FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek asked the question on many Razorback fans’ minds on Wednesday during a speaking engagement at the Hawgs Illustrated Sports Club at the Hilton Garden Inn.
“What’s the matter with our football program?” Yurachek said as a suggestion for what’s on the minds of Arkansas fans following a three-game losing streak against Texas A&M, Alabama and Mississippi State following a 3-0 start.
“Nothing,” he said. “I mean that. Nothing. We play football in the Southeastern Conference. Anybody that thinks there’s anything wrong with the football program right now needs to look back to when I first arrived, coming off a 4-8 [record], then we suffered through two 2-10 seasons where we didn’t win an SEC football game.
“Not only did we not win one, we were not competitive in very many. Sam Pittman’s first year, he couldn’t recruit because we had covid. He didn’t have a spring camp because we had covid. We went 3-7 and were much more competitive. He probably spoiled all of us, as did the student-athletes in our football program, going 9-4.”
Yurachek then asked the crowd if they could remember Arkansas’ record after seven games last season, which was 4-3.
“Right now we’re 3-3 and we’re going to BYU to play a very good BYU team, but I think it’s a winnable game.”
Yurachek said the Razorbacks have six “very winnable games” remaining.
“In the same regard, it’s six games we could lose,” he said. “But I don’t think we’re going to lose them because of the attitude of Coach Pittman and his staff and the attitude of those kids in the locker room is still incredibly positive.”
Yurachek touted the success of the Razorback program in recent seasons.
Among others, he emphasized the department’s finishes at eighth and seventh in the last two Learfield Director’s Cup standings; the recent achievement of having all seven fall sports ranked in the top 25 for a couple of weeks; a program-record 3.27 grade-point average last year; the department’s 18 SEC titles the last two seasons, well ahead of the next-best programs, Alabama and Florida with seven each; and the only FBS program to win a bowl game, place it’s men’s basketball team in the Elite 8 and send its baseball team to the College World Series.
KJ sharp
Junior quarterback KJ Jefferson has received full clearance in his return from a head injury and appears ready to roll into Saturday’s 2:30 p.m. Central game at Brigham Young.
“I mean, we had a two-minute drill before the half and sharp, sharp, sharp, sharp,” Coach Sam Pittman said of Jefferson’s work in Tuesday’s practice.
“Our kicker kicked well, kicked both field goals right there with 1s and the 2s. It went well. But KJ, you don’t know that he missed last week, to be honest with you. He looks good.”
Field Odom
Defensive coordinator Barry Odom worked his first game from the Arkansas sideline last week since his one-game stint as game-day coach at Florida in 2020 when Coach Sam Pittman was out due to covid-19 protocols.
Coach Sam Pittman thought the move was necessary given the amount of younger defensive backs seeing action and others playing new spots.
“We just felt like with where we’re at injury wise back there and this, that and the other, we just felt like we needed him down there to inspire and coach on the sideline, face to face,” Pittman said.
Pittman wasn’t sure if the same situation would hold again this week at BYU.
“I don’t know if it will or not,” he said. “Could this week again just simply because there’s a possibility, we might play some young kids. We’ve got Coach [Dominique] Bowman back there as well, but we might do it again. I don’t know.”
Sanders add
Linebacker Drew Sanders was announced as a mid-season addition to the watch list for the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented to the most outstanding defensive player in college football.
Sanders has gained attention on the national scene with 59 tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks, which is tied for second in the FBS behind USC’s Tuli Tuipulotu, who has 7.
The junior from Denton, Texas, has four double-digit tackle games, the most among the Razorbacks. He was named the Butkus Award national linebacker of the month for September while leading the country with 5.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
The Razorbacks rank 12th in the nation with 21 sacks.
Semifinalists for the Chuck Bednarik Award will be announced on Nov. 1, and the three finalists for the award will be unveiled on Nov. 22.
McA-DB
Freshman receiver Quincey McAdoo was out last week recovering from a hand injury that is requiring him to wear a bulky wrap on his right hand.
When he got back this week, he joined fellow freshman Sam Mbake in working with the defensive backs as the Arkansas coaches scramble for replacements in the secondary.
McAdoo, who is wearing No. 24, also played defensive back at Clarendon High.
“He hurt his hand and he wouldn’t do us a whole lot of good at receiver because of the hand situation,” Coach Sam Pittman said Wednesday. “At least we believe he could tackle still with a slight wrap on his hand.”
Pittman said McAdoo asked the coaches for the move.
“Once we moved Mbake, Quincey came to us and said, ‘Coach, if you need some help on defense, I’d be more than happy as soon as I get cleared to go to practice and move over.’ To be honest with you, he’s a natural over there. He’s a really good receiver, but he looks great over there.”
Pittman said defensive coordinator Barry Odom and cornerbacks coach Dominique Bowman “think a lot” of McAdoo and are coaching him up on the playbook.
Haws touts Pitt
BYU nose guard Caden Haws, a first-team All-Arkansas Preps selection by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as a center at Pulaski Academy in 2015, said he got to know Razorbacks Coach Sam Pittman when he attended UA camps in the summer.
“I didn’t have an offer from Arkansas, but I went to camps there and talked to Coach Pittman pretty regularly, because I was recruited as an offensive lineman out of high school and he was the O-line coach at the time,” Haws said.
Pittman, a long-time offensive line coach, is 15-14 in his third season at Arkansas after the Razorbacks went 8-28 from 2017-19.
“I think just in general offensive line coaches, they’re cerebral guys,” Haws said. “They’re smart guys, and I think that kind of coaching style is really good from a head coaching perspective. I also just have the utmost respect for Coach Pittman. Really, really great man. You can tell he’s a total players coach, but he also demands your respect as well.
“I love what he’s done at Arkansas. I think that he’s definitely the right man for the job. That’s been evident since he’s been hired. I know everybody there loves Coach Pitt.”
Sold out
BYU has announced Saturday’s game as a sellout. The Cougars are holding a “white out” with the fans asked to wear white apparel and the team decked out in white with royal blue trim and hand-painted helmets.
LaVell Edwards Stadium seats a little over 63,000.
The Razorbacks will be playing their first game in Utah, but another will follow soon. Arkansas has a two-game contract with Utah that will see the Razorbacks play at Eccles-Rice Stadium in Salt Lake City on Sept. 12, 2026. The Utes are slated to return the game on Sept. 15, 2029.