Dazmin Dazzles, Carmona Controversy & Three in a Row For Sam

Q. Our first question is from from spikehog who asks: Do you feel vidicated after defending this game from those who said there was no interest in it and it shouldn’t be played? The team did win but no way would I pay to watch it in person.

A. I freely admitted that a part of the fanbase would not be excited about this bowl. I also said that fans and players have different attitudes about playing in a bowl game even if it’s not a big name bowl. I think we saw that. Those who watched this game on TV who weren’t fans of either team saw a high energy game with lots of big plays by the offense and defense of both teams. There’s no way those viewers would think that the players were just going through the motions. Sam Pittman not only played the game up to his guys but he made it clear that winning it was a key to getting things off to the right start for next season.

Even though the Sam Pittman haters on the Internet are doing their usual thing, lowballing the game and Arkansas’ win, I think the reaction by most fans have been very positive. If you want to see the difference check out the reaction of Oklahoma fan after the Sooners’ Bowl los. They have been going off since that loss to Navy, issuing dire warnings about what’s next if a change is not made. The same kind of stuff Pittman as been going though. Only in Sam’s case the tone has changed a lot with Arkansas’ win. I think the majority of Razorback fans agree that the game should have been played and yes, winning it makes a difference. Sam Pittman was right.

Q. RazorAlex88 says: A couple of weeks ago I said that we were going to get blasted by Texas Tech. I am so glad to have been wrong. WPS Forever!

A. I think this reaction is common. This was actually one of the better Arkansas bowl games I’ve seen over the last 49 seasons and here’s why. The portal hopping and the constant complaining on the Internet had just about convinced me that college football was no fun anymore, that it had turned into something I did not recognize. But the way Pittman rallied his players with his “All we have… is all we need” manta and the way they responded has made me realize that there are still plenty of guys who play this game because they want to win and they do love that Hog on the helmet.

Q. Grant Walker says: I know it’s not considered a marquee bowl but I love the Liberty Bowl.
They are always so good to the Razorbacks.

A. As bowl games go the players have always been been treated well there. It’s not the most exciting location but it’s always been a good bowl to attend. If not it wouldn’t still be around after 59 years in Memphis. Most of the time Arkansas fans seem to have a good time on Beale Street the night before the game.

Q. Armon Abbe says: Some coaches are allowing transfers to play in the team’s bowl game before they sign with another team. Pittman took a hard line saying no way. Was it a mistake to keep players out of the bowl who might help win it?

A. That is a pointless question since they did win and it actually worked out better without them. Also I don’t know of any players who had hit the portal but wanted to play. Tech’s Joey McGuire said his top running back was welcome to play even though he was not coming back. The guy actually suited out for the game but never asked to play even though his team trailed most of the game. I really think that’s a bad look. Miami QB cam Ward was worse. He played long enough to set an NCAA career record for TDs and then benched himself, sitting out the second half while watching his team get beat by Iowa State. That’s nuts.

Pittman did the right thing.

Q. Dr. Strangepork wants to know: What new faces impressed you most in the Liberty Bowl?

A. The biggest two were Dazmin James and Anton Juncaj. James won the North Carolina high school 100 meters title in track. He did not play his freshman year at Arkansas and was used mostly on special teams this season. By all accounts he was playing behind some very productive receivers and didn’t do anything in practice to convince the coaches that he needed playing time this season. When two starting receivers left the team after the Missouri game James stepped up in the bowl practices, got his shot and made the most of it. He certainly should be in he mix for 2025.

Juncaj had been injured a lot this season but was healthy for the bowl game and with Landon Jackson declaring for the NFL draft Arkansas really needed Juncaj to step up which he did. He was the only Razorback to get to Texas Tech quarterback Will Hammond resulting in a 4th quarter safety which padded Arkansas’ lead.

Pittman hopes to use a new NCAA rule on extra eligibility for JUCO transfers to get an extra year for Juncaj in 2025.

Kobe Branham is another player worthy of mention. The true freshmen from FT. Smith played a key role on an offensive line depleted by the portal transfer of three starters. Arkansas ran for over 200 yards in the game.

Q. WVHogfan asks: Would you consider this season a success after being picked to finish 14th in the conference and winning only 4 or 5 games.

A. Yes I would. Arkansas beat a top 10 team, a playoff team, in Tennessee. They didn’t do anything like that last season. They also beat Auburn and Mississippi State on the road after losing to those two teams at home in 2023. They also came very close to beating Missouri on the road after getting hammered by the Tigers in Fayetteville last season. Arkansas bounced back from no bowl appearance in 2023 to play in and win a bowl in 2024.

The issue now is next year and the schedule will be much tougher. Notre Dame replaces Oklahoma State as a power Four non conference opponent. Memphis and Arkansas State both won bowl games and they won’t be pushover non conference opponents.

Arkansas has to play Ole Miss, Tennessee and LSU on the road. It will be a challenge.

Q. Hogbauski wants to know: If a family member who claims to be a Hog fan seriously thought Sam Pittman was totally unaware that Dazmin James is fast, should that person be remanded to the kids table so the adults can converse in peace.

A. Well maybe that person didn’t understand that Pittman was joking. However there are those who knew he was kidding but they’re trying to make the point that he was clueless when it came to knowing how good James was and this is just more proof that Pittman needs to be replaced.

Actually there are valid reasons why James had not been used this season until the bowl game but that doesn’t matter to Pittman’s critics. One went so far as to suggest that James should have played in place of All SEC receiver Andrew Armstrong, which makes zero sense. James himself admitted that until recently he was not ready to enter the lineup. But when the coaches turned to him in the bowl practices he knew his time had come.

Q. Pigsfeat asks: Did you have a personal satisfaction that the Hogs not only won….but beat TT?

A. I’m glad Arkansas won but I didn’t get any big satisfaction that they beat Texas Tech. I grew up outside of Lubbock. I still have a lot of friends who are Tech fans. I don’t like to see them unhappy. They are good people. Hopefully it will be a while before Arkansas plays Texas Tech again.

Q. Hotdogger says: I was very disgusted with Carmona stepping on the Texas Tech’s player’s ankle after the play was dead. He’s lucky he wasn’t called for a penalty. It was a dirty play.

A. The video of this incident is on the Internet. It was posted by the Tech player who had his ankle stepped on by Fernando Carmona. It looks intentional but it also looks like to me that Carmona just pressed his foot down and quickly brought it back up without applying his full body weight. I tend to think something went on with that Tech player and Carmona was sending him a message.

The reaction, and there were comments from a lot of people who clearly were not fans of either team, ranged from, kick him out of football, to he should be suspended or he should apologize, to give me a break this stuff happens all the time. To me he made a mistake and he apologized. The Tech player was not injured. That should be the end of it.

Q. Hawgredneck wants to know: It is just me or has here been a lot more fighting in bowl games so far? Some I’ve talked to think it’s another sign that players no longer respect the game since it’s more about money with players these days.

A. There have been some scuffles. I’m not sure if there have been more of them this bowl season. I also cannot attribute it to the heavy portal transfer activity. However an incident where two Miami players squared off against each other, and even threw punches, was not a good look. But again I don’t know if that had anything to do with portal transfers.

Q. PHat wants to know: Do you believe the O-line is the biggest problem on offense? Is the O-line going to get the new faces needed to protect the QB?

A. Yes, Taylen Green’s turnovers this season had a lot to do with the poor pass protection he got. Three starters on the O-line have landed elsewhere. Arkansas has added five to replace them from teams like Oregon, Ole Miss and Georgia Tech. There is a belief within the coaching staff that these transfers will improve the O-line in 2025.

Q. Marty Byrde’s proxie wants to know: Do schools assist/advise athletes in any way on their taxes since they have started getting paid or are they on their own?

A. Schools cannot provide that service but they can recommend individuals or companies who will do their taxes for a fee just like the rest of us. However in most cases it’s likely that their NIL agents take care of this.

Q. Baghdadhawg says: I’ve heard you say that revenue sharing will equalize the playing field. Does that mean that collective will cease to exist. If not schools with big collectives will still have an advantage.

A. Collectives will still be around but any NIL money given to a player will have to be a true NIL, that is, money provided for the use of a players name, image or likeness, must equal or exceed the revenue that is generated by the sale of a product or service using the players name, image or likeness.

Q. Miami basketball coach Jim Larranaga has retired from coaching blaming NIL agents who he says are asking a million dollars or more to bring a player or to keep a player.

To that Kevin says: This is not going away.

A. This tells me that there is skepticism among some coaches about whether revenue sharing will change anything. They may be right but I don’t think so. We will see.

Q. Dr. Starcs asks: Does the football program have a GM-Type person responsible for NIL budgeting or is it solely on the coaching staff? If there is such a person who is it?

A. That job is currently being done by the coaches. Sam Pittman has said that he will talk with Hunter Yurachek in the offseason about the possibility of adding such a person to the staff. However, keep in mind that this would be another salary that would have to be paid and one that might put pressure on the athletic department budget perhaps resulting in less money being available for the players. Pittman has also made the point that he and his coaches are perfectly capable of determining the value of each athlete and how much each should be paid. So we’ll have to wait and see if a GM is added to the staff.

Q. Hog fan in j-town says: I think the 12 team playoff committee got it wrong on the seedings. I don’t like conference champs getting an automatic bye. They should be seeded by how good they are.

A. That seems to be a popular opinion. I’m not sure if there will be a change made to reflect it. I would not be opposed to that but as I’ve indicated before I don’t like the notion that the SEC and the Big 10 are so elite that they should get second or third place teams in with higher seedings than other conference champions. This is still about the entire country not just fans in the SEC and Big 10 foot print.