I have a TON of stuff in my notebook from yesterday's win. Highly recommend giving it a read...
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas wasted no time basking in its win over Missouri on Friday.
Moments after the clock struck zero in the Razorbacks’ 34-17 victory, players ran to the Battle Line Trophy on the Tigers’ sideline and the scoreboard displayed a photoshopped graphic with head coach Sam Pittman sitting in a chair surrounded by the team’s spoils.
Not only did Arkansas win its rivalry game with Missouri, but it also beat Texas A&M to get the Southwest Classic trophy and LSU to get the Golden Boot trophy. Completing the set up was Larry - the bowling ball Pittman had purchased to commemorate reaching bowl eligibility with a win over Mississippi State.
Considering the Razorbacks had a five-game losing streak against the two Tigers and a nine-game losing streak against the Aggies, it was a moment worth celebrating.
“We don't have a guy on our team that had any of them - ever, not one. Not one that earned any of them,” Pittman said. “To have those three trophies in there and Larry - we didn't earn Larry, we bought him for 20 bucks - (but) to have those three trophies in there is big.”
While fans might still be resistant to calling Missouri a rival, the coaches and players seemed to be all-in on it Friday afternoon.
They made it no secret that their goal was to win all three trophies - including the one that came with winning the “Battle Line Rivalry.”
“We were chasing history,” quarterback KJ Jefferson said. “Nobody here had won the three trophies, so knowing we’ve got them now is a memorable thing. We’ll just cherish that for life.”
Here are a few other notes, tidbits and stats from the Razorbacks’ win over Missouri…
Game Ball
Friday’s victory was particularly special for Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who spent much of his adult life with the Tigers a standout player, football staffer, assistant coach and head coach. On top of that, it was his 45th birthday.
Pittman specifically mentioned Odom in his opening statement to the media following the game. Even though he decline to speak on “the situation” - Missouri’s decision to fire him after his fourth season - he said he was very happy for him.
“I had the game ball and gave it to Grant Morgan and Joe Foucha and I asked them to give it to Barry,” Pittman said. “They stood up and talked about what Coach Odom means to them, and certainly we did give him the game ball. He deserved it.”
Heading into Saturday’s slate of games, Arkansas is tied for 48th nationally in scoring defense (24.0 ppg) and tied for 59th in total defense (371.3 ypg). That is significantly better than when Odom took over the unit, as the Razorbacks were 124th (36.8 ppg) and 110th (450.7 ypg) in those categories, respectively, in 2019.
“He's a stone-cold killer and he's the spear of our team - the tip of the spear,” linebacker Hayden Henry said. “The guy is just a legend and he brings it every day. I couldn't be happier for him.”
Explosiveness from Warren
The Razorbacks’ offense, as usual, was led by Jefferson and Treylon Burks, but it also got a spark from De’Vion Warren.
It was the super senior’s 55-yard catch and run on a screen that set up Arkansas’ first touchdown after halftime and seemingly ignited the team’s second-half outburst. In the fourth quarter, he helped deliver the knock-out blow by gaining 32 yards on an end-around immediately following an interception.
Three plays later, Arkansas scored to take a commanding 34-9 lead with less than 10 minutes left. Warren finished the game with 95 all-purpose yards on three touches.
“Those are some things De'Vion did last year for us, some reverses, catching screens and making yardage off of it,” Pittman said. “I was really happy for him, especially because he came back as a super senior. To end that way out there with a win and have a good game, he looked really good today.”
Badie Breaks Record
The lone bright spot for Missouri was running back Tyler Badie, who ran for 219 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries. He tied the record for most carries by a single player against Arkansas, matching Tennessee’s Travis Stephens’ total in 2001.
“Tyler Badie is an exceptional running back,” Pittman said. “Very physical, very tough.”
On top of that, it was Badie’s fifth 200-yard game and gave him 1,604 yards for the season, breaking Devin West’s single-season school record of 1,578 set back in 1998.
"He's a great competitor," Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "He gives us everything he's got and for him to get that record, that's a special thing. I know he'll be disappointed in the result today, but I know he gave us everything he had."
Another Pick
For the third straight week, Montaric Brown forced a turnover for Arkansas’ defense. After making an overtime interception at LSU and forcing and recovering a fumble near the goal line at Alabama, the fifth-year senior came down with an interception that proved to be the final nail in the coffin against Missouri.
“He just seems to be ‘Big Play Mo,’” Pittman said. “We need him. He ended up picking one this afternoon and of course LSU. He seems to be playing with a lot of confidence and he's a senior. I was very happy to see him have success today, too.”
It was Brown’s fifth interception of the season, which is the most by an Arkansas player since safety Tramain Thomas also had five in 2011. The last UA cornerback with five interceptions was Jerell Norton in 2007.
If he can make one more in the bowl game, Brown would be the first player with six interceptions in a season since Orlando Watters in 1993.
Tackling Machines
Playing his final game inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium, linebacker Hayden Henry delivered several bone-crushing hits on quarterback Connor Bazelak, made several critical tackles near the line of scrimmage and even broke up a third-down pass.
He was officially credited with 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. That gives him 95 tackles for the season, including a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss.
Despite knocking on the door of 100 tackles, Henry actually ranks third on the team.
Bumper Pool made a team-high 13 tackles and now has 120 for the season. The performance moved him past Bert Zinamon and Rickey Williams and into ninth place on the UA’s all-time list with 344 tackles.
Just ahead of Henry, Grant Morgan has 96 tackles this season after making seven against Missouri.
“The linebackers are outstanding and you know that,” Pittman said. “Don't they run to the ball? With Bump and Hayden and Grant, they've been that way all year.”
Little Perfect Again
It was another perfect day for freshman kicker Cam Little. He booted 36- and 23-yard field goals and made all four of his PATs, giving him 10 points against the Tigers.
The Oklahoma native now has 100 points this season, which is sixth on the single-season list. He is also just the fourth different kicker in UA history to reach that mark, as Zach Hocker and Alex Tejada did it twice and Kendall Trainor did it once.
Little’s 19 field goals are tied for fourth on the school’s single-season list, while his 82.6 percent success rate (19 of 23) ranks fifth.
Pay Raise for Pittman
By winning three of the last four games of the season, Pittman earned himself a nice chunk of change.
Although his contract has an annual salary that ranks 12th out of 13 SEC coaches at public universities (Vanderbilt excluded), it included automatic raises for reaching six, seven and eight regular-season wins.
Each of those victories was worth a quarter-million dollar raise, so his salary will increase by $750,000 thanks to the wins over Mississippi State, LSU and Missouri. That comes out to a total of $3 million
If you include the automatic one-year extension he received for reaching bowl eligibility, which is another $4.75 million, and the one-time bonus of $150,000 for appearing in a bowl, this stretch of football has earned him an extra $7.9 million over what he was slated to receive.
(Story continues in the next post)
HawgBeat - Notebook: Another trophy, game ball for Odom, Senior Day, more
HawgBeat brings you several notes and stats from Arkansas' win over Missouri on Friday.
arkansas.rivals.com
FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas wasted no time basking in its win over Missouri on Friday.
Moments after the clock struck zero in the Razorbacks’ 34-17 victory, players ran to the Battle Line Trophy on the Tigers’ sideline and the scoreboard displayed a photoshopped graphic with head coach Sam Pittman sitting in a chair surrounded by the team’s spoils.
Not only did Arkansas win its rivalry game with Missouri, but it also beat Texas A&M to get the Southwest Classic trophy and LSU to get the Golden Boot trophy. Completing the set up was Larry - the bowling ball Pittman had purchased to commemorate reaching bowl eligibility with a win over Mississippi State.
Considering the Razorbacks had a five-game losing streak against the two Tigers and a nine-game losing streak against the Aggies, it was a moment worth celebrating.
“We don't have a guy on our team that had any of them - ever, not one. Not one that earned any of them,” Pittman said. “To have those three trophies in there and Larry - we didn't earn Larry, we bought him for 20 bucks - (but) to have those three trophies in there is big.”
While fans might still be resistant to calling Missouri a rival, the coaches and players seemed to be all-in on it Friday afternoon.
They made it no secret that their goal was to win all three trophies - including the one that came with winning the “Battle Line Rivalry.”
“We were chasing history,” quarterback KJ Jefferson said. “Nobody here had won the three trophies, so knowing we’ve got them now is a memorable thing. We’ll just cherish that for life.”
Here are a few other notes, tidbits and stats from the Razorbacks’ win over Missouri…
Game Ball
Friday’s victory was particularly special for Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom, who spent much of his adult life with the Tigers a standout player, football staffer, assistant coach and head coach. On top of that, it was his 45th birthday.
Pittman specifically mentioned Odom in his opening statement to the media following the game. Even though he decline to speak on “the situation” - Missouri’s decision to fire him after his fourth season - he said he was very happy for him.
“I had the game ball and gave it to Grant Morgan and Joe Foucha and I asked them to give it to Barry,” Pittman said. “They stood up and talked about what Coach Odom means to them, and certainly we did give him the game ball. He deserved it.”
Heading into Saturday’s slate of games, Arkansas is tied for 48th nationally in scoring defense (24.0 ppg) and tied for 59th in total defense (371.3 ypg). That is significantly better than when Odom took over the unit, as the Razorbacks were 124th (36.8 ppg) and 110th (450.7 ypg) in those categories, respectively, in 2019.
“He's a stone-cold killer and he's the spear of our team - the tip of the spear,” linebacker Hayden Henry said. “The guy is just a legend and he brings it every day. I couldn't be happier for him.”
Explosiveness from Warren
The Razorbacks’ offense, as usual, was led by Jefferson and Treylon Burks, but it also got a spark from De’Vion Warren.
It was the super senior’s 55-yard catch and run on a screen that set up Arkansas’ first touchdown after halftime and seemingly ignited the team’s second-half outburst. In the fourth quarter, he helped deliver the knock-out blow by gaining 32 yards on an end-around immediately following an interception.
Three plays later, Arkansas scored to take a commanding 34-9 lead with less than 10 minutes left. Warren finished the game with 95 all-purpose yards on three touches.
“Those are some things De'Vion did last year for us, some reverses, catching screens and making yardage off of it,” Pittman said. “I was really happy for him, especially because he came back as a super senior. To end that way out there with a win and have a good game, he looked really good today.”
Badie Breaks Record
The lone bright spot for Missouri was running back Tyler Badie, who ran for 219 yards and a touchdown on 41 carries. He tied the record for most carries by a single player against Arkansas, matching Tennessee’s Travis Stephens’ total in 2001.
“Tyler Badie is an exceptional running back,” Pittman said. “Very physical, very tough.”
On top of that, it was Badie’s fifth 200-yard game and gave him 1,604 yards for the season, breaking Devin West’s single-season school record of 1,578 set back in 1998.
"He's a great competitor," Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said. "He gives us everything he's got and for him to get that record, that's a special thing. I know he'll be disappointed in the result today, but I know he gave us everything he had."
Another Pick
For the third straight week, Montaric Brown forced a turnover for Arkansas’ defense. After making an overtime interception at LSU and forcing and recovering a fumble near the goal line at Alabama, the fifth-year senior came down with an interception that proved to be the final nail in the coffin against Missouri.
“He just seems to be ‘Big Play Mo,’” Pittman said. “We need him. He ended up picking one this afternoon and of course LSU. He seems to be playing with a lot of confidence and he's a senior. I was very happy to see him have success today, too.”
It was Brown’s fifth interception of the season, which is the most by an Arkansas player since safety Tramain Thomas also had five in 2011. The last UA cornerback with five interceptions was Jerell Norton in 2007.
If he can make one more in the bowl game, Brown would be the first player with six interceptions in a season since Orlando Watters in 1993.
Tackling Machines
Playing his final game inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium, linebacker Hayden Henry delivered several bone-crushing hits on quarterback Connor Bazelak, made several critical tackles near the line of scrimmage and even broke up a third-down pass.
He was officially credited with 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, one pass breakup and two quarterback hurries. That gives him 95 tackles for the season, including a team-high 10.5 tackles for loss.
Despite knocking on the door of 100 tackles, Henry actually ranks third on the team.
Bumper Pool made a team-high 13 tackles and now has 120 for the season. The performance moved him past Bert Zinamon and Rickey Williams and into ninth place on the UA’s all-time list with 344 tackles.
Just ahead of Henry, Grant Morgan has 96 tackles this season after making seven against Missouri.
“The linebackers are outstanding and you know that,” Pittman said. “Don't they run to the ball? With Bump and Hayden and Grant, they've been that way all year.”
Little Perfect Again
It was another perfect day for freshman kicker Cam Little. He booted 36- and 23-yard field goals and made all four of his PATs, giving him 10 points against the Tigers.
The Oklahoma native now has 100 points this season, which is sixth on the single-season list. He is also just the fourth different kicker in UA history to reach that mark, as Zach Hocker and Alex Tejada did it twice and Kendall Trainor did it once.
Little’s 19 field goals are tied for fourth on the school’s single-season list, while his 82.6 percent success rate (19 of 23) ranks fifth.
Pay Raise for Pittman
By winning three of the last four games of the season, Pittman earned himself a nice chunk of change.
Although his contract has an annual salary that ranks 12th out of 13 SEC coaches at public universities (Vanderbilt excluded), it included automatic raises for reaching six, seven and eight regular-season wins.
Each of those victories was worth a quarter-million dollar raise, so his salary will increase by $750,000 thanks to the wins over Mississippi State, LSU and Missouri. That comes out to a total of $3 million
If you include the automatic one-year extension he received for reaching bowl eligibility, which is another $4.75 million, and the one-time bonus of $150,000 for appearing in a bowl, this stretch of football has earned him an extra $7.9 million over what he was slated to receive.
(Story continues in the next post)
