Pittman Told Jefferson It Was His Last Shot

If quarterback wasn't going to get it done, then Cam Little would

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Sep 11, 2022 9:00 PM EDT
Original:
Sep 11, 2022

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas coach Sam Pittman had already proven his belief in his team by wasting no time going for it on fourth down without hesitation against South Carolina.

However, quarterback KJ Jefferson, a 6-3, 245 pound monster with a never quit disposition that made him borderline impossible to stop on short fourth down situations, had indeed been stopped inches short the last time Pittman gambled instead of taking the easy field goal.

So Pittman, understanding what drives his quarterback better than anyone, did what any good coach would do in that situation – tell Jefferson he didn't trust him enough to risk points on another fourth down.

"When it was 3rd & 2 at the goal line, I told him, cause I had already went for it on 4th&1 and we didn’t make it," Pittman said. "If I had kicked it, assuming he made it, we’d have been up eight, but I kinda wanted to make sure we could get a two score lead, and I thought we could make a 4th & 1."

Having already been burned by going for it on fourth down, Pittman couldn't justify leaving points on the field, yet he desperately wanted to do what he could to swing momentum permanently in the Hogs' favor. The key was to kick his super competitive quarterback into plus ultra status by pushing the right buttons.

"I had already told him, I said if we don’t make it here I’m taking the field goal and we’re going we’re gonna go up eight, I’m just telling ya," Pittman said.

The words immediately had the desired effect. A confidence fell over the Razorback captain that made it clear that South Carolina would soon have to acknowledge him.

"I was challenging him and KJ looked at me and said don’t worry about it. Call the extra point team on," Pittman said. "And he did [score]. He can pretty much take over a game when he wants to."

The response in the heat of the moment proved how much Jefferson has grown as a leader and competitor over the past few years. However, Pittman saw short term improvement also.

"I thought he played better today than he did last week," Pittman said. "I thought he was more accurate today and I thought he ran the ball well both times. I thought he was more accurate. I thought he was in total control."