Ask Mike: Zero Turnovers, Storming the Field & Pitt Really Can Coach

Q. Our first question is from Hawgredneck asks: Can you explain how we won this game when it looked like it was following the script of other close losses?

A. No turnovers. That entire game I kept saying to myself, if they just don’t fumble, don’t throw a pick, they have a chance. I think it’s obvious now how close this team is to being undefeated. Don’t give gifts and you’re a whole lot better than this fan base thinks you are, than most of the media thinks you are.

Q. mousetown wants to know: Where does this rank on the all time list of Arkansas wins in football?

A. I don’t think like that. There’s no best all time movie for me. Best song, best college football player, etc. I will name a top 5.

The first one? LSU in 1910. That was for the championship of the South. That game is why they are called Razorbacks. It was the first time that something very important was established. With the right head coach great things can happen with this tiny, isolated school in the hills of NW Arkansas.

Texas 1954. Bowden Wyatt’s 25 Little Pigs beat Texas in a game that was not close. I’ve seen film of that game. When it was over Arkansas fans in Austin stormed the field proving how strong this fan base was even outside the state.

Nebraska, 1965. The national championship game proving that with the right head coach, this school can win it all. Something I still believe will happen again.

Oklahoma, the 78 Orange Bowl. That game proved that a media that’s not paying attention, fans who are not paying attention can be 100% wrong about a team. To this day that win is called an upset. It was not. Arkansas was better than Oklahoma that season and maybe the best team in the country. I think they could have beaten Notre Dame if Arkansas had been in the Cotton Bowl.

Tennessee 2024: This win is among the top five for a different reason. We had a collection of Internet experts who were determined to run off the head coach. They weren’t paying attention to potential of this team. They just wanted him gone and they were starting to get to the media. If they had succeeded they would have run off one of the best collection of assistant coaches I’ve been around. They would have succeeded in branding Sam Pittman as a bumbling head coach who was in over his head.

Thanks to that win, those people have finally been exposed.

Q. Bacons Rebellion want to know: Have the Razorbacks ever before had a backup quarterback enter the game in the 4th quarter and lead a winning touchdown drive? I can’t come up with one.

A. Not that I’ve been able to find. We’ve had several people checking on that. Pretty sure it’s the first time that’s happened at least in the modern era of Arkansas football.

Q. Armon Abbe says: I have compiled a list of comments the Internet experts gave us during the Tennessee game. I would appreciate it if you would share this……

….. I’ve left out the names because I’m not into personal attacks but I do want to show just how silly some of these people can make themselves look.

Here we go:

Time for a QB change. High school QB’s are better.

I’d rather be us than them? I can’t believe he said that. Why not just give Tennessee their halftime speech?

Over 50 years of watching football and I’ve never seen a team like this in my life. Stats like this (229 Yards to 29) and only 3 points? This isn’t new. We are not Ok.

“I have better things to do with my time. GOOD NIGHT zzzzz.

Great! Will be another one score loss. Another win turned into loss by dumb decisions. When will Yurachek wake up?

Threw away 14 points. You think the players don’t know that their head coach keeps doing this? No chance again.

A. That is hilarious. Thanks for sharing.

Q. WVHogfan asks: Do you feel sad for the anti Sam Pittman people? Sam Is probably going to be the head coach for as long as he wants instead of being fired.

A. I assume you’re being sarcastic. I’m trying to imagine what they are thinking right now. Righ now their only hope is if Pittman decides to retire on his own. However after the game he said to Travis Williams, “You’re not going to leave me are you. I need you back with me next season.”

Look those people have not given up. Like I’ve been saying, they’ll lay in the weeds and wait for the next loss to start criticizing him all over again.

Q.RazorAlex88 says: On TV it looks like the field needs some new paint on the Razorback in the middle and the end zones. They look faded. Are they that faded in person or it it just the TV?

A. I haven’t had anyone who was at the game say they noticed this. It’s apparently the way ABC set their cameras up. The entire game looks a tad dark compared to other games I’ve looked at.

Q. WLD3 says: The weakness of the o-line the last two years and the lack of development of high school recruits is the last thing I would have expected under Sam Pittman. Do you have any insight as to how this came to pass?

A. I think the problems last year caught him by surprise and honestly it wasn’t all of a lack of development. Installing a new offense under Dan Enos which none of them liked was an issue. Also the uneven distribution of NIL money last year caused some anger. That team was fractured. This one is not.

As far as your critique of this year’s O-line. Again you’re got a lot of new parts running a new offense and teams are cooking up blitzes to try and rattle Taylen Green every week. Arkansas outgained Tennessee. They didn’t do that with a subpar offensive line. Especially on that last TD drive.

Q. DG Owen says: It’s high time fickle fans shut the hell up or go root for LSU. Tennessee had the SEC’s leading offense and defense.

……I know the A&M game was a disappointment but they just hammered the #9 team in the country. Need a unified fan base–like the majority that showed up tonight.

A. A&M’s domination of Missouri’s offensive line was very revealing. I tried to explain how how good those guys are last week. A lot of fans didn’t want to hear it. If you think Taylen Green was running for his life against the Aggies, how about Brady Cook? Green was sacked 3 times. Cook got taken down 6 times.

Also clearly there is a difference in fans at a game and those watching on TV. That was a big time atmosphere. You give Razorback fans a reason to go bonkers and Razorbsak stadium

Q. NorTexArky asks: What does it say about the ability of this coaching staff that the players still have belief that even down 14-3 that they could come back and win? How about the play calling on our final drive? Vintage Petrino in my book.

A. It’s says something about the coaches but also the players. Something I have been trying to point out since last spring. Also, yes, Sam hit a home run with the Petrino hire.

Q. Porked Tongue wants to know: What is the highest conference finish (football) you think the Hogs will have in the next 20 years? I got a 4th.

A. I’m an optimist. Sometime in the next 20 years Arkansas will win the SEC.

Q: whippersnapper says: I know y’all were busy getting ready for the Hogs but I want to hear y’alls take on Vandy and Bama.

A. Most are pointing out the absence of Saban. No way would this happen under him. Clearly after the big win over Georgia, Bama’s players came into this game with a lack of focus. It’s tough to replace a legend. Kalen DeBoer is about to find that out.

Q.Stephen Shoops asks: Did u see the Tennessee player push our cheerleader down? That was not call for. SEC office should do something about that !

A. Actually the player pushed a student down and he crashed into the cheerleader and she went down. This is one of the reasons why it’s not a good idea to rush the field after a game. Think about it. What happens if a fan goes out on the field during a game or even at halftime. Security removes them and sometimes they even get arrested. If players are still on the field after a game the reaction should be the same.

If you are an SEC school hosting a football game it is your responsibility to make sure visiting players don’t come into contact with fans. This is why they have the rule about not rushing the field. But the whole thing is a scam. The TV people love it. The SEC loves the video. It’s shows the excitement of SEC football. So the truth is, on a limited basis, they think it’s good. So what do they do? They come up with a fine to punish the host school, which gets ignored if it’s a big enough win. Pay the fine. We’re all good.

If the SEC were serious about this they would issue this warning: Fans rushing the field will result in an immediate forfeit of that win.
So I’m not upset at the Tennessee player. He issued an apology. If you want to blame somebody blame the SEC office and the network televising the game.