No, Hogs' QB KJ Jefferson Figured Sam Pittman Was Going to Blow Whistle

Razorbacks coach said he was "probably mad," but no he took it in stride like usual

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Aug 12, 2023 4:53 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It's always tempting to do some click-bait that Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson may have been mad when coach Sam Pittman blew a whistle on a second down play in the red zone during Saturday's scrimmage. That would just be too inaccurate to even bait.

"He had a touchdown in the red area I called back because they tagged him and he got all mad at me," Pittman said in the press conference after a long closed scrimmage inside Razorback Stadium. "He said 'they ain't tackling me on that' and he's probably right and I was wrong. We went ahead and went third-and-three anyway."

Which is probably what he wanted to do in the first place and was going to do unless the entire defense fainted or something. It wasn't a big deal, but that interaction shows how far the relationship between them has become over the last four years.

"I knew he was going to blow it dead," the redshirt senior said later. He hardly ever laughs with the media, so nobody was really expecting that. "We are always joking about that. We just laughed it off and got back to the next play. I'm just being me."

Behind him, though, Pittman does like what he saw from the accuracy. He also let out one little thing probably most fans and hasn't exactly had a big deal made about with backup Jacolby Criswell.

"He had some sparks," Pittman said. "Jacolby's going to be a much better player when you have to tackle him. He can run over 21 miles an hour and he threw the ball as well and was very accurate. Statistically, Cade Fortin might have had as good a day as any of them."

Friday's practice was apparently a good day for the quarterbacks. One of the things new offensive coordinator Dan Enos has probably focused on was accuracy and it's starting to show, especially with Jefferson.

"Crazy accuracy," Pittman said about Friday's practice. "Friday he threw the ball as well as I've ever seen a quarterback throw. When he had time to throw today he did one heckuva job."

That apparently was an issue in Saturday's scrimmage. The entire line is something Pittman has expressed concern about. It's probably one of his biggest concerns and there weren't any definitive answers during the scrimmage.

Everybody looked good at times. We probably aren't going to hear about a lot of the problems. Quite honestly, the coaches probably don't even know what they saw live until they get back to the offices and look at all the film. That tells all.

It's also how players can emerge, something else Pittman hinted at. He pointed out that it's almost impossible for a backup to snatch away a starting spot once the season starts. "It's usually a guy loses it more than someone wins it."

The Hogs' season officially kicks off Sept. 2 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock against Western Carolina. The game won't be on regular television and the only way to watch is ESPN+.