Questions About Dan Enos Dismissed Initially by Sam Pittman

Dating back to SEC Media Days, one media member was pessimistic about Hogs' hiring

Author:
Jacob Davis
Publish date:
Oct 6, 2023 2:44 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — There was a sense of optimism when "Talkin' Season" began that Arkansas wouldn't skip a beat after former offensive coordinator Kendal Briles left for the same job at TCU.

Sure, Briles was great at putting together humming offenses between the 20's, but once in the red zone there was a struggle to capitalize. During his first two seasons in Fayetteville, the Razorbacks finished 15th (2020) and 27th (2021) but fell to 70th in 2022. Where Briles’ offense may have lacked, he made up for it with explosive plays, according to Clark Brooks of On3 Sports.

“Well, I hired Dan Enos because I think he’s a hell of a football coach, and I get what you’re talking about, but Dan wasn’t dealt the same players that we have on our team, either," Pittman said. "That’s yet to be seen,”

Although the Hogs' offense is scoring more efficiently in the red zone, that doesn't mean the flow of the offense is any better. The Hogs' 18 red zone attempts are tied for 10th in the SEC. Last place isn't too far behind either as Kentucky has only one less attempt than the Razorbacks.

The Hogs average an SEC worst 342 offensive yards per game, 5.3 yards per play and 80 yards worse than an Auburn team that doesn't have a solid option at quarterback. In comparison, last season's offense was on its way to a historic output before injuries to quarterback KJ Jefferson piled on. If it wasn't for South Carolina averaging 2.7 yards per rush through five weeks, the Hogs would sit dead last at 3.23. That low of a number doesn't make sense when this program is led by a coach whose bread and butter is offensive line play.

With the help of SECStatcat.com, Clark Brooks breaks down every piece of offensive and defensive information from each game with charts to rank each team. One part of the Razorbacks' game they hoped was in the past is slow starts. However, three-and-outs have been a huge issue again this year. The Hogs have extended drives to moderate success at a shade under 1.5 first downs per drive, which ranks in the middle of the conference. However, Arkansas finds itself in three downs and a cloud of dust 24% of the time, which is bad enough for 13th in the SEC.

When it comes to offensive opportunities, the Hogs receive an average of 11.5 drives per game. A lot of that is due to a Razorback defense that's forced a nation leading 18 turnovers this season. But, all those extra possessions don't mean much if an offense can't capitalize. The Hogs only score on 43% of their drives which ranks them 10th in the SEC. From the outside, it looks like this offense runs without a sense of urgency following defensive stands and forced turnovers. During 2-minute offensive drives the Hogs look more in their comfort zone. While it may be impossible to run a hurry-up look throughout every game, pace of play may need to be addressed to become less stagnant.

Lastly, the run game has been a shell of itself in comparison to Briles. Perhaps it has something to do with the blocking concepts or defensive sets that are harder to run against. It's insanity to run the ball into a five or six defenders as is. Whatever it may be, the running backs have only managed three rushing attempts of 20+ yards. That's 114th in all college football for explosive runs. The Hogs had 27 – good for 17th in the country – just a season ago with the same group of rushers. The backs produced the same amount of 20 yard runs in 2021 while ranking 10th in the country.

The main point Brooks tried to hammer home was how less effective Enos' offense is compared to the former. The Razorbacks have been way less explosive when compared to the past two seasons. The Hogs ranked sixth with 73 (2022) and 67 (2021). Talk about a flipped script with the Hogs recording just 18 explosive plays this season, ranking 13th in the SEC and 99th in the nation.

There was hope from Pittman the Arkansas offense would remain potent while also becoming more efficient overall. However, that has yet to be the case. This week, the Hogs will face a Rebel defense tied with Arkansas for 11th in the SEC on plays of 20+ yards given up. Here is the chance Enos has hoped for to get this Arkansas offense back on track.