Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman on problems after fifth straight loss Saturday, falling to Alabama, 24-21.
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00:00 Well, I want to congratulate Alabama.
00:03 They've got a really good football
00:05 team physical football team.
00:07 Mill Road through the ball really well
00:13 and their defense is really good.
00:15 We knew going in the game
00:17 that they were really good and.
00:20 Coming in this venue,
00:21 we knew it'd be a tough task force,
00:24 but we want to be in in the fourth quarter
00:26 with an opportunity to win,
00:28 and that's what we were and.
00:31 Congratulations, Alabama.
00:34 I'm really proud of our football team
00:37 and I hate it that we couldn't
00:40 come away with the wind,
00:41 but I'm proud of our effort.
00:43 I'm proud of our coaches.
00:45 I'm proud of the players.
00:48 Obviously,
00:48 that's two times in a row.
00:50 We come here and lost by seven
00:52 and then today by three.
00:55 But. We need to win and certainly
00:59 looking forward to getting back home.
01:01 So down 24 to 6 maybe people could
01:06 be thinking again another Alabama game,
01:08 but what did you do that after 24/6?
01:10 We were just trying to be honest with you.
01:15 We were trying to just keep
01:17 it close to the fourth quarter.
01:18 We've you know we've lost some
01:20 games this year in the fourth
01:22 quarter and then we we made a big
01:24 mistake in the defense made some
01:26 adjustments obviously on two of
01:28 their touchdowns we just we we
01:30 had some miscommunication.
01:31 We turned him loose.
01:34 Offensively, I think.
01:37 We decided to run the ball
01:39 a little bit on third down.
01:41 Other teams that had some
01:43 success against them.
01:45 I even though.
01:48 We didn't play the entire game offensively.
01:51 Well, I thought in the second half
01:53 we showed some sparks that we can score.
01:56 That's a good defense out there.
01:59 We're playing against,
02:00 but really the coaches made adjustments.
02:03 KJ. Made some plays,
02:09 but the coach made some halftime
02:12 adjustments and you know held him
02:14 to 140 some yards saying half three points.
02:17 Really good job at T will and the
02:20 kids and the coaches and our offense
02:22 caught a little spark.
02:23 You know they helped us with some
02:26 penalties there on the on the first
02:28 touch on the second touchdown drive.
02:30 First one in the second half. But.
02:33 Now we just couldn't close it out.
02:36 You know we got the ball on the 6 yard
02:38 line needing a field goal to tie in.
02:42 Unfortunately,
02:42 we it was wide open and the binion,
02:45 you know,
02:45 just couldn't keep his cleats on the one
02:48 and I believe we would have got down
02:51 at least to get a field goal.
02:52 We just couldn't do it.
02:53 Putting my head and I think that
02:57 force ads yeah like that.
02:58 Yeah, a lot of guys banged up.
03:03 Yeah, you know it just tells you about.
03:09 You know you think oh my Lord,
03:11 this guy's out. This guy's out.
03:13 This guy you know if you have guys that
03:15 you know we we obviously have better
03:17 depth now than what we've had in the
03:19 past and I mean it showed and.
03:22 But you have guys that want to play
03:24 capable of playing and things of that
03:26 nature that shows you can do a lot if
03:28 you don't make a lot of mistakes and
03:30 we we were fairly clean today.
03:33 Landon, I just.
03:36 When saw him right before I came in here.
03:40 What a game and he continues
03:43 to get better each week.
03:46 But just what a game and Milrose
03:49 was a hard guy to get on the ground,
03:51 but we were collapsing the
03:53 pocket pretty well.
03:54 I thought and not allowing him to take off.
03:57 He didn't take off or run on us too much
04:00 today and and but I thought Landon
04:02 played his heart out.
04:04 A lot of kids did.
04:05 He just got some really good results
04:07 with three and a half force X.
04:08 Rocket went to get some more rehab.
04:17 Obviously he didn't feel
04:19 like his knee was 100%.
04:22 So I have no idea when he'll be back.
04:25 To extend plays second half.
04:29 Like to be why you game last year.
04:34 Yeah, I think you know again he
04:40 finally had success.
04:41 Big success on the run, you know,
04:44 and that kind of motivated for
04:46 whatever it gets you motivated,
04:47 gets him motivated and then he was,
04:50 you know he was dead rights on that one
04:52 and then came out of it made a big play.
04:55 Went down and scored off of it later on.
04:59 But it was just two teams fighting
05:02 their butt off out there today and and.
05:05 And they just made you know they
05:07 made one more, you know,
05:08 they made one more play than we did,
05:11 but I thought we saw some sparks
05:13 even though we didn't have that many.
05:15 I think we had 250 yards of offense,
05:17 but that may be a decent
05:18 day against that defense.
05:20 It's obviously not what we want,
05:21 but we did see some sparks in the
05:23 second half that that give you
05:25 hope for the rest of the season.
05:28 They're not trying to respond with.
05:32 How would you sum it up?
05:37 Well, it's gonna be great to get home.
05:43 You know what I understand were.
05:45 Standing room only or max capacity,
05:48 whatever the the term we're using.
05:51 We need to see our fans.
05:53 We appreciate him staying with us.
05:55 They're staying with us 'cause
05:56 they're packing the stadium.
05:57 When we get back in there.
06:00 Obviously we need to win.
06:02 We need to get back home.
06:05 But.
06:07 I I I felt like if we just keep
06:09 getting better each week,
06:10 try to get better that we could
06:12 make a run at the end of the season.
06:15 Which will wait and see,
06:16 but it'll be great to get
06:18 back in front of our fans.
06:19 And listen.
06:22 What does it take to get over that?
06:26 Well, I don't know. I don't.
06:30 I don't. I really don't know, obviously.
06:32 You gotta make a play, you know,
06:42 at some point gotta.
06:46 You know one possession losses.
06:48 Lot of time gets skewed and you've got
06:50 a stat and all that kind of stuff.
06:52 But when you're 3.3 touchdown underdog
06:54 and you get beat by three and that
06:57 goes in the same category as your
06:59 three point favorite and you lose by three,
07:02 it's not the same thing that still loss.
07:06 But.
07:09 You know. We gotta be betrayed LSU.
07:12 Like we we to answer that we needed to stop.
07:16 You know we tied it up.
07:17 Got three got beat by three today.
07:20 We had the ball with the
07:21 opportunity to tie it up.
07:23 I bet it was 94 yards away.
07:26 But you gotta have those drives and
07:30 we've got to finish somehow and
07:32 we're just we're just not doing it.
07:34 You get a sense from players and
07:38 coaches and they're able to maybe
07:40 have that kind of context.
07:42 This game where like you said,
07:44 the three touchdown underdog
07:45 and keep it to the three point game.
07:48 I think they're just like you and me
07:51 and everybody else were disappointed
07:52 that we lost. I think that's first
07:55 and foremost 'cause I want to make
07:57 that very clear that we were not
07:59 happy with by getting beat by Alabama.
08:02 You aren't. I'm not. You're not.
08:04 Nobody is our players aren't.
08:07 But. You have to.
08:11 To continue to fight and
08:13 continue to get better.
08:15 And if we'll do that at surely
08:17 there's going to be something that
08:19 is not ranked in the top 15 in the
08:22 country that's going to play us.
08:25 You know at some point at our place and
08:28 we just got to continue to fight
08:30 and all those things we got a hard
08:33 road to get vile eligible but that
08:36 is our goal and we've got it.
08:38 We've got to start it Saturday.
08:40 Sir, it seems like maybe there's
08:43 against Ole Miss. There was some
08:45 emphasis for more of a tempo offense
08:47 and I think we saw like even more today.
08:49 I mean, is that an emphasis?
08:51 And what does that do for the
08:53 offense if you guys can get back?
08:55 Well, we put it into today.
08:57 Put it in Ole Miss certain
08:59 plays that we could go fast.
09:03 I felt like it helped us.
09:05 I mean, I go back and look at the film
09:07 to see what the actually happened with it,
09:10 but I felt like it helped us.
09:12 It's just something to try to get us going.
09:14 You know what I mean?
09:16 Just trying to.
09:17 Still, little screen,
09:18 some things of that nature.
09:19 We tried to do uptempo and things
09:21 of that nature, but we're going
09:22 to continue to do that and try to
09:24 catch him on their heels a little
09:26 bit and things of that nature.
09:28 And I think it's working for us.
09:30 I had to look at the film and to
09:33 make sure on that starts with
09:34 the catchers today. Nice.
09:35 When I nice. You know it was good to see him
09:39 as a hard as a tough catch for
09:42 the touchdown on on the slant.
09:45 Really good ball, but yeah,
09:46 you know we need each everybody we can
09:49 get to come in and make plays for us.
09:52 And I was really happy for him.
09:54 Yeah, he's always he's done a
09:56 nice job with the kickoffs and
09:57 and upon returns and all those things,
09:59 but. We need to continue to use him at slot
10:03 and. They're really happy for me.
10:07 Got a couple balls in the touchdown today.
10:09 You know what happened on the go?
10:12 And and little today.
10:14 Yeah, incredible.
10:16 What number did he need to get to
10:19 late in the game? Would he comfortable
10:21 with putting out there?
10:22 Well, going that direction it was 34,
10:27 so that had been 52 yarder or 8D.
10:31 The 34 going the other way was
10:33 a 37 so at that particular time
10:36 it was at 34 and we probably in
10:39 all honesty if it got down to it,
10:42 I probably tried it from 40.
10:44 You mentioned there was a request
10:47 in the first half. You know what
10:49 happened on I do you know,
10:51 but I don't. I don't really want
10:53 to call the kids out on it,
10:54 but yeah, we had we had.
10:57 Had two different safety in a corner,
10:59 you know, both on two separate issues.
11:02 The industry is fairly tough,
11:04 and you know, this is arguably
11:06 written toughest four game stretch.
11:08 Or so it's ever had ladies caliber.
11:10 How tough was it? I'm glad you didn't
11:13 have behind him to pull the light
11:15 going through this. Well, I think I
11:17 think the good Lord puts us in a lot
11:20 of situations. You know I do and to
11:22 learn and different things and.
11:23 Going into this stretch,
11:25 you know, starting with BYU,
11:26 I I wouldn't know grant grant nor
11:28 nobody else that would be sitting
11:30 here two and five didn't want to be.
11:33 Didn't you know all those type things?
11:35 But they're all learning
11:37 experiences from it and.
11:40 You know, hopefully will be a better
11:42 team when we get back home and get out
11:45 of it as I'm glad we're you know we
11:47 still gotta go to Florida but for
11:50 the five or at home and.
11:53 You know, I just hope that we
11:55 learn from it as coaches.
11:56 I hope it's made it stronger.
11:58 I hope it's made us a better team.
12:00 That's yet to be determined until we
12:02 get out there and play Mississippi State,
12:04 but I think there's a lot of
12:06 things to learn from it.
12:07 How how you address your team,
12:09 how the team responds to you.
12:11 There's a lot of things 'cause.
12:15 You know you would five in a
12:17 rows lot in a row, you know,
12:19 and so you your main concern is
12:21 how do you motivate the team and
12:23 how do you get them better and are
12:25 you going to lose them and things
12:27 of that nature and I think we all
12:29 know that we've got to figure out
12:31 a way to win. How important was
12:33 the two field goal drives,
12:34 you know, and have a six to nothing
12:37 six to nothing. Six to nothing was big.
12:39 It was. You know, anytime you can get a lead,
12:42 you know, on the road.
12:46 You know, we've got we're getting
12:48 a ball back with six nothing and
12:50 they had a long one down the middle.
12:52 But. I think it's big,
12:54 you know where they don't.
12:56 The crowd doesn't get into it and
12:59 then it's it's more of a belief.
13:01 Hey, we belong here.
13:02 We were up six to nothing.
13:04 We're up three were up six.
13:07 Obviously wish you could turn them into.
13:10 A touchdown, but.
13:11 We weren't able to do it,
13:13 but yet it's the same time.
13:15 We're still up six to nothing
13:17 and crowd wasn't quite as loud.
13:20 You know our kids belief was a little
13:22 stronger things that are very important.
13:24 Next,
13:25 I'm bringing things back in.
13:28 Fletcher next question.
13:30 He was incredible.
13:31 You know, on the 4th and.
13:34 Yeah, I'm not talking about it,
13:36 but because I might want to do it again,
13:38 but. He rugby dwell and they kick well and.
13:44 And. He was outstanding.
13:47 I told him on the sideline coming off.
13:49 I say you're the reason we're in this game.
13:51 You're the reason this happened.
13:52 You're the reason I mean it is
13:54 when he flipped the field and.
13:57 Man, he wasn't when he good he was.
13:59 Our specialists are kicking and punting
14:00 as good as anybody in the country.