At Arkansas, some true Hogs need to step up in 2024.
Matt Zemek, 16powers.com.
The old Washington Redskins won three Super Bowls under head coach Joe Gibbs from 1982 through 1992 because of their offensive line, which was named “The Hogs.” The Hogs had their own special fan group at the old RFK Stadium, where the Redskins usually got the better of the 1980s Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles and waged some memorable battles against Bill Parcells’ New York Giants. The Hogs were synonymous with elite offensive line play for millions of NFL fans during the 1980s and early 1990s. How fitting it is, then, that the key for Arkansas’ 2024 college football season is the offensive line. Arkansas needs its own Hogs to step up.
Arkansas lost a bunch of players from its 2023 offensive line room. Four of those departures were through the transfer portal. Two offensive linemen went to the NFL: center Beaux Limmer and guard Brady Latham. Arkansas ranked 87th in the FBS in rushing yards per game in 2023. Alarmingly, the group allowed 47 sacks, which was a school record. Arkansas’ offense got pushed around, simply stated. This is why quarterback K.J. Jefferson couldn’t perform at a level which displayed his full talents. He was and still is an enormously gifted quarterback, but very few quarterbacks will thrive when their offensive line is Swiss cheese and is constantly being outplayed by opposing defensive fronts. The past two years were very tough for Arkansas because the offensive line got bullied and could not stand tall against teams such as Liberty and Mississippi State. Arkansas lost home games it never should lose. The gains coach Sam Pittman made a few years ago have been wiped away, and they feel like a very distant memory at this point.
The irony of all this, which is not lost on Arkansas fans, is that Sam Pittman was an offensive line coach when Arkansas picked him to replace Chad Morris. When Pittman flourished in the first few years of his Arkansas tenure, the Razorbacks rose up the rankings ladder because their offensive line was able to physically assert itself. Arkansas was able to shove around a number of high-profile opponents, establishing superiority at the line of scrimmage and making it clear that it would take a near-perfect game to beat the Razorbacks.
That aura – that standard – is long gone in Fayetteville.
Fans have run out of patience with Sam Pittman after the past few brutal seasons. Questions emerged about whether Pittman would be retained as head coach. He was definitely on the hot seat late in the 2023 season. Arkansas chose to retain him, perhaps an acknowledgment of the good work he did at the start of his tenure. The Hogs want to see if Pittman can restore what has been last the past two seasons. It will start with that offensive line.
Having a lot of departures – nine in all – from the offensive line might seem to some like a bad thing. In actuality, it’s a good thing. If the offensive line – or any other position group – utterly failed in one season, “having experience” isn’t an advantage coming into the next season. Arkansas didn’t have the dudes up front. Making wholesale changes to this line was necessary. A new-look like with lots of new starters is the restoration this program needed. Now it’s up to Pittman to make things work.
Pittman has acknowledged the need for the offensive line to become dramatically better – not so much in words, but in his deeds. Pittman hired a new offensive line coach, Eric Mateos from Baylor. Given that Pittman himself is a former offensive line coach, his willingness to change O-line coaches shows that he needed fresh voices in the room and a new presence who could connect to his players. It might also be a reflection of the reality that if Pittman was going to be allowed to come back for 2024 and coach this team – instead of being kicked to the curb – Pittman had to make changes. We will see if Mateos lives up to the challenge and, in the process, saves Pittman’s career. Everything does start with the hogs for The Hogs.
The other really big question is at quarterback. The starter coming out of spring is former Boise State quarterback Taylen Green. The best quality Green brings to the field for the Razorbacks is that he is fast. He can scoot. Planned runs for Green should be a significant part of the Arkansas offensive package. Making improvisational plays with his legs will also be an important dimension of the Arkansas arsenal. However, Green rarely showed consistency as a passer at Boise State. We know he can run, but he will have to show a certain level of competence as a pocket passer for the Arkansas offense to truly reach its potential.
The 2024 schedule in the new-look SEC is very difficult for Arkansas. The Texas A&M game will be tough because the Aggies hired Mike Elko from Duke, one of the best hires in the most recent coaching carousel. The Aggies will give the Hogs a very good measuring-stick test. The Razorbacks will have a much better understanding of where they are after they face A&M.
The list of SEC opponents is tough for Arkansas, but the saving grace (if you can call it that) is that almost all the really rough games are at home. Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, and Texas are all in Fayetteville. Missouri is an away game. It would be hugely impressive if Arkansas could split those four demanding home games. If the Hogs can pull it off, Pittman will probably stay on for 2025. If the Hogs go 1-3 in those four and also lose to both A&M and Mizzou, Pittman’s UA tenure might come to an end.
Will the journey end for Sam Pittman this year? Given the caliber of competition Arkansas will face, the Razorbacks need to show they can physically match a number of formidable opponents. The Hogs need their own hogs to be heavy lifters in the trenches. Sam Pittman, a man who preaches toughness and physicality but hasn’t had them the past two seasons, needs to recapture his winning edge if he wants to remain an SEC head coach.
