The University of Arkansas Razorbacks have made a coaching change for the head coach of their college football program. Out is head coach Sam Pittman of El Reno, Oklahoma, and in is interim head coach Bobby Petrino of Lewistown, Montana.
Why was there a change made?
The Razorbacks fired Pittman because the University of Arkansas was awful on Saturday in a 56-13 loss to the University of Notre Dame. In the 43 point loss, the Razorbacks gave up 641 total yards (431 passing yards and 207 rushing yards), and 8.9 yards per play.
The Razorbacks have a record of two wins and three losses for a winning percentage of .400. Arkansas won their first two games this season as they beat Alabama A&M 52-7, and Arkansas State 56-14. However, one must realize that Alabama A&M and Arkansas State do not have the football programs like the Fighting Irish do.
Arkansas’s loss to Notre Dame was actually their third straight loss. They were also beaten 41-35 to Mississippi on September 13 and 32-31 to Memphis on September 20.
The Arkansas games against Mississippi and Memphis were extremely competitive and could have gone either way. The loss against Notre Dame was anything but close. Sometimes it is the way a team loses that is the reason for a firing and coaching change.
Pittman’s record at Arkansas
Pittman had a record of 32 wins and 34 losses in 66 games. His finest season coaching the Razorbacks came in 2021 as Arkansas had a record of nine wins and four losses, and beat the Penn State Nittany Lions 24-10 in the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. It was one of three Bowl Games Pittman won with Arkansas. He also led Arkansas to a 55-53 win over Kansas at the 2022 Liberty Bowl and a 39-26 win over Texas Tech at the 2024 Liberty Bowl.
Bobby Petrino’s coaching career
Petrino was initially the head coach at Arkansas from 2008 to 2011. In four seasons, he had a record of 34 wins and 17 losses in 51 games. Petrino’s time at Arkansas was cut short when it was determined he had an affair with a student who was the star on the Arkansas women’s volleyball team according to John Leuzzi of USA Today. The relationship between Petrino and Jessica Dorrell was made public when they were involved in a motorcycle accident. Petrino also has coaching experience at Louisville, Western Kentucky, and Missouri State.
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