Officiating in Liberty Bowl Almost Cost Sam Pittman Way More Than Just a Win

More action needs to be taken by NCAA beyond overturning Quincy McAdoo suspension

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Dec 30, 2022 1:11 PM EST
Original:
Dec 30, 2022

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Inept. Conspiracy. Revenge. Gambling.

Four words Razorback fans spouted on the regular in regard to the issues with officiating during the 55-53 triple-overtime win over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl Wednesday night.

Those cries got louder after Arkansas athletics director Hunter Yurachek tweeted an official announcement regarding a targeting call on freshman defensive back Quincy McAdoo that took away a huge stop for the win in double overtime.

There's little doubt it was a rough game for the officiating.

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman, obviously flustered by what had transpired on the field, was able to keep his wits about him afterward when asked about numerous plays where fans had perceived blown calls.

"Naw, I saw it, but I like my money," Pittman said about the first situation mentioned.

"I saw that too," he said of the second incident.

"Well, I had a good look at that one too," Pittman said as the questions about the refs kept coming.

Pittman's non-answers spoke volumes more than any complaining session could have done had the Razorback coach chose to speak his mind.

However, had Arkansas lost as a result, it would have been in his best interest to go on the offensive. The $25,000 fine would have been worth it because he would have needed to plea his case to all of Arkansas that his team had been hung out to dry.

Why?

For so many reasons, the first being that losing to a 6-6 Big 12 school is a giant albatross around a coach's neck in the SEC.

Couple that with a losing record, and even a school that once stomached blowouts to North Texas, Vanderbilt and Western Kentucky alongside losses to San Jose St. and Colorado St. before firing Chad Morris immediately starts to discuss whether to replace its head coach.

Factor in that Yurcheck doesn't seem to have much patience for losing and how hot the waters would have been with the fan base lately, and you're left with Pittman needing to rally all Razorbacks to the idea that he didn't coach a loss, but instead had it stolen.

While that price is only theoretical, there definitely would have been a price to pay that Pittman couldn't have avoided.

Bad calls not only would have denied Pittman a $250,000 raise and an automatic extension to 2027, it also could have cost him millions in retention bonuses he is scheduled to receive at the end of 2024.

But the most egregious possible result would have been the loss of Pittman's career.

Had a losing season triggered a firing immediately following the game like it did for Bret Bielema, a correction by the NCAA a day later wouldn't have helped. The cat would have already been out of the bag.

Arkansas wouldn't have gotten its win back. Even if Pittman had gotten his job back, the damage would have already been done.

Whether it was incompetence, a personal reaction to Pittman laying into them all game, or, and this is said with a bit of sarcasm because it's such a stretch, a PAC 12 conspiracy to take down SEC teams, it nearly had very real consequences beyond who gets to claim a winning season between a pair of literally average teams.

The list of blown calls is long and each had a dramatic effect.

Here are just a few, excluding the aforementioned targeting call that was overturned a day later.

With 24 seconds in the first half, following a 32-yard KJ Jefferson run that was extended to the 9-yard line after Kenny Logan, Jr. shoved Jefferson into the bottom of the bleachers for the only penalty called on Kansas all game, the Razorbacks were looking to go into the half up at least 34-13 and possibly 38-13.

However, when freshman Isaiah Sategna, who just got his first catch of the season a few minutes earlier, came across the middle on a slant, OJ Burroughs body-checked him at the goal line with a hard shoulder to stop Sategna dead on his route, allowing Burroughs to bounce off and end the drive with an interception.

If he doesn't commit an obvious pass interference, the odds are high that Sategna has his first touchdown of the season, which would have eventually put Arkansas up 45-13 following a touchdown with 8:43 left in the third quarter.

With the amount of chewing Pittman did on the backsides of the officiating crew heading into the half, those men may not have anything left to sit on the rest of their lives.

While Pittman personally calling a reverse to Matt Landers on second down in field goal range while Kansas was out of timeouts has already been addressed in another story, the unneeded risk of the situation shouldn't have mattered.

Landers was down and it was quit easy to see on the review that his elbow hit the ground, jarring the ball free. He had the first down, so what should have followed was KJ Jefferson taking three knees while Pittman walked away the coach of the team with a 38-23 bowl win in his pocket.

With it being such an inconsequential bowl game in the eyes of the NCAA, it's unlikely anything is done in regard to the crew that called it.

However, considering the consequences that were narrowly avoided in addition to other possible fallout, plus the perception that has clearly generated within the college football community, there needs to be some level of action, even if its just additional hours of training heading into next year.