Razorbacks' Coach Ducking Simple Technical Question

After being given three tries to get it right, he finally just flat refused to discuss things

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Sep 17, 2023 12:28 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Sometimes with coaches you just have to wonder at reasons they flat to refuse answering questions after tap-dancing around one a couple of times. We have that now with Arkansas coach Sam Pittman after a fourth-and-one call Saturday night in a 38-31 loss.

The real list of reasons are almost endless, but the one possible one is quarterback KJ Jefferson simply isn't handling coming up under center, taking a snap and falling forward to easily cover the distance and keeping the drive moving ... assuming the offensive line doesn't get a holding call. Or the center can't do it well.

Instead of that, we got some wandering answer that tap-danced all around the important question of why Pittman and offensive coordinator Dan Enos lined their best player on offense up three yards behind the ball on a fourth-and-1. Instead, wouldn't it have been better to just have him stand up and somebody like Luke Hasz and Rashod Dubinion just push him forward the short disance?

We'll never know because Pittman, maybe a little testy after a bitter 38-31 loss to BYU before over 74,000 (eighth-largest in school history), gave an answer that raised more questions. Just because they had five against three blockers in front of the center is why you put a couple of big guys back there and push ... all they needed was a foot or less and you're dealing with a 6-3, 247-pound quarterback who should be able to fall forward that far in a crease. The coaches didn't have a scheme for that specific situation?

The fans had already reached the testy stage and a few a little beyond. Hey, at least they care and don't just shrug and go home like we saw for a couple of years with a different coach.

Pittman, though, just got tired of the question after a third attempt. Surprising someone didn't just ask him directly why he would put his best player that far back and maybe there's some technical reason to try and gain a couple of yards before ever reaching the point for the short gain to keep a much-needed drive going. It probably won't even be addressed in his press conference Monday morning.