UA seniors look to go out with a bang
FAYETTEVILLE — Strong safety Rohan Gaines can hardly believe he’s among 17 Arkansas seniors playing his final home game today when the Razorbacks take on Missouri.
“It seems like I just got here,” Gaines said. “I remember those older guys telling me, ‘Enjoy it while you can.’ I just laughed, because I was a freshman.
“Now I’m telling the young guys that same thing, because it goes by fast.”
Arkansas has four fifth-year seniors in the starting lineup from the 2011 signing class — Gaines, quarterback Brandon Allen, center Mitch Smothers and nose guard DeMarcus Hodge — who have played for three head coaches, endured a 17-game SEC losing streak and helped the program to back-toback bowl appearances.
“It’s been a wild ride, but I was telling somebody the other day, I wouldn’t trade my college experience for anything in the world,” Hodge said. “Not many players get to experience all that we have the last few years.”
Smothers said the ups and downs are a valuable lesson.
“We’ve had good days and bad days,” he said. “That’s how life goes sometimes, too.”
Allen will make his 37th start today. He holds school records for touchdown passes in a game (7) and career (63) and has thrown for 7,046 yards.
“I’ve been at the bottom of the bottom and the top of the top,” Allen said. “I’ve got a lot of memories that I’ll carry on for the rest of my life. It’d be really nice to top off those memories with a win.”
Senior guard Sebastian Tretola, who transferred to Arkansas last year from Iowa Western Community College, said Fayetteville feels like home.
“I haven’t been here four or five years like some of the guys, but the year-and-a-half I’ve been here, they’ve really accepted me,” Tretola said. “Fayetteville, Arkansas, has accepted me for who I am, and I love this place.”
Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema became emotional this week while talking about the seniors. He’ll no doubt shed some tears today when the seniors are introduced and he gives them all a hug, but Bielema said he learned his first season as a head coach at Wisconsin in 2006 they can quickly refocus for their final home game.
Bielema recalled how he teared up with Wisconsin offensive tackle Joe Thomas, the Outland Trophy winner and the third overall pick by Cleveland in the NFL Draft who has been a Pro Bowler eight consecutive seasons.
“Joe is just a man’s man,” Bielema said. “He’s a hunter, and he was crying like a little school girl. I was breaking down and was like, ‘Oh my gosh, he’s going to be a wreck,’ and he played probably one of the best games I’ve ever seen a left tackle play in college football.
“That’s when it became apparent to me, if you let them have their moment, have just a couple of minutes to gather themselves, they’ll be that way.”
Tretola said he’ll try his best to hold it together when he’s introduced to the crowd.
“I can’t get too emotional,” he said. “That’ll throw me out of game mode. I’m going to get my hugs and smile for the camera, but then I’ll be ready to play.”
Arkansas’ assistant coaches will watch the senior day ceremony from the sideline.
“I’m a little bit of an emotional guy, but I’ll try to hang in there,” offensive line coach Sam Pittman said. “Any time you’ve been with these guys and they’ve put their guts out there for you and for the university, it’s sad to see them go.”
Offensive coordinator Dan Enos is in his first season at Arkansas but has grown close to the players, particularly Allen.
“Brandon has been a blessing for me to coach,” Enos said. “I’m so glad that I’m here with him and been able to experience his senior year with him and get to know him.
“I just hope and pray that I’m going to do my best to make sure we’re prepared so those guys can leave with a win. That’s the best way we can repay those seniors.”
Defensive coordinator Robb Smith said the toughest thing is knowing that after this season the seniors no longer will be at practice or in meetings.
“That’s what the fun part is,” Smith said. “You get to hang out with the guys and you develop relationships with them. That’s the stuff that you know is coming to an end, and that’s what you miss.”
Fifteen players from the Razorbacks’ 2011 signing class didn’t complete their eligibility at Arkansas.
“With all the adversity we had to go through, it’s unbelievable some of us are still here,” Hodge said. “A lot of us could have easily said, ‘I need to go somewhere else,’ or just been done with football all together, but we’ve always been a tightknit group.
“I think that helped us stay together.”