in a sense it's been downhill ever since.

who knew we'd see his DNA so early

[Tejano Jawg]

You call a win against that weak and slooooww KSU team "solid"??  They had a WR playing QB.

We spend endless hours criticizing his losses...and you're dissing a bowl WIN? Maybe you're too young to have lived through many of Arkansas' bad bowl losses, and there are many.

On that note, dig in the history book and see the bowl game when we had to start a backup, backup, backup quarterback who had previously been IN THE BAND. Yeah, try that!

[Hoggie17]

The first day he got here. 

It's been all downhill from there although it was a gentle slope at first  but now it's a cliff.

Free Fall!

[Mo_Better_Hogs]

I think some people are missing the point of this thread. LOL.

[longtimeHogfan]

Becoming a daddy.

[Ex-Trumpet]

Clearly, the high-water mark is off the field:  the birth of his daughter.