Razorbacks defense 'horrible' but what can Pittman get done to fix anything?

Arkansas’s defense allowed Ole Miss to control early. while Green’s historic effort couldn’t nail down a win

Ole Miss Rebels running back Kewan Lacy (5) runs the ball as Arkansas Razorbacks defensive lineman Justus Boone (0) attempts to make the tackle during the third quarter at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. | Petre Thomas-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas’s 41-35 loss to No. 17 Ole Miss was as much about what the Razorbacks couldn’t do as what they accomplished.

The offense generated more than 500 yards of production, led by quarterback Taylen Green’s historic day. None of the issues were on the offensive side of the ball

But Arkansas’s defense was unable to keep pace, leaving Hogs coach Sam Pittman candid and frustrated about his team’s performance.

“Our defense couldn’t do anything in the first half, especially most of the game,” Pittman said afterward. “We’ve got problems there. We’ve got to get them fixed.”

The Razorbacks stayed within reach throughout, even with momentum against them, but Ole Miss capitalized on nearly every early opportunity.

The guy in charge of that defense is Travis Williams and something just isn't working. The secondary hasn't been good in almost forever, it seems. The defensive front can't get enough consistent pressure to help them.

The result are track meets, which is probably why Pittman wanted to bring in Bobby Petrino as the offensive coordinator so badly.

Defensive Breakdown Overshadows Offensive Gains

Pittman didn’t hide his disappointment when asked about tackling.

“I don’t think it was very good, did you? I thought it was horrible,” he said.

Missed tackles and poor coverage of running backs haunted Arkansas in the first two quarters. Lane Kiffin’s offense exploited mismatches and rarely faced resistance moving the ball.

Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, starting in place of the injured Austin Simmons, threw for 353 yards and added two rushing touchdowns.

Arkansas linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. put the focus on execution.

“I would say it’s more execution,” he said. “We’ll know more when we watch the film, but right now it feels like bad execution.”

The defensive miscues negated Arkansas’s early offensive highlights, including a 34-yard opening pass and Green’s first-half rushing score that kept the game tied at 28-28.

A lot of us old-timers still feel the lack of live tackling is exactly why that happens. Coaches tap dance around the answers because they are worried about injuries costing them their jobs.

It's also the changes in the rules of the game in favor of the offense. Now you have to start almost every game thinking scoring 40 might be the minimum to have a shot at winning.

Green Sets a Program Mark

Green became the first quarterback in program history to record 300 passing yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game.

He finished with 305 yards through the air and 111 on the ground, leading Arkansas on sustained drives that kept Ole Miss from pulling away.

Wide receivers O’Mega Blake and Jaden Platt each had critical catches, while Mike Washington Jr. rushed for 65 yards and two touchdowns.

Still, the second half offense sputtered. After halftime, Arkansas managed just seven points and failed to capitalize on a late defensive stop.

The game ended with a costly turnover — a Jalen Brown fumble near the Ole Miss 24-yard line that sealed the defeat. Those things happen and it's easy to say later you were headed for a win before that.

The bottom line is the Razorbacks were still on the lower end of that score Saturday night.

Pittman acknowledges one-score woes

The narrow loss continues a pattern under Pittman. Arkansas is now 7-18 in one-score games during his tenure, including 2-13 in regular-season contests over the last three seasons.

Pressed on the trend, Pittman admitted he doesn’t have a quick fix.

“Yeah, I knew that was coming,” he said. “I don’t know what to do with it. Tell me what to do.”

Despite the recurring issue, Pittman praised his team’s effort.

“They’re hurt, which is a good thing. It means something to them,” he said. “When you have that, they’ll go back to work.”

The Razorbacks must now regroup quickly before traveling to face Memphis, who methodically overwhelmed Troy 28-7 last week.

Tigers ran for 217 yards and passed for 213. They did about what they wanted to do when they wanted to do it and wasn't going to show more of anything than they had to do.

It will start a two-week run making a trip to Memphis (where the Hogs traditionally don't play regular-season games well) before facing a Notre Dame team that is now 0-2 with losses to LSU and Texas A&M.

All three of those teams are on the Arkansas schedule in what will be a brutal end of September and the entire month of October.

But there aren't any pushovers left on the schedule. Somebody has to get the defense fixed quickly.

Key Takeaways

• Defensive issues resurfaced as Arkansas missed tackles and failed to contain Ole Miss running backs in the first half.

• Taylen Green set a program milestone, passing for 305 yards and rushing for 111 in a single game.

• One-score struggles continue, with Pittman’s team now 7-18 in such games under his leadership.