History Not on Hogs' Side for Second Half Turnaround

The past is usually a good indication when predicting the future of Razorbacks football.

Author:
Jacob Davis
Updated:
Oct 12, 2023 3:15 PM EDT
Original:
Oct 12, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There is a constant in the Arkansas football program that needs to be addressed. The Razorbacks may not rebound from their 2-4 start.

With Arkansas moving onto the SEC in 1992, things began to change and it was definitely not always positive.

Jackson Collier took to social media Wednesday with a tidbit about the Razorbacks' overall record throughout history after starting a season 2-4. Starting a football season at 2-4 overall rarely happened before 1990. One would have to dive deep into the records books to locate when the Hogs started with such a record. That was 1967 when they went 2-4-1 before finishing 4-5-1 overall, missing bowl season entirely.

Former athletics director Frank Broyles was lenient early on about giving coaches multiple chances when Arkansas joined the SEC. For instance, Jack Crowe and Danny Ford led Arkansas to a pair of 2-4 starts. Crowe was fired after a season opening loss to the Citadel in 1992, but still gets credit for one of the worst Razorback teams ever. That team stumbled to a 3-7 record.

On the other hand, Ford sandwiched a pair of 2-4 starts in 1994 and 1996 with Arkansas' first SEC Championship Game appearance in 1995. Ford's 1997 team started with a promising 3-1 record, including a victory over no. 11 Alabama in Tuscaloosa. That team dropped its next five games before stumbling to a 4-7 finish that led to Ford's firing.

Even Houston Nutt survived a dismal 2-4 start, but after managing to only add two more wins, he was encouraged to make changes to improve the trajectory of the program. The next season he raided the high school ranks to hire an innovative offensive mind in Springdale's Gus Malzahn. He also brought top quarterback prospect Mitch Mustain and the rest of the Sprindale Five to complement a backfield of Darren McFadden, Peyton Hillis and Felix Jones That resulted in a quick bounce back season for the Razorbacks as they started the season 10-1 and climbed to no. 5 in the AP Poll before losing their final three games of the 2006 season.

The course of history changed once the next decade started. Arkansas football has started 2-4 overall four times since 2012. One of the biggest falls from grace was the highly team that lost its coach on April Fool's Day 2012. An unexpected loss to Louisiana-Monroe in Little Rock seemed to be the Jenga block that accelerated the nosedive of the program. Arkansas got back on track against two struggling conference foes in Auburn and Kentucky, but lost a pair of SEC games by one possession, eventually missing out on bowl season following a blowout loss to Mississippi State.

Obviously, the interim tag for John L. Smith was never meant to be taken off, but that began the trend of head coaches being fired for 2-4 starts. When Bret Bielema was hired it seemed like Jeff Long had stolen a golden egg right out from Barry Alvarez's nest.

Although things looked bleak in 2015, the Razorbacks turned things around beginning with an upset victory over Auburn at home, righting the ship to a 8-5 overall record and Liberty Bowl victory. This is the only team that finished with a winning record after starting 2-4.

Bielema's second 2-4 start didn't end so happily as he was fired immediately following the conclusion of the 2017 season. Arkansas lost three games by one possession including a 50-43 overtime thriller in Arlington against Texas A&M. But he reminded everyone they were "close."

Finally, the 2019 season was just a continuation of the year before it under Chad Morris. Following three consecutive one-possession losses, the Hogs fell to 2-4 after a crippling 24-20 loss at Kentucky with a wide receiver playing quarterback. Arkansas couldn't recover, closing the year at 2-10 overall and Morris was fired an embarrassing blowout loss to Western Kentucky led by Ty Storey, a former Arkansas quarterback who had been run off by Morris.

Although Pittman and his Razorbacks sit with a 2-4 record as well, there is a path o rebound. Arkansas is currently favored in four of its final six regular season games, according to ESPN Football Analytics. If football was based off analytics alone that would give the Hogs what they need to finish the regular season bowl eligible. That likely saves Pittman from being fired and gives him extra time to get it right in Fayetteville.