Here's hoping Hogs' leader returns soon

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman looks on after a call during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Texas A&M on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)

More than likely, Sam Pittman said, 'Gosh darn it, there's a lot of work to do.'

Getting the news he had tested positive for covid-19 probably did not shake him much. His biggest concern will be the Arkansas Razorback players.

It is as obvious on the field as it is in the locker room that Pittman cares for and respects his players, and it is a two-way street.

Hopefully, something good will happen, and he'll be in The Swamp on Saturday night when his Razorbacks take on Florida -- the second add-on game the SEC office thought was a fair pairing.

By the time the news had spread that Pittman had tested positive for the virus, he and his players had put the win over Tennessee on the shelf -- probably the top one -- and moved on to prepare for a Gators team that just throttled Georgia.

The third quarter Saturday night may not have been the best in Hogs history, but it seems like it right now.

Pittman, defensive coordinator Barry Odom and offensive coordinator Kendal Briles apparently had all the answers for any halftime questions.

In the opening two quarters, Tennessee dominated the line of scrimmage with 177 yards of offense, 135 of that on the ground. The Vols had a time-of-possession advantage of 19:56 to 10:04 to grab a 13-0 lead.

Pittman and Co. definitely needed answers, and they definitely found them.

In the third quarter alone, the Razorbacks scored 24 points, had 257 yards of offense (170 on the strength of Feleipe Franks' arm), and had the ball for 9:47 of 15 minutes.

The Volunteers barely managed to have their offense on the field for more time than it takes to spell the word stuffed. The Arkansas defense gave up 16 yards on 10 plays.

In the first half, the Vols converted 4 of 7 on third downs. They were 0 of 3 in the third quarter and didn't get their last conversion until midway through the fourth quarter.

In that almost perfect 15 minutes, Franks threw touchdown passes of 59 yards to Treylon Burks, who had three catches in the quarter; 1 yard to Mike Woods, who had a 56-yard catch to set up the touchdown; and 6 yards to Blake Kern.

Kern and starting tight end Hudson Henry had five catches combined in the quarter.

Arkansas got a little conservative on offense in the final period and ended up with just 3 yards on 13 plays, many of which went backward, but the Vols were struggling mightily at quarterback by then. While they moved the ball and threatened to get back in it, the Razorbacks defense denied them twice with interceptions.

Starting slow has been a problem from time to time, and when the Hogs went to the locker room at the half it appeared that it may have doomed them.

The only thing similar in the two halves was the uniforms.

Everyone on both sides of the ball gave 100% effort.

Now, the team predicted to finish last in the SEC and often projected to go winless -- which probably had a lot to do with the Razorbacks getting stuck with Georgia and Florida as their SEC-only schedule additions -- is 3-3 and looking like a team that has to be taken seriously every week.

As the Hogs prepare for the Gators, the team apparently will be without Pittman on the field.

He will literally be everywhere virtually, and maybe he'll test negative the next three times and get to lead his team into The Swamp.

Either way, here's hoping everyone with the virus gets better soon.