Razorbacks Manage to Bring Both Sides of Political Aisle Together

In one loud voice, the entire state agreed it's seen enough

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Oct 21, 2023 4:40 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Because sports appeals to people of all walks of life, our social media following is quite diverse. We see strong opinions from both sides of the political aisle pop up on our various feeds throughout the week.

However, with 4:03 left in the third quarter, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman chose to play it safe and opt for points rather than risk going for it on third down at the Mississippi State 33. Fans were split on the decision, but another Cam Little 50+ yard field goal attempt to make it 7-6 seemed better than going for it and getting nothing for roughly half the fan base.

A full 25 seconds later, people who can't stand next to each other in line at McDonald's without getting into a vicious argument joined hands in a show of unity that hasn't been seen in this country in many years. They were fed up and they wanted heads in gift-wrapped boxes. That's because, with all three timeouts available, the coaching staff allowed a delay of game to force the Razorbacks out of what they believe was outside of Little's range under Saturday's conditions.

Immediately the internet exploded. Voices from every direction called for change and almost none of them were family friendly enough to include in this story. Decorum fell to a litany of four-letter words across the board. Everyone agreed Enos has to go immediately and a majority called for Pittman to go also, although there was a consensus athletics director Hunter Yurachek has too good of a relationship with Pittman to cut him loose immediately.

The emotion was so strong that endless rants calling for the Bielema treatment, meaning they want people fired before they leave the field, were in heavy rotation. It became clear that if Pittman evoked the another loss by less than a touchdown mantra, pockets of the fan base may join together to burn Razorback Stadium to the ground.

Fans were already on edge last week. They had seen more than they wanted of the Enos offense out of compassion for beloved Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson. Then, as if his Spider sense was tingling, the much maligned OC adjusted his play calling and the Razorbacks ripped off 15 consecutive points and had No. 11 Alabama on the ropes in Tuscaloosa.

It bought him a week, but there is no way Arkansas fans are willing to suffer another game. The Razorbacks posted 200 yards of offense and generated no points on its own on a day the defense held Mississippi State to 205 yards on 11 possessions, only one of which was a scoring drive.

The three points Arkansas scored came as a gift from the defense following an interception by Alfahiym Walcott on the second play of the game that handed the offense the ball in field goal range. The only other threat the Razorbacks made at putting points on the board was a scoop and score that got called back because of a motion penalty. Instead of points on the board, Mississippi State punted, giving an offense no one still believes in the chance to lose nine yards deep in its own territory so its best weapon, Max Fletcher, could boom a punt from his end zone to the Bulldogs' 20-yard line.

In the aftermath, calls became loud for defensive coordinator Travis Williams to become the acting head coach with Marcus Woodson moved to full-time defensive coordinator while Jimmy Smith takes over as offensive coordinator. That so many fans had such a clear line of succession already in hand indicates this thought process has been going on for a while.

One thing is for sure. If Enos is calling plays the next time Arkansas rolls into Razorback Stadium, the stands will be empty both from the right wing to the left. Fans can handle losing. It's been an ailment of being a Hog fan for a long time. However, as the Chad Morris era proved, gross incompetence won't be tolerated and that's what fans believe they saw on the offensive side of the ball Saturday.