At Convergence of So Many Bad Omens, All Hog Fans Can Do is Hope Pittman Smiles

Tradition of three-game losing streaks, losing on road join powers in Starkville

Author:
Kent Smith
Publish date:
Oct 7, 2022 12:39 PM EDT

In this story:

STARKVILLE, Miss. – It's no secret that three-game losing losing streaks are becoming almost as consistent of a tradition in Fayetteville as the Hog call.

Only once since Bobby Petrino's last season in 2011 has Arkansas gone through a season without three consecutive losses. That one time was Bret Bielema's final season and the only reason it didn't happen then was because the season ended before the Razorbacks could finish free falling into a third blown large lead loss.

Couple that with the growing tradition of losing true road games and the bad juju Sam Pittman faces leading his team into Starkville this weekend might require nothing short of a Louisiana shadow man to break. Arkansas has only won three true road games since Nov. 20 of 2016.

"We want to win every game, but obviously with the close game loss to A&M and getting beat by Alabama, you know losses last longer than wins do," Pittman said earlier this week. "It’s just no fun when you lose for the team or any of us."

For those who see Pittman on their computer or television screens on a regular basis, it's easy to see how not fun this is for him. Since the morning of the Texas A&M game, the head Hog had worn the stress and exhaustion on his face equivalent to a man who's struggling with a growing mountain of troubles at home.

"Pittman doesn't seem like himself today," read a text passed between the allHogs staff following an appearance that morning by Pittman on the SEC Network.

Nothing has changed since to indicate the weight created by the pressure of winning and dealing with locker room drama has eased in any way. Pittman's most recent mid-week press conference felt more un-Pittmanlike than any given during his three-year tenure.

The jolly "World's Favorite Grandpa" persona that became the lovable signature that won over the heart of Arkansas fans is gone. In its place is are the lines of little sleep and clear indicators of mental exhaustion.

The infectious energy is gone. If the juke box is getting turned on througout preparations this week, it's hard to imagine anything playing other than a sad George Jones song.

If off weeks could be moved, this would be the perfect spot on the calendar to relocate it. A week filled with sleep, time in a boat and several plates of fresh barbecue couldn't be more needed even if everyone knows that's not how off weeks play out for college coaches.

Saturday is a Mayan calendar level conjunction of the cap of a potential three-game losing streak and the beginning of a three-game road trip. If there's ever a game that could bring an end to the unfavorable traditions of the past decade plus, it's this game against Mississippi State.

This very well could be a game with pivotal implications on level with the last win in Starkville that ended a 20-game SEC losing streak, bringing forth the official end of the Chad Morris era.

A win brings positive energy into a stretch of the schedule littered with potential wins.

A loss risks potentially etching that look of sadness and exhaustion permanently on Pittman's face as morale within the team begins to spiral down out of control, possibly sabotaging the Hogs' best shot at climbing out of this hole over the next two months.

The look on Pittman's face during Saturday's postgame press conference will be more telling of how the rest of the season will play out than anything in the stat sheet.

That truly brings Arkansas fans full circle to where the tradition of the three-game losing streak began.