Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema
- Bielema said they're excited to get back into SEC play and face a team that controls its path in the SEC-Western Division. Bielema said they're getting healthier by the day and should be able to go in at full strength.
- Regarding Arkansas' 30-0 win over Ole Miss last season, Bielema said there's going to be a little bit of a 'revenge' mindset, but it's different rosters and different teams. At this point in the schedule, Bielema said both teams should be motivated.
- On Cody Hollister, Bielema said he had no regression this morning after practicing Tuesday. He'll practice again today and they will travel him to Oxford.
- On Rohan Gaines going out with the captains last week, Jonathan Williams said he wanted to give other players opportunities to go out. Bielema approached Gaines about it because he has liked seeing his growth and attitude. He said Gaines was 'smiling ear-to-ear' when he asked him if he wanted to do that. After missing the bowl game last season due to a suspension, Bielema said he couldn't have asked for a better reaction and that he's one of their hardest workers. He said he sees a similar amount of growth in Gaines as he saw with Tevin Mitchel last season. If they're not playing well on defense, there's always one guy who is visibly upset, and it's Gaines.
- Bielema said they're very impressed with Ole Miss quarterback Chad Kelly and he is as impressed with Ole Miss' defense as he has been with anyone's since he's been coaching in the SEC.
- Regarding evaluating opponents, Bielema said they concentrate on games with teams that play more like them against an upcoming opponent.
- On Ole Miss' offense, Bielema said they can go as fast as any team in the country. When they want to go fast, they're very deliberate. He said at times also they don't go to it, but a lot of it depends on the flow of the game. The Ole Miss defense, there are some concepts that are the same as Arkansas', but there is more of a focus on certain different positions. The one thing that stands out to Bielema is that they play a lot of people.
- On the development of Brandon Allen, Bielema also said their personnel is better on offense. He said as he has been in it, the quarterback gets better as people around them get better. He also said the offensive line has played 'pretty well' the last three games.
Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze
- Freeze said they're as healthy as they have been, and they're excited to play in front of their home crowd. He said Arkansas under Bielema always gets stronger as the year goes on, and that's something that impresses him. He said he knows it's a difficult task in front of them, but they're looking forward to it.
- Regarding 'missing energy' in the loss to Ole Miss, Freeze said he feels they have recaptured it, and he pays close attention to it and wants to make sure they don't lose the joy of the journey. He said maybe they listened to too much of the noise around them after the win over Alabama, some of it could be due to some key injuries to some leaders on the football team, and he said maybe it's him trying to take some off the players in practice in an effort to get through the 10-game stretch, and that may have caused them to lose some toughness or intensity. Likely, he said it's a combination of several factors.
- He said it's difficult to prepare for Arkansas' tight ends, and he wishes they wouldn't make the trip. He said they're athletic, can be flexed and can attack a defense from several spots on the field.
- Rohan Gaines missed the first half last year and then had a 100-yard interception return in Arkansas' win. He said Gaines is one of the best back-half player in the SEC, and his interception in last year's game was the dagger.
- Freeze said Auburn's front (with the addition of Carl Lawson) was the second-best front they faced all year.
- Freeze said he expects defensive back Tony Conner (meniscus tear) to play and he looked good in practice yesterday. Freeze called him one of their best, most active football players. Putting him back in the mix makes others better around him.
