Arkansas' Sam Pittman looks to tweak his team to match his personality

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Arkansas head football coach Sam Pittman improved his team in the offseason by taking a hard look in the mirror.
Arkansas managed a winning season last year thanks to a 55-53 triple-overtime victory over Kansas in the Liberty Bowl to finish 7-6, but the Razorbacks could have accomplished so much more. Arkansas lost four games by a combined nine points. The Razorbacks were oh so close to having an 11-2 season. Pittman said several teams can say they lost games by a few points, but in Arkansas’ case there were specific situations that led to the losses.
“We have a lot of situational football to get fixed,” Pittman said Wednesday at the SEC Media Days.
Arkansas’ offense attempted 20 fourth downs last season, converting nine to rank 11th in the Southeastern Conference at 45%. Only Florida, Vanderbilt and Texas A&M were worse.
“We’ve worked on it,” Pittman said. “I’ve worked on myself. I won’t go for it on fourth down very often.”
That might need to change moving forward. The offense has to complement the defense, not put it in a bind.
“Analytics certainly has changed football,” Pittman said. “I have to get into it a little bit more than what I have in the past.”
Other numbers that didn’t add up for Arkansas were in red-zone offense and red-zone defense.
Arkansas despite having quarterback KJ Jefferson, one of the league’s best dual threats, ranked only 10th in the SEC and 69th nationally in red-zone offense. The Razorbacks were worse on defense, ranking 11th in the league and 92nd in the country.
“I thought we got pushed around at times and man, it’s hard for me to say that, because I’m an offensive line coach and I thought we got pushed around,” Pittman said.
Missouri grabbed a 29-27 victory over Arkansas and LSU won 13-10 as those teams outrushed the Razorbacks 426-246.
Pittman in the offseason hired Ben Sowders as director of strength and conditioning. Sowders was Louisville’s director of strength and conditioning last year after being an assistant at Georgia for four seasons.
Pittman said the players are stronger and they look the part, citing the trio accompanying him in Nashville – junior defensive end Landon Jackson, junior running back Raheim Sanders and Jefferson.
Sowders replaced Ed Ellis who was with the Razorbacks for two seasons after being Georgia’s senior associate AD of strength and conditioning.
“I thought there was a change that was needed,” Pittman said. “Nothing negative about anybody, It’s just I thought a change was needed.”
Included in Arkansas’ tough losses last year was a 23-21 setback to Texas A&M. The Razorbacks squandered a 14-0 lead, but was in position to win with a nine-play, 40-yard drive, but Cam Little missed a 42-yard field goal with 90 seconds left.
“Obviously, I thought at the end of the game, we’d make the field goal and we’d go home and win and we did not,” Pittman said. “Cam Little has made a whole lot of field goals for us. It wasn’t that miss [that cost us the game].”
Arkansas made too many mistakes. A&M strong safety Demani Richardson returned a fumble 82 yards for a touchdown just when it looked like Arkansas could possibly take a 21-7 halftime lead. Even on Arkansas’ last drive, the Razorbacks lost 9 yards on a fumble, making the field-goal attempt longer.
If Arkansas had won that game, it would have been the first time it beat A&M in back-to-back games since 2011 when the Razorbacks had a three-game winning streak under Bobby Petrino, who is now A&M’s offensive coordinator.
Petrino was head coach at Missouri State last year, which had a 24-17 lead at Arkansas after three quarters, but lost 38-27.
Petrino will have much better players at his disposal when the Aggies face the Razorbacks on Sept. 30 at Arlington’s AT&T Stadium.
The A&M game is part of a grueling four-game stretch for Arkansas that starts at LSU on Sept. 23 followed by A&M, at Ole Miss on Oct. 7 and ends at Alabama on Oct. 14.
Last year Arkansas in a five-game stretch played No. 23 A&M, No. 2 Alabama, at No. 23 Mississippi State, at BYU and at Auburn. And two years ago, Arkansas played five top 17 teams.
“I think it’s a gift that keeps on giving,” Pittman said. “You know, it seems like every year, we’ve got a stretch in there, especially on this year. Yeah, it’s a tough stretch. We have got to get after that stretch.”
If anyone can light a fire under players, it’s Pittman who was asked if he’s college football’s most colorful and entertaining personality with the death of former Texas Tech/Washington State/Mississippi State coach Mike Leach.
“Man, I couldn’t come close to him,” Pittman said. “We miss him, don’t we? We do. A lot of fun and honest as the day is long.”
Leach is missed, but Pittman is doing him proud.
Pittman, who has a jukebox in his office, was on stage with Foreigner last weekend singing Hot Blooded.
“They shut my mic off,” Pittman said. “I don’t know if the guy was afraid I’d take his job or what. I gotta job, don’t worry about it. But I was up there.”
Pittman following a big Razorbacks victory once said he was headed home to drink a cold beer, so a reporter asked if would ever consider a Hamm’s?
“I like an old Hamm’s beer, but you burp a lot afterwards,” Pittman said.
He might have drunk something a little harder after those close losses last season.