FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas — Sam Pittman saved Arkansas five years ago from the dregs of the SEC.
On Saturday, he officially lost the Razorbacks’ fan base.
In Arkansas, where moods rise and fall with the Hogs, life has been too humble for too long. The 56-13 loss to Notre Dame was the latest chapter in a slow-developing book of disappointment and marked Pittman’s Arkansas record at 32-34. The 63-year-old Pittman is a lovable, affable, beer-drinking everyman who rose from career position coach to Arkansas savior. A fourth straight home loss against a power program by double digits, however, cemented that Pittman has lost himself in a Hog trough that is only growing darker and deeper to trudge. The footnote: Notre Dame’s biggest win ever over an active SEC program and Arkansas’ worst home loss in five years.
Changes are likely coming and Pittman might be fired during Arkansas’ open date this week. Because Pittman’s record at Arkansas is now sub-.500, his unique buyout would currently be $6.9 million compared to the $9.8 million the school would owe him if he rattled off consecutive wins. He may be given a lifeline by the administration if he makes big changes to the defensive staff, but the message delivered by the 10th-largest crowd in Razorback Stadium history was clear: the end is near.
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A small but vocal contingent chanted “Fire Pittman!” after Notre Dame grabbed a 42-13 lead with nine seconds remaining in the first half. It was quickly drowned out by a large gathering of Irish fans, who countered with “Let’s go Irish!” As Pittman led his Hogs into the locker room facing their biggest deficit since a 35-point valley against Alabama in 2020, the fans didn’t raise their hands above their heads to call the Hogs. The boos rained down a third time, louder and sharper than before.
Three-quarters of the 10,000-seat student section emptied during the third quarter. Pittman said afterward he didn’t hear the boos or chants, but said he sympathizes with the fans who want a change at the top of the program.
“If I was a fan I’d be mad at me, too,” Pittman said when queried by CBS Sports. “I’d be frustrated as hell with me, but here’s what I’ll say: as long as I’m the head coach at Arkansas I’m going to fight my butt off to get the guys out there. How long that is, it is partly up to me because of what we put on the field, but that’s not my call. If I’m worried about that all the time I won’t be able to do as good a job as I possibly can.
“I will say this: If I was the fans, I’d be mad at me, too. Hell, I’m mad at me, to be perfectly honest.”
Arkansas knows heartbreak all too well. The program hasn’t finished above .500 in the SEC since 2015, but came close in Pittman’s second season when the Hogs won nine games overall and knocked off Penn State in the Outback Bowl.
The Razorbacks’ resurgence in Year 2 was remarkable. Pittman turned a program that had lost 20 straight SEC games during much of the terrible Chad Morris era into an exciting brand of high-scoring football with a hard-nosed defense that hadn’t been seen since Bobby Petrino led the program to 11 wins in 2011.
Strangely, history has a way of repeating itself, with Petrino as the common denominator.
Twelve after Petrino lied to bosses about an affair with a subordinate, Pittman shocked the industry — and the state of Arkansas — when he hired Petrino as offensive coordinator to help save his bacon. Petrino’s penetrating stare, no-nonsense demeanor, and highly entertaining offense kept Arkansas fans entertained last season and lifted the Razorbacks back to a bowl game, but there were still calls for change at the top.
In the offseason, a stampede of transfer departures (39) led to another reload in the portal, making the Razorbacks the most transient program in the SEC over the last two years, according to figures compiled by 247Sports. The newest facelift folded in recent weeks, however, as late-game fumbles doomed go-ahead drives against Ole Miss and Memphis. Petrino’s high-powered offense has mustered only 16 points in the last six quarters dating back to a 32-31 loss to Memphis last week, and the defense has been a sicko’s highlight reel of missed tackles, low effort and busted assignments. Notre Dame chewed up 420 yards in the first half Saturday.
Clouding the picture is Petrino. He is the most well-equipped coach on staff to take over as the interim Head Hog should Pittman be fired. Hog Land might be dour now, but fans may soon be staring through the looking glass. Only in college football could a disgraced coach once fired in shame be the Hogs’ best hope for salvation. It seems insane, even under these circumstances, and yet it might be the Razorbacks’ best path forward.
Still, Pittman should be applauded for what he accomplished at Arkansas. He took over a program that lost 20 straight SEC games, and lifted them to three bowl games in four years, including the program’s first nine-win season since Petrino’s final year (2011).
Arkansas is not a program currently positioned to win championships, but its richer-than-perceived boosters could correct that in this NIL era. Athletics director Hunter Yurachek struck a sensitive nerve two weeks ago when he admitted the obvious: Arkansas is not built to win a national title under its current NIL framework.
Fans bristled. So did coaches across the Razorbacks’ athletics department, sources told CBS Sports.
On Saturday, the always-visible Yurachek vanished from the sideline after halftime.
Meanwhile, Hog Calls turned into Boo Birds and then, finally, apathy. The stands emptied. One player’s parent could be heard from their seat yelling to coaches to insert the Hogs’ backups in the game with six minutes remaining.
Pittman sauntered off the field following the loss, his future uncertain after a remarkable turnaround four years ago that had elevated him to stardom as the most lovable and huggable coach in the SEC.
Afterward, the sixth-year coach was asked about his job security. He was pressed if he will make changes on the defensive staff led by coordinator Travis Williams.
“The game got over, what, 20 minutes ago?” Pittman said. “Listen, we owe it to everybody to put the best product out there and there’s a lot of things that come in play with that.”
With a handful of Arkansas fans watching the press conference outside a glass partition — and one Notre Dame straggler in the crowd — Pittman walked off the stage after answering every question, paused near the door in the back corner of the room and hugged his wife, Jamie.
“It’s OK, hun,” he said in his unmistakable southern tone.
The Hog Calls will return someday. But who will be there to lead them?