Loaded Question: Petrino's A&M Gig Sounds Like Grad Assistant

With Razorbacks, it will be his offense from top to bottom, but Pittman has veto power

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Nov 30, 2023 9:36 PM EST

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — New Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino won't have to be Jimbo Fisher's equivalent of a highly-paid graduate assistant anymore. Coach Sam Pittman made it clear Bobby can put his offensive in however he wants to do it.

Now all those questions when Fisher tabbed Petrino for 2023 are a lot clearer now. Apparently under pressure from the money people, Jimbo gave Bobby a million dollars a year to call his plays. When Fisher got fired anyway, it didn't take Pittman long to be in touch. But that whole Texas A&M deal sounded like it was just curious how it was going to blow up and when.

"That's a loaded question," Petrino said Thursday when asked how much of his offense was in the A&M offense. "Jimbo wanted to keep the same terminology and call things the same way they did. It was hard. It was hard on me. I was staying up all night. I can remember staying up all night just getting ready for the first scrimmage. I woke up at 2 a.m. in the morning to get ready to call plays for the first scrimmage just understanding what the terminology was, what the formation was. It was different."

Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino on sidelines as coach in 2011

It probably wasn't what his bosses were expecting in College Station, either. For an offense that had turned stale several years ago, that was never going to work. Petrino has expanded whatever "his" offense is with the changing times. He doesn't think it's about what he draws up, either. That's probably accurate. Nobody ever won a game on a whiteboard.

"I honestly don’t think a lot has changed simply because I don’t think it’s about plays," he said. A lot of folks will raise an eyebrow at that. Playcalling is over-rated, it's more about execution. "It’s about how you use the players that you have."

Dan Enos never appeared to grasp that basic concept. As a result he turned what many thought was the best quarterback in the SEC into proving he can for his life. Pittman may have just got tired of repeated instructions about what he wanted and kicked him out before Halloween.

"He’s the offensive coordinator just like [Kendal Briles] was, just like Dan was," Pittman said. "He’s got a job to do and I don’t know how I can allow him to do a job if it ain’t his offense. We hired him because he’s a brilliant offensive mind. It’s his offense. That’s just what it is. Just like it was Kendal Briles’, just like it was Dan’s. I’m always going to have input on what my feelings are of things, but he’s the offensive coordinator and that’s what he was hired to do."

Razorback fans like hearing stuff like that. The Aggies' faithful may be wondering why they never did hear anything approaching that. Yeah, Sam probably noticed being stubborn got two coaches fired. The Hogs are just glad they didn't have to pay Enos $76 million to get out of town because they probably had a better option just waiting on a phone call.