Former UT assistant Sam Pittman gets first win at Arkansas

Former assistant coach gets first SEC win at Arkansas

STARKVILLE — A former University of Tennessee assistant picked up his first win as a head coach Saturday.

Sam Pittman, head coach at Arkansas, nabbed his first NCAA Division I victory Saturday when the Razorbacks edged Mississippi State, 21-14, at Davis Wade Stadium.

The game featured two of the Southeastern Conference’s newest head coaches as Pittman matched wits against Mississippi State’s Mike Leach.

Pittman’s Arkansas squad held Mississippi State’s potent offensive attack to just 14 points after the Bulldogs upset defending national champion LSU, 44-34, in Leach’s debut in Week 1.

Leach was nearly named Tennessee’s head coach following the 2017 season under then Vols’ Director of Athletics John Currie.

Pittman was the Volunteers’ offensive line coach in 2012.