You always have to take anonymous criticism from fellow coaches with a grain of salt, but when they’re all pointing to the same area — and that area is where the head coach is supposed to specialize — as a problem spot for a team, there’s a level of uncomfortable truth that has to be reckoned with.
In what has become an annual tradition, coaches around the SEC dished on their peers under the veil of anonymity to Athlon Sports. On Arkansas, they all said the same thing: the talent is there, but the offensive line is holding the Razorbacks back.
“If they can find a better O-line, I think the offense can carry them back to that 6- or 7-win level,” one coach told the outlet.
The Hogs won 7 games last season. According to Game on Paper, they had a top-40 offense when judged by EPA per play, but quarterback Taylen Green was constantly running for his life and having to make plays from less-than-advantageous spots.
Arkansas ranked in the 14th percentile nationally for average distance-to-gain on third down. It ranked in the 11th percentile for line yards per carry. And it ranked in the 21st percentile for havoc rate allowed.
Green was sacked 14 times combined during his previous 2 seasons at Boise State. He was sacked 32 times last year. Among SEC quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks last season, only 6 were pressured on a higher percentage of their dropbacks than Green. And he had a sub-60 passer grade from PFF on those pressured dropbacks.
“The receivers are solid, and [Taylen] Green is solid, but they couldn’t protect him, and they would get into trouble in third-and-obvious situations,” said one coach to Athlon.
Added another: “They need better offensive line play, and they don’t have SEC-level talent up front on defense.”
Sam Pittman is entering his sixth season as the Razorbacks’ head coach. Before coming back to Arkansas, his reputation as a coach was built on the offensive line. That position is all he coached during an assistant career that spanned from 1991 to 2019. He coached offensive lines at North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia before taking over the Hogs’ program.
Arkansas has lost at least 6 games in 3 straight seasons. Pittman said in an interview with On3 this week he plans to coach out the remainder of the contract he signed, but it remains to be seen whether another season with a 6- or 7-win ceiling will force the administration’s hand.
“Last year, they did just enough to keep [Sam] Pittman off the hot seat, but it will be just as difficult this season,” another anonymous SEC coach told Athlon. “Sam has a ton of respect, but this roster isn’t going to separate them.”
SEC coaches rip Arkansas for the one thing Sam Pittman was supposed to fix Saturday Down South.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( SEC coaches rip Arkansas for the one thing Sam Pittman was supposed to fix )
Also on site :
- I Tried 15 Different Brands of Potato Chips and Found a New Favorite
- 35 Summer-Ready June Nail Ideas to Brighten Up Your Look
- Paris arrested Telegram founder to meddle in Romanian election — Moscow