Report Card – Arkansas Versus Notre Dame 

Don’t Fumble

Another word that starts with “F” is fumble. This word has become a common occurrence for the Arkansas offense over the last two seasons. We projected the second key to be not fumbling and having ball security. We saw this come to a head at perhaps the worst time. Following a touchdown from the Irish, Arkansas needed something positive to happen as halftime neared. Trailing 35-13, Arkansas started the drive at the 25-yard line. On the first play, Taylen Green completed a 20-yard pass to Raylen Sharpe. Sharpe would then have the ball dislodged by Irish defender Adon Shuler and recovered by DeVonta Smith for Notre Dame possession. While this one fumble does not seem like a massive deal, what happened next would all but seal the loss for Arkansas. Two plays later, Carr hit Price for a 35-yard touchdown to put the Irish up 42-13 at the half. We again ask the question, “Where is the offense?, as this unit has been silent recently. Offensive Coordinator Bobby Petrino has been stifled the last two weeks by opposing defenses. To score only 13 points on the day, none of which came in the second half, is not a recipe for any success. As bad as the defense played, the offensive production does not complement it. With the mentioned fumble and a Green interception, ball security continues to be this program’s Achilles heel. We grade the Arkansas report card versus Notre Dame second key for success, a D, as this again hindered any progress from the offense.

Home Sweet Home

If you were to look at the crowd inside Donald W. Reynolds Stadium, you would not have guessed that a portion of the fans were calling moving companies for Pittman and members of his staff. The 75,111 in attendance was the 10th-largest crowd in home game history. In the final key, we asked the fans to embrace the second home game of the season. The massive deficit at halftime proved this key to be doomed from the start. The loss, the most lopsided home loss since a 52-3 win by Alabama in 2020, may have sealed the fate of Pittman by season’s end. In fact, since defeating Tennessee last season, Arkansas is now 0-4 at home versus Power 4 teams with an average loss of 27 points. The historic crowd was quieted early, and what remnants stuck around for the final buzzer witnessed even more history on Saturday. If the absolute dismantling of Arkansas was not enough, fans sat through the seventh most lopsided loss from a visitor in Fayetteville. The 87-year-old stadium had only seen three losses worse than the Irish. Now, this game sits as the fourth-worst loss in the stadium’s history. With these demoralizing facts, we cannot grade this too highly. While the attendance and atmosphere were great, the support is essentially gone for this staff. We grade the Arkansas report card versus Notre Dame final key as a D, as the fans showed up but did not stay long.

Is This The End?

In closing, this program is in shambles, according to many. With a much-needed bye week ahead, questions are again being asked about the future of Pittman. If we see this move from Arkansas, then we will also see an Athletic Director change, as Hunter Yurachek and Pitman are closely tied together. As fans continue to track planes and create pipe dream wish lists of who is next, the season does not stop. For Arkansas to get this fixed, it will take much work. They have two weeks to prepare for a Tennessee program that is seeking revenge. In the end, Arkansas has glaring issues starting from the AD and trickling down to the stands. How does this get fixed? Main Photo: Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images