Razorbacks May Have to Protect KJ Jefferson From Himself

Doing a header late in a game with 52-35 lead probably not best idea ... now

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Oct 16, 2022 12:08 AM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — When Raheim Sanders broke away for the icing on a 52-35 win, you wondered by KJ Jefferson did anything else but hand off.

That's probably not the way Arkansas' offensive coaching staff does things, though.

The Razorbacks basically admitted later how big the game against BYU on the road in Provo, Utah, really was. Sam Pittman knew this was the turning point after a 3-3 start.

"This was everything," he said later.

He only did that once before — against Missouri in 2020 and that backfired, then he said that caused a problem the next week against an Alabama team in a blowout.

KJ Jefferson-BYU — Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Jakob Robinson (1) is brought down Brigham Young University Cougars defensive lineman Tyler Batty (92) in the first quarter at LaVell Edwards Stadium. (Gabriel Mayberry / USA TODAY Sports)

The game with the Cougars was different.

"It was because we had the bye," Pittman said. "Wanted to let the kids know how big this was for us. It puts us back into a pretty good bowl, puts us back into finishing second or third in the league, all that kind of stuff."

It gets into the mental aspect of the game that I talked about earlier in the week. Pittman had the mindset in the right direction and now they are set up for a little rest, then a five-game stretch to duplicate last year's 9-4 record after a Jan. 1 win.

"We can do that again," Pittman said.

For a minute or two on the turf at LaVell Edwards Stadium, the Hogs' rest of the season was in doubt, though, to a lot of folks.

It didn't help when ESPN cut away to a commercial break with Jefferson laid out on the field after a run to the BYU 2.

101522-KJ Jefferson-BYU-Gabriel Mayberry-3-2 — Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson spent the last two months of the season injured or playing hurt. (Nelson Chenault – USA TODAY Sports)

He didn't come back into the game.

"KJ is fine," Pittman said right after the game on the radio. "He went down and he just had a little stinger in the neck."

A lot of people were ready to pounce on the decision to even have him in the game a week after missing a 40-17 blowout loss to Mississippi State after some sort of head injury the week before against Alabama.

That was never officially ruled a concussion, but there is enough evidence to suggest those things are cumulative and Hog fans held their collective breath.

It worked out fine, but it scared the daylights out of Jefferson.

"In all the years I've been playing football I've never had a stinger," he said later. "It just kind of shocked me a little bit,

"My head went numb for a second and I thought did I break my neck or something."

He was able to laugh about it later.