Performance Against Auburn Leaves Little Room for Hogs' Admin to Not Make Move

Pittman just had his Western Kentucky moment, nothing to be gained by prolonging inevitable

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Nov 11, 2023 7:05 PM EST
Original:
Nov 11, 2023

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Sometimes it's hard to tell when it's over. This isn't one of those times.

Sam Pittman will be remembered as a lovable coach who drug Arkansas through a dark time following the Chad Morris years. Unfortunately, he will also be remembered as a great offensive line coach and recruiter whose offensive line was terrible by the time the roster was largely his own without any great recruits in line to give hope of the future.

Both issues neither the athletics administration, nor Razorback fans could even fathom when Pittman got hired. It was his biggest selling point.

As much as everyone can appreciate what Pittman's done, getting smoked by a program like Auburn, especially ??-3 in a game where it looked like so many players quit, it just feels a little too much like the end of the Morris tenure. The only thing missing to mirror the Western Kentucky game was Malik Hornsby somehow ending up in a Tigers' uniform throwing touchdowns left and right.

Arkansas has now lost six of its last eight in Fayetteville, and the lone win this season against Kent State had red flags all over it as the offensive line was dominated much of the game. It's hard to keep a job dropping "L" after "L" in front of the big money guys who keep the lights on. There's also only so much a fan base can handle, which is why the stands were basically empty at halftime and social media was filled with Arkansans saying they were heading back to the deer stand.

Perhaps former Arkansas quarterback Clint Stoerner said it best. Until back-up quarterback Jacolby Criswell came in and provided a spark by flying down the field for the first Razorback touchdown of the game, there was no spark of any kind, even coming out of halftime.

If the trigger is going to be pulled, there's no reason for the Band-Aid to not be ripped off before Monday. The odds of Arkansas winning against Florida International don't change much with an interim coach. Neither, sadly, do the odds go down in regard to an upset of Missouri to close the season.

All that happens is a chance to see how Travis Williams would run the team as head coach while phone calls that have gone out in the background to potential candidates the past few weeks become a little less backdoor while still trying to remain incognito.

What will happen will not be pleasant. It's going to be hard to find a quality candidate willing to come coach in the SEC with such a low NIL backing and limited recruiting base. Along the way, a lot of the players who have shown promise will jump ship. The cupboard is going to go bare fast and a good portion of the recruiting class is going to flip.

Long story short, it's most likely going to take a few years to get back to another bowl game. However, the faster Arkansas gets on with plane tracking season the earlier fans getting excited about seven wins can return to Northwest Arkansas once more.

Besides, it's officially basketball season.