Coming off a 39-31 double-overtime defeat at No. 16 Oklahoma State over the weekend, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman recapped the Razorbacks' performance and what the team needs to improve on ahead of its game against UAB on Saturday.
Turnovers, missed assignments, poor clock management and fatigue marred an otherwise impressive showing against a ranked foe on the road, and Pittman said those mistakes ultimately cost Arkansas the game.
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"I think there’s some things we certainly learned or we’re going to learn, from the game," Pittman said Monday. "There were some crucial plays. We had a couple of MAs (missed assignments) on empty protection. We had a guy wide open on a crossing route, well (Isaiah) Sategna for the first one, probably would have scored on. So there’s a couple of things that we can clean up as coaches."
Jumping off the stat sheet are Arkansas' three turnovers, as quarterback Taylen Green threw a pick-six in the first half, the Hogs were stuffed on a 4th-and-5 attempt in the fourth quarter and return man Isaiah Sategna muffed a punt after colliding with his own teammate, freshman Krosse Johnson, in the final quarter of regulation.
Arkansas did manage to pick off Oklahoma State signal-caller Alan Bowman once, but the Cowboys outscored the Razorbacks, 18-0, on points off turnovers.
"There were some key plays there, the toss play," Pittman said. "We respect Oklahoma State, but they really didn’t stop us a whole lot. We kind of stopped ourself. And I think they’ve got a really good team, but we inflicted our own wounds with three turnovers."
Fans were likely having meltdowns for how Arkansas handled its end-of-regulation drive to tie the game down three points, as crucial seconds were wasted and the offense looked indecisive. If not for a pass that fell incomplete to receiver Andrew Armstrong, time may have ran out and the Hogs may have never had a shot to send the game into overtime in the first place.
Another head-scratcher came in the fourth quarter, when Pittman elected to go for it on 4th-and-5 instead of kicking a field goal to go up 24-21. To be fair, kicker Kyle Ramsey had already missed a 41-yard attempt earlier in the period, and Pittman said he didn't regret his decision despite the play being thwarted to result in a turnover on downs.
"I’ll be honest with you, I’ve been here a long time and I’ve second guessed — not as much as everybody has — but I’ve second guessed myself a lot as the head coach here," Pittman said. "I think every coach does. I’ll be honest with you, that one I do not. That one, I felt like it was the right thing to do."
Penalties were fairly even for both squads (seven for Arkansas, six for Oklahoma State), but one was especially costly for the Hogs in overtime. Instead of making a routine tackle, linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. committed a personal foul for unnecessary roughness that gave the Cowboys excellent field position. On the very next play, running back Ollie Gordon II ran the ball for a 12-yard game-sealing touchdown.
"Penalty-wise we had six," Pittman said. "Probably the critical one was picking up the guy and slamming him to the ground. Which would have been a third-and-nine, and it turned out to be a first down. No telling what would have happened. You can always speculate on what would have happened, but you certainly don’t want to do that."
As the Razorbacks prepare to face UAB, Pittman continued to spread positivity about his football team. Though the loss this weekend was agonizing and the path ahead remains difficult, the Head Hog said he feels as good about his roster as he has any.
"Man, I’m so excited about the football team," Pittman said. "I just am. Excited, both sides, I mean the guys are coaching them so well. I don’t think anybody that watched the game thinks that we don’t have a good football team. We made some mistakes, and we’ve got to hold on to the football.
"You can’t go into someone else’s house and go 3-1, or 3-0 and miss the field goals and walk out of there winning. But we understand that. We’re going to flush that after the tape today and head towards UAB. We’ll see what comes in weeks to come."
Up next, Arkansas will face off against the UAB Blazers (1-1, 0-0 AAC) in the Razorbacks' home opener at Razorbacks Stadium in Fayetteville. The game is set to kick off at 3:15 p.m. CT and it will broadcast on the SEC Network.
