As the losses continue to mount for the Arkansas football team, so does the spreading frustration of Razorback fans.
After opening the season with a pair of wins over FCS ho-hum Western Carolina and mid-major so-so Kent State, Arkansas has lost all four games in which it has faced Power-5 opponents, including three straight losses to SEC foes.
It’s not so much that Arkansas is being outmanned or getting run off the field by the stiffer competition, as much as it is continued self-inflicted wounds.
In only one game this season – against Texas A&M – has Arkansas not been tied or leading at some point during the fourth quarter. The opportunities for victory have been within grasp, but with the game on the line, the Razorbacks have failed to get out of their own way.
With a two-possession lead midway through the third quarter against BYU on Sept. 16, it was 14 penalties – most of them of the pre-snap procedure variety – and an uncharacteristic interception thrown by quarterback KJ Jefferson, that allowed the Cougars to run off 17 straight points and doom the Hogs late.
The term “uncharacteristic” is accurate for Jefferson, because entering this season he had thrown just 10 total interceptions, to 48 touchdowns, through his first three-plus seasons – which included 666 pass attempts. He has already thrown a career-high six picks this season, in only 164 attempts.
Facing a daunting task at LSU’s Death Valley a week later, the Razorbacks rolled in and shockingly gave the No. 16 Tigers all they could handle. Going in as 18-point underdogs, the Hogs took a 13-10 lead into the half, and matched LSU step-for-step until the bitter end. But it was again, 11 penalties and two interceptions, that proved detrimental. LSU kicked the game-winning field goal with just five ticks left on the clock.
So close, but still so far, when it comes to the win column. And most fans just cringe at the mention of “moral victories.”
Against the Aggies on Sept. 30, it wasn’t necessarily the penalties and turnovers that were the culprit, as much as it was a stagnant offense that could not move the ball, nor take advantage of any A&M miscues. There were breakdowns along the offensive line throughout the game, leading to seven sacks allowed, as the Razorbacks mustered a season-low 174 yards of total offense, and only 42 rushing yards.
That 42 yards was their lowest output since 2018. But that was only until the Ole Miss game this past Saturday, when the Hogs’ running game appeared to be stuck in quicksand, producing just 36 yards on the ground.
Granted, Arkansas’ first-team All-SEC running back Raheim “Rocket” Sanders has been hampered by a knee injury this entire season, missing three games already, but the drastic decline in output seems to have more to do with a leaking offensive line that does not appear to be showing much improvement. The Razorbacks averaged 238.7 rushing yards per game, and 5.1 yards per carry, a season ago. During this recent four-game losing streak, the rushing attack has produced less than 107 yards per game and less than three yards per carry.
And that is in addition to the 23 sacks allowed, which has kept Jefferson on the run for much of the season.
Against the No. 16 Rebels, Arkansas actually led 20-17 early in the fourth quarter, before falling behind 27-20. With an opportunity to at least tie the game late, Jefferson tossed his second interception with 1:42 to play. Again, so close, but yet, so far.
Close games seem to be Head Coach Sam Pittman’s Achilles’ heel, since arriving in 2020. Under his reign, the Razorbacks are 5-12 in games decided by one possession – including three of these last four losses. In four of those 12 losses, Arkansas has held the lead in the fourth quarter, while in three others, the score was tied at some point in the fourth quarter. It can easily be argued that those were 12 winnable games, plus or minus a play, here or there.
Pittman is now .500 overall (21-21), in his three-plus seasons. So, even if the Hogs could have won half of those one-possession games, that would theoretically make his record, 27-15 – or give him a .642 winning percentage.
So, when Pittman frustrates the masses by saying “We are close,” he isn’t wrong. But ironically, as a fan, it sometimes seems to lessen the blow by getting blown out by an opponent, instead of narrowly losing and kicking yourself for every little lost opportunity.
Things don’t appear to be getting much easier, with No. 11 Alabama lying in wait this weekend. But then Arkansas plays four of its final five games in the confines of Razorback Stadium.
Maybe with less mistakes, and a little luck, the Hogs can find away to finish those games. If not, the fanbase will continue to clamor for change.