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Can former head coach Paul Rhoads fix the Arkansas pass defense?
By Tom Brew
Published:
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Numbers simply don’t lie.
They stare back at you, being what they are. They smirk at you.
And sometimes they are very ugly.
Take Arkansas’ pass defense last year. The Razorbacks gave up a whopping 3,577 yards through the air. There are 127 teams playing Division I football, and only seven – Houston, Kansas State, Nebraska, Tulsa, Oregon, Indiana and Arizona State – gave up more.
Notice the names, none with an SEC affiliation. That made Arkansas dead last in the SEC.
That’s not good.
So here’s another number, and take it for what it’s worth. Arkansas returns nine of its 11 starters on defense. Some would argue that’s not necessarily a good thing, but you won’t hear that from Paul Rhoads, the former Iowa State head coach who was hired in February to coach the Arkansas defensive backs. He likes what he sees so far this spring, but he’s also all for getting his kids to play much, much better.
“I really like the kids in the secondary. They are coachable,” Rhoads said last week. “They like to play, they like to work and that makes every day coming to work for me enjoyable, and I think for them as well.”
And when you take a straw poll on how much impact Rhoads will have, the results are unanimous.
The “eyes” have it.
From the first day of informal workouts this winter since Rhoads has arrived in late February, his players keep hearing the same theme. They need to be better with seeing the field, seeing what’s happening in front them, seeing where they need to be and where they need to get to.
Playing with their “eyes.”
“He has been teaching us some things,” Arkansas safety Josh Liddell said last week. “We’re all learning with open ears and open eyes. He’s fun, you can definitely tell where he’s coming from.
“After every play, he’s coaching us. He’s letting us know what happened and he’s asking us why it happened. He wants us to know why things happened. He’s really big on the why. We all appreciate that. He really gets on us about the little things. We all think that is going to help us in the long run. He’s very energetic in how he coaches.”
Defensive back Jared Collins is totally on board as well.
“He’s a great teacher,” Collins said last week. “I would say he is the best teacher I’ve had as a coach. He makes sure we learn the concepts and what we need to do before we move on. So that helps us a lot. Before he yells at us, he will tell us what we did wrong and what we need to do. After that he yells at you.”
Arkansas coach Bret Bielema, of course, is thrilled to have someone of Rhoads’ experience on his staff. He was the head coach at Iowa State for seven years and a defensive coordinator at Pitt (2000-2007) and Auburn (2008). He’s coached dozens of defensive backs who later played in the NFL, most notably Darrelle Revis, the legendary All-Pro of the New York Jets.
“I don’t think I’ll be shocked at all what I see out of Paul,” Bielema said when spring practice started. “I’ve seen him work from afar. His presence has been felt already. I think our kids know they’re being taught very, very well.
“When they’re told something, they’re told with authority, but they also know why they’re being told those things. Just the feedback from the players has been very, very positive about the affect he’s had on them. Just learning the basic skills and things they need to know to play DB. I think him and (defensive coordinator) Robb (Smith) have really found a common ground that’s been really fun to watch built out of respect there as well.”
Respect beyond wins and the losses
Rhoads was just 32-55 at Iowa State and the last three years were rough. But prior to that, he took the Cyclones to three bowl games in four years, something that just doesn’t happen in Ames, habitually one of the worst Power Five programs in the country. It’s a very tough place to win on a consistent basis.
“Paul has had a long standing reputation as a great teacher and recruiter even prior to his years of experience as a coordinator and head coach,” Bielema said when he hired Rhoads
Rhoads, an Ankeny, Iowa, native, was a beloved head coach at Iowa State. His players loved him, the fans loved him and even the administration loved him, right up to the time they fired him last November. Everyone loved the passion and emotion he brought to the job, but after a few rough years in the won-lost column, something had to give. It was Rhoads.
https://twitter.com/BeingBielema/status/702520454519500800
He finished 3-9, 2-10 and 3-9 his last three years, those coming after a four-year run from 2009 to 2012 where the Cyclones went to the three bowl games. He had a lot of big wins, including over then-No. 2 Oklahoma State in 2012, over Nebraska his first year and a ranked Texas team his second year. He beat hated arch-rival Iowa three times, each as an underdog. Each time, Rhoads said the same thing: “I’m so proud to be your coach.”
He loved being at Iowa State, despite its history of struggling badly in the Big 12. His father was a high school coaching legend in Iowa for three decades. He recruited every corner of the state looking for players, and made a point of having great relationships with high school coaches, something that’s often not the case anymore.
His sincerity was proven the week after he was fired. He sent a letter to every high school coach in the state, thanking them for their time.
“My initial thought, ‘Wow, it takes a lot of class to do something like this after you have been let go by the school,'” Fairfield High School assistant Matt Schenck said at the time. “It doesn’t shock me, though. He has always been a stand-up guy and passionate about the game.”
Getting this group of defensive backs to step up
Despite those horrid numbers from a year ago, there’s plenty of talent on the Razorback roster. Liddell can make plays at safety, as can Santos Ramirez, who’s been playing alongside Liddell with the first team this spring. A year of experience makes a big difference, because what hurt Arkansas the most last year what they all 11 defenders were rarely on the same page.
That’s changing.
“I think he has developed a lot over this offseason,” defensive coordinator Robb Smith said. “He understands the system and terms better. There are some ups and downs but more ups than downs.”
Collins and Henre’ Toliver can run and have ball skills. Kevin Richardson is versatile enough to play all five secondary positions, and he’s done that this spring. D.J. Dean, limited this spring, will be a player, too.
“I am trying to perfect my craft at every position they put me in,” Richardson said. “I’m working the majority at corner, but I’m trying to be comfortable wherever they put me.”
Richardson said last week that the spring has been all about learning to play at a higher level. That comes from seeing the field better. That’s the key.
“Our (keys) are our eyes. That’s something we’re all working on. We want to get our eyes better,” Richardson said. “Some of the big plays we gave up last season, if we can fix them we will better. (Coach Rhoads), he’s a good teacher. He’s a great coach, a great teacher.”
Leadership will matter, too. and Rhoads sees plenty of guys stepping up.
Liddell, as a veteran, is making his presence known.
“I think without a doubt he enjoys that and has put himself in that role,” Rhoads said last week. “But I don’t think the secondary is short leadership. Santos is providing leadership, Kevin Richardson always provides leadership. Jared Collins is in own quiet way is providing leadership. I have got no disappointments in that area.”
With a week to go before the spring game, it’s important for more work to get done. But September can’t get here soon enough. Finishing in the bottom 10 in the nation isn’t an option n 2016.
“I enjoy watching those guys work,” Bielema said of Rhoads and his secondary last week. “There’s a lot of teaching going on in that room and out on the field. And they’re listening.”
And that’s all good.
Tom Brew is an award-winning journalist and author who is covering SEC football for Saturday Down South.
