Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman after another 3-point game with the LSU Tigers on Saturday night in Baton Rouge, La.
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00:00 They overcame a lot of their own
00:02 self infliction with penalties.
00:05 A lot of jumped off jumping offsides.
00:08 We had one on defense that
00:10 crushed us on the third and 5th.
00:13 Uhm?
00:14 But I thought our kids played extremely hard.
00:17 Uhm?
00:18 We really felt like we come beat LSU tonight.
00:22 We felt three points short, but.
00:26 Give them all the credit 'cause
00:27 they found a way to win.
00:29 And, uh.
00:31 But we've got a good football team.
00:33 We got a lot to work on.
00:36 But I like this team.
00:37 I think they fight and.
00:41 I'm proud of their effort of just not.
00:43 None of us are happy with the result.
00:45 Because we surprised how the game
00:48 played out with the first quarter,
00:49 being such a first half being such
00:51 a defensive effort in the second
00:53 half just so much offense.
00:54 I think so a little bit.
00:57 I think it's a good portrayal on both sides.
01:00 I think.
01:01 Going into it, you know,
01:03 last three years.
01:04 And that ironic guys.
01:06 Another damn three point loss.
01:10 And the bad thing is the Razorbacks
01:12 are one and three and no one win.
01:15 Three losses. But.
01:19 Answer your question,
01:19 I felt like it's going to be a defensive game.
01:22 I thought we could.
01:25 Change coverage is enough to.
01:27 And I thought we could get some pressure,
01:29 which I felt like we did early
01:31 in the first half.
01:32 And then you know they they did a
01:35 really good job of blocking up our.
01:38 Or rush and he was on and a lot of
01:40 times he didn't have to be on 'cause
01:43 we we weren't covering them very good and.
01:47 That's going to happen every now and then,
01:49 but it happened too many times
01:51 for us to win tonight.
01:53 But yeah,
01:53 I I was a little surprised and then
01:56 the way that we came back and you know
01:58 we had some self inflicted 5 yard
02:01 penalties 10 five twice, you know,
02:03 and still to go down and score.
02:06 That was really good resiliency for
02:08 the line or for the offense,
02:10 even though they made the mistakes
02:12 to put us in that situation.
02:15 But you can't watch the hogs
02:17 tonight and not be pleased with
02:19 the effort and the fight that
02:22 these kids had.
02:23 You know we ran out of timeouts.
02:27 We couldn't get a play called.
02:28 Couldn't get a play.
02:31 Ran.
02:31 I stood over the ball quite low,
02:36 quite quite a length at times.
02:38 And I ran out of timeouts at the end.
02:44 Before somebody asked,
02:45 did I think about letting him score?
02:47 Yes, but I don't think they would have.
02:49 I don't think they would have scored.
02:51 And we talked about it 'cause
02:53 I was out of timeouts.
02:55 And then I decided to come all
02:57 out and try to jar fumble.
02:59 So we went after him in those.
03:02 Last place, could we let him score?
03:06 Absolutely, we talked about it.
03:08 I thought our chances would be
03:10 better off at that point with no
03:12 timeouts trying to jar jar loose
03:15 and or block or miss a field goal.
03:19 Sam quarterbacks was a big storyline.
03:21 Middle game.
03:22 I think AJ playing and then
03:24 they can elaborate on days.
03:25 I've covered this whole guy like that.
03:28 I thought both of them played
03:30 better as the game.
03:31 I'm not talking for Coach Kelly,
03:33 but I thought both of them played
03:35 better as the game went on.
03:37 You know both of May plays.
03:40 Then there may plays with his feet as well,
03:43 especially in crucial situations.
03:45 KJ did as well,
03:46 but I thought as the game went on,
03:49 both quarterbacks got in rhythm and
03:51 both of them were really hard to stop.
03:54 Sam, do you think that in the first half
03:58 not being able to push you? Yeah,
04:00 I do hardest. We got down there twice
04:03 and came away with six points and both
04:06 of them I think we had first down.
04:08 I know one of them we had on the five.
04:11 And the other one I think was on 8 and
04:14 we weren't able to score and come away
04:16 with a three and then you know when
04:19 we fake the field goal down there,
04:21 I thought we scored too.
04:23 I think we actually kicked a further
04:25 field goal than what we faked,
04:27 but I really thought we needed
04:29 something to spark us at that point
04:31 and and I thought it would,
04:32 but it just it didn't work out.
04:34 Was that something you guys saw?
04:36 You don't think that it would affect
04:38 you? Yeah, it's a same one.
04:40 We ran to the left two years ago
04:43 when we were here.
04:45 But we ran it to the right.
04:48 We felt like hopefully they wouldn't
04:50 talk about a fake because they were
04:52 worried about whether we were going
04:54 to go for it or not.
04:56 And which we were,
04:57 but we were just using it out
04:59 of a field goal formation,
05:00 so. Max did a nice job and
05:03 they blocked it up real nice.
05:05 We just didn't didn't get any
05:06 more points out of that then.
05:08 And then if we just want to kick it,
05:11 don't you?
05:11 We're talking about the opposite
05:13 line has been tough for awhile.
05:15 We talked about black and push.
05:17 Yeah, but you reach tonight.
05:18 It's like you got pushed.
05:20 Yeah, I thought you know we couldn't hold up.
05:22 Well, you know there's a sack or maybe
05:25 two that I felt like we had plenty.
05:28 Dominique came over,
05:28 but we just couldn't get anybody open.
05:31 We kind of held the ball for a little
05:33 bit. KJ's trying to make the play.
05:35 But I thought they they got good push.
05:37 I thought our job was huge tonight.
05:39 I mean he made some really good good
05:41 runs obviously Luke has is a ball
05:44 playing some of the gun.
05:46 But I thought Dominique really
05:48 showed his toughness,
05:49 his grit and ability to make
05:51 people miss tonight.
05:53 I just I don't think there's any doubt
05:56 that LSU has a really,
05:58 really good football team.
06:01 I just wish we had three more than
06:05 than they did, but I think there was
06:08 a lot of good things that we saw
06:11 obviously we still got clean out the penalties.
06:15 But other than that, I think I think
06:20 we fought our butt off to be honest
06:22 with you against what I think is one
06:24 of the better teams will play this year.
06:26 So I know it's not the outcome you want,
06:28 but.
06:29 Considering how big my last
06:31 speed could play, I was right.
06:32 So the death Valley people
06:36 positive to take this moving
06:37 forward in doing that,
06:38 I told the team after the game.
06:40 You know this is where in SEC it's a.
06:42 It's a hard league and everybody's good,
06:44 you know, but I think LSU is one of
06:46 the elite teams of this league.
06:49 And played toe to toe at night with him.
06:53 On the road now they may have played well.
06:55 They may not have played.
06:56 I don't know.
06:57 You know, I don't know what Coach
06:58 Kelly thinks of how they played.
07:01 But. We wanted to fight.
07:03 We went in there fighting.
07:05 And we just came up short,
07:07 but there are some positives that
07:10 you can take from it.
07:12 That you know we scored 31 points
07:14 on what I think is a good defense.
07:16 You know, if you look last week
07:17 against Mississippi State,
07:18 they just weren't able to do.
07:20 You know what I mean?
07:22 So there's a lot of positives.
07:24 You you believe you can win,
07:26 win several games and things of that
07:27 nature after a performance out the night.
07:29 We just got to clean up the penalties.
07:31 Like I said last week.
07:34 But the effort has always
07:35 been there this year.
07:37 I thought. We played a good half.
07:40 On defense or good almost
07:42 a half on defense.
07:44 And we gotta get some things
07:46 figured out defensively because
07:47 we we didn't stop in the second half.
07:50 Is that more?
07:54 Well, the atmosphere.
08:01 Uh, certainly has something to do with it.
08:03 I mean, would be a fool, you know,
08:05 not to think that it did, but.
08:09 We were we had some checks in,
08:11 obviously for depending on
08:13 what front they were in.
08:15 And we just weren't getting set fast enough,
08:19 and the clock was fast tonight.
08:22 I mean, and they were standing over it.
08:25 And then we we subbed and when we subbed.
08:30 They stood over it again
08:32 and we got in trouble and so we ended up
08:34 with a quick quick quick substitute
08:36 during the live ball.
08:39 Uh, drive and.
08:42 But no, I it's all it's our fault
08:45 and it's nobody's fault.
08:46 The crowd did play a part of it and
08:49 they did exactly what we thought
08:51 there's going to do.
08:52 We thought there's going to stem
08:54 'cause it's loud and we worked on it and.
08:57 Evidently got come up with some
08:59 other way to get that handled.
09:00 Do you feel like you can get this?
09:03 Yeah, tonight there's gonna be some hints.
09:05 Oh yeah, I believe we're going
09:07 to win them the rest of them.
09:09 And I mean we may not,
09:10 but we got it.
09:11 We got a good football team and and.
09:15 I think I think I think LSU's
09:17 are good football.
09:17 I thought that coming in.
09:19 I mean, they're good team and.
09:21 But yeah, yes, I believe I believe
09:26 we've got a good football team.
09:28 I think they'll bounce back next week
09:30 and I know we know we got a really
09:32 good team in A&M.
09:33 They had a big win today. But.
09:35 We can go win football games, yes.
09:41 Last week.
09:45 I think he thought he
09:50 threw the ball better.
09:51 He obviously made some plays with his feet.
09:55 No man, they call some really good
09:57 replays with him reading the three
09:59 technique reading the nose guard.
10:01 He made some good runs off of that.
10:05 He pushed the power forward.
10:09 Several times.
10:12 On third down or a few times on
10:15 third down to get first downs.
10:17 He was competitive and you know,
10:19 I think he came in wanting to show
10:22 the world that he was a good
10:25 quarterback as well as Daniels and.
10:27 I think I think people think that so.
10:30 We're just disappointed that.
10:33 We couldn't finish out the game.
10:34 Yeah.
10:39 Well, we first of all we needed to play
10:48 Broden more and that was the way to
10:50 get him out there but we had to move
10:53 Tesla to slide.
10:55 We felt like Broden when it Broden
10:58 got that touchdown pass in the corner.
11:00 Well, then go up 13 to three.
11:02 We thought you know he's got experience,
11:05 but we just hadn't got him on the
11:07 field enough to kind of get in rhythm.
11:09 So we felt like let's get him in early and.
11:13 But I I I think he gives us a tall weapon
11:17 and I think that's why I did a
11:19 nice job at slot as well.
11:20 Luke has is really a valuable football
11:23 player to us as well and.
11:25 And did some wonderful things.
11:27 Is there anything specific change
11:29 from first half to second half
11:31 with the defensive line or not
11:33 being able to pressure on me?
11:35 No.
11:38 And I didn't see him do a whole
11:41 lot different in protections.
11:44 They ran the ball more in the second
11:46 half than they did in the first half,
11:48 and that may have took some of
11:50 that rush off of us.
11:51 You know what I mean?
11:54 But they ran the ball well.
11:56 They kicked us pretty hard there
11:57 on the first drive.
11:59 The guy went for about 40 on a run on us,
12:02 and I think their ability to run the
12:05 ball slow down pass rush down a little bit.
12:08 And you know,
12:09 Coach Davis airline coach over there
12:11 and he he's a good football coach and
12:13 he they did a good job of adjusting
12:16 so we couldn't get pressure and
12:18 their backs blocked well too.
12:20 Just looking back, how tough was that
12:24 last defensive possession in first half?
12:25 Well, I don't think it took,
12:29 but about 18 seconds I think.
12:31 I think we kicked off with 48 minutes
12:33 scored with 30 if I'm correct.
12:35 There's hard. And.
12:42 I think in that possession I don't
12:44 quote me on this, but I believe we
12:47 played two zones in a man and the
12:50 man he run by us and.
12:53 And but we went in knowing we're
12:55 going to play some man trying to
12:57 get to the quarterback trying to
12:59 get an extra edge out there so he
13:01 wouldn't run on us and things.
13:02 But yeah, looking back.
13:07 Going in 13 three versus 1310.
13:09 Yeah, big difference.
13:10 I I think our kids bounce back
13:13 from that pretty fast.
13:14 You know what I mean?
13:16 And then they came out and got the
13:18 ball and went down and scored.
13:20 You know, put us in a jam or play
13:22 a little bit, you know a little
13:24 bit the rest of the game.
13:26 First game.
13:27 That's Ricky.
13:31 That is really, you know,
13:35 he jumped off once or twice offsides.
13:37 You know. It's different when you're on
13:42 the ball and when you're off the ball,
13:44 and we evidently they didn't give
13:46 him tight enough tight ends enough.
13:49 Look of movement.
13:50 Free snap movement on the ball.
13:52 I know we gave a lot during practice,
13:54 but I don't know.
13:55 I had to go back and look to see how
13:58 many I felt like we gave him on the
14:01 football 'cause there's a difference
14:03 when a guy is moving from you to I.
14:06 Then if you, you know,
14:08 back another three to three to four foot.