COLUMBIA, Mo. — It’s been a very mediocre year for Arkansas football, but it does sit atop the country in one statistic.
Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, it’s not a good one and they added to it in their heartbreaking 28-21 loss to No. 24 Missouri at Faurot Field in Columbia, Mo.
Entering the day with an FBS-high 25 fumbles, Arkansas coughed it up three more times against the Tigers and lost two of them.
“The bottom line is we have to be carrying the ball loose,” Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman said. “That’s the bottom line. Because if you’re not — you’re going to turn it over some, there’s just hits and all that — but you’re not going to turn it over and have that kind of stat if you’re not loose with the football.
“Obviously that all falls on me and we have to do a much better job of that.”
Until last week, when the Razorbacks beat Louisiana Tech despite finishing minus-2, turnover margin had been the determining statistic in all of their games. When they finished even or in the positive, they are 5-0. On the flip side, they are no 1-6 when committing more than their opponent.
Given the snowy conditions and frigid temperatures, the statistic was more important than ever Saturday afternoon and Arkansas finished minus-2. The Tigers did fumble the ball on a kickoff return, but fell on it before the Razorbacks could get it.
“It’s very frustrating,” Pittman said. “We work ball security every week and put an emphasis on it. It’s part of…our ways we can win. Especially, we knew today with the weather how it was, whoever turns the ball over less is going to win, and that’s exactly what happened.”
Making the two lost fumbles even more costly was the fact they came in Arkansas territory and Missouri was able to turn both of them into touchdowns.
The Razorbacks recovered a Rashod Dubinion fumble on their opening drive, but couldn’t do the same on their next possession. Taylen Green scrambled on third down and didn’t have the ball tucked close to his body, giving Johnny Walker an opening to punch it out.
Missouri recovered at the 40 yard line and was in the end zone eight plays later for the first points of the game.
“I felt like in the first half, the defense was playing so well, if we don’t give them short field, I’m not sure what they’re going to do offensively, and we did,” Pittman said. “Those are things you can’t do, but we did and gave them a little bit of life.”
The other turnover came in the third quarter and was arguably more costly. It came on the heels of an 8-minute drive by the Tigers that ended with a field goal to pull within 14-10.
Any momentum Arkansas salvaged by limiting the lengthy drive to three points was immediately erased when Ja’Quinden Jackson lost the ball on the very first play of the ensuing possession.
Even though it had to go just 34 yards and did so in eight plays, Missouri ate up another four minutes off the clock. It held the ball for 12 minutes and 16 seconds with only one Arkansas play — which lasted 6 seconds — mixed in.
The Razorbacks’ 28 fumbles are three more than any other team in the country.
While this is their worst such season, this is nothing new under Pittman. They’ve ranked 99th or worse in the FBS in this category each of his five seasons.
In fact, their 109 total fumbles during his tenure not only lead the country, but are the most by a wide margin. Nebraska — under both Scott Frost and Matt Rhule — has the second-most with 98. The other 15 SEC teams, including first-year members Oklahoma and Texas, have an average of 73.8 fumbles over that span, with South Carolina leading the non-Razorback pack with 96.
More Disappointment in Columbia
The Razorbacks are now 0-7 all-time against Missouri on its home field. The first of those trips was in 1906, but the other six have come since the Tigers joined the SEC.
Despite the winless record at Faurot Field, Arkansas actually took a lead into the fourth quarter four times over that recent stretch.
This year it was 14-10 through three quarters, but the Tigers were already inside the 10 entering the final quarter. They scored a couple of plays later to take the lead, only for Arkansas to respond with a go-ahead score with 4:19 remaining.
Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, that 21-20 lead didn’t hold up, either. They left way too much time for Missouri, which went right down the field and scored what proved to be the game-winning touchdown with 1:53 left. Brady Cook went right up the middle on a quarterback draw for the final 30 yards.
It was yet another heartbreaking loss in a season full of them. The Razorbacks also blew leads against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M earlier in the season and had the ball with a chance to take the lead in the second half against LSU and Texas.
After Saturday’s game, offensive lineman Joshua Braun told reporters he was crushed by the loss and expressed his feeling with fellow lineman Joe More.
“I told him I didn’t think I could feel this way after a loss again,” Braun said. “I’m not going to short-change it. It was devastating. Fortunately for us, we have an opportunity to play another game and we’re full-speed ahead on that.”
With the loss, Pittman dropped to 7-17 in one-score games during his five seasons leading the Arkansas football program. Those games have accounted for more than half of his 31 losses.
Rare Snow Game for Arkansas, Missouri
Fans of both teams were treated to a rarity Saturday afternoon, as Arkansas vs Missouri played in snowy conditions.
The snow stopped shortly after kickoff, but about 3 inches fell in Columbia over the morning and afternoon leading up to the game. It was 29 degrees at the start, so Faurot Field’s playing surface was never completely cleared, causing players to slip around throughout.
At one point in the first quarter, a warning was issued to fans that throwing snowballs at Arkansas’ bench was forbidden and could result in an ejection.
It is believed to be the Razorbacks’ first snow game since Oct. 30, 1993, when it lost to Auburn 31-21 in Fayetteville, according to research by WholeHogSports.
However, there was also snow on the ground a couple years later for a game against Louisiana-Lafayette, which was then known as Southwestern Louisiana. Arkansas beat the Jake Delhomme-led Ragin’ Cajuns 24-13, but the official box score lists the weather condition as “clear.”
The Tigers’ last game wasn’t quite that long ago, but it was close. According to Missouri football historians in the press box, the last such game they played was a 38-14 win over Colorado on Nov. 7, 1998.
At 29 degrees, it was tied for the coldest temperature at kickoff of an Arkansas football game during the SEC era (since 1992), marching the 2010 Liberty Bowl. Of course, that game also had a windchill that made it feel like it was below zero.
Play Call Distribution
Despite the less-than-ideal weather conditions, Arkansas called more pass plays than runs.
It officially finished with a 50/50 split, with 35 pass attempts and 35 runs, but two of the rushes were sacks on pass plays. Taylen Green also scrambled a couple of times, so the Razorbacks actually called at least 39 passes to only 31 runs.
Even when factoring for the two-minute drill at the end of the game that essentially required it to only pass, Arkansas still threw the ball more than expected on such a cold and snowy day — especially compared to Missouri, which finished with more than twice as many runs (47) as passes (20).
“I think we felt like we could protect, and we could throw it a little bit more than maybe a 50/50 — maybe a 60/40,” Pittman said. “We thought there were some open windows, crossing routes, shorter balls across the middle that we could complete. But the running game went pretty well. Hindsight, we wish we would’ve run it a little bit more.”
To be fair, Green managed to complete 21 of 35 passes (60%) for 229 yards without throwing any interceptions. However, the Razorbacks averaged 4.9 yards on designed runs.
Pittman from the Box
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman was not on the sideline Saturday, instead coaching from the booth because of his hip.
He has been dealing with a broken hip since the summer and is scheduled to have surgery on it next Tuesday. According to a team spokesperson, the 63-year-old coach is not on any anti-inflammatory medication.
Coupled with frigid temperatures and snow on the field, it would not have been a good idea for Pittman to be out in the elements.
“I thought about it starting as early as Monday or Tuesday because I knew I was coming off some of my medication that I couldn’t take for the surgery,” Pittman said. “The decision was just…what I felt like was best for the team.”
Arkansas’ three coordinators — Bobby Petrino, Travis Williams and Scott Fountain — handled calling timeouts for their respective units.
This is the second time during his five-year tenure that Pittman was not with the team on the field. He previously missed the Florida game entirely in 2020, when he had COVID-19.
“Coach Pittman’s as tough as four billy goats,” Braun said, stealing a line from his coach. “He’s definitely tough. Football’s a tough game and a lot of times you think it’s only tough on the players, but it’s tough on the coaches, too. He’s persevered throughout the season. He leads by example dealing with pain.”
Another Trio of TDs for Jackson
All three of Arkansas’ touchdowns were scored by Ja’Quinden Jackson, as the running back found the end zone on runs of 2, 12 and 9 yards.
It was the second time he has scored at least three touchdowns in a game this season, accomplishing the feat against Oklahoma State, as well. The last Arkansas player to have multiple such games in a season was the late Alex Collins.
Collins actually had two three-touchdown games and a five-touchdown game in 2015, when he scored a school-record 20 rushing touchdowns.
Jackson’s 15 touchdowns this season are the most since that season and are tied for sixth on the UA’s single-season list. They also rank third in the SEC behind Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson (22) and Alabama’s Jalen Milroe (20).
His three scores on Saturday were part of an 87-yard performance, giving him 790 rushing yards in just 10 games.
“He’s been a great addition and…I wish we could have given him a better result,” teammate Joshua Braun said. “He played his tail off, but it’s nice knowing he’s in the backfield.”
Century Mark for Armstrong
It remains to be seen if he’ll participate in the bowl game, but if Saturday was his last time in an Arkansas uniform, Andrew Armstrong went out on a high note.
The star receiver reeled in nine receptions for 128 yards, marking the fifth time he’s eclipsed the century mark this season. That’s tied with Anthony Eubanks (1997) and Anthony Lucas (1998) for the second most in UA history, trailing only the six by Treylon Burks in 2021.
Armstrong was already second on Arkansas’ single-season receptions list, but Saturday’s game also moved him into No. 2 for receiving yards. He now has 1,140 yards this season, which moved him past Treylon Burks (1,104 in 2021) and Jarius Wright (1,117 in 2011), and trails only Cobi Hamilton (1,335). He also leads the SEC in yards and receptions (78).
Making his performance against Missouri particularly impressive was the fact it was so cold and he took multiple big-time hits, but managed to come back in without missing much time.
“He’s really shown maturity from a year ago and he’s really shown his toughness,” Pittman said. “He was actually one of the guys this morning where he was talking about, ‘Hey, it’s football weather, football weather.’ You don’t usually get that from a wideout.”
If he plays in the bowl game, Armstrong needs only three receptions and 16 yards to crack the top 10 of the UA’s career lists for those statistics. With 96 yards, he’d become the 10th player in school history to reach 2,000 receiving yards with the Razorbacks.
Scary Moment for Landon Jackson
Play was delayed for about 12 minutes late in the first half when Landon Jackson went down with an apparent neck or head injury following a run play by Missouri near midfield.
With 1:07 left in the second quarter, he laid motionless on his stomach for several minutes as trainers examined him. He eventually lifted both legs and was rolled over to his back.
Finally, after about 12 minutes, Jackson was placed onto a stretcher and wheeled to an ambulance. Although his neck was immobilized, the senior was able to give a thumbs up to his teammates as he was taken off the field.
Pittman said he actually saw his star defensive end and Jackson’s wife at the ambulance when he came down from the press box at halftime.
“Landon’s not only one of our better players but he’s a great kid and a great leader for us and a great family,” Pittman said. “So yes, it’s scary and especially when I’m not able to be on the sideline seeing him. But I was getting information from T-Will.”
Luckily he was cleared and released from the hospital in time to rejoin the team in the locker room after the game.
Arkansas Football Lineup Changes
Arkansas made a change to its starting lineup on both sides of the ball.
On offense, Patrick Kutas returned as the starting left guard after sitting out the Louisiana Tech game to retain his redshirt. He replaced Keyshawn Blackstock, who started in his place last week.
The defensive change was the result of Arkansas primarily playing a 3-3-5 defense for the first time this season. Brad Spence made his first start since Week 3 against UAB, as he was the third linebacker alongside Stephen Dix Jr. and Xavian Sorey Jr.
Prior to this game, the Razorbacks had primarily based out of a 4-2-5 or 3-2-6 defense.
Availability Report
The Razorbacks traveled 73 players for their season finale, which is one under the 74 allowed for SEC road games.
A quartet of players – defensive end Nico Davillier (knee), Jaylon Braxton (leg), Anthony Switzer (undisclosed), Kyle Ramsey (groin) – were deemed out prior to the game on the SEC’s official availability report.
Running back Braylen Russell was tabbed as a game-time decision, but did not appear in the game. Although he traveled and dressed out, he did not go through pregame warmups.
Up Next for Arkansas Football
The 2024 regular season is now complete, with Arkansas finishing the year at 6-6 overall and 3-5 in SEC play. That is tied for 11th with Vanderbilt in the SEC standings.
Next up for the Razorbacks is a bowl game, which will be announced next Sunday, Dec. 8.
With 10 SEC teams finishing 7-5 or better, Arkansas is unlikely to be selected for one of the conference’s “Pool of 6” bowls. It will likely fall to the next tier, which includes the Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa, Fla., on Dec. 23 and the Birmingham Bowl in Alabama on Dec. 27.
Depending on how many SEC teams make the College Football Playoff, the Razorbacks could get sent to a bowl that doesn’t have a tie-in with the SEC.
Other Arkansas Football Tidbits
- The announced attendance for Arkansas vs Missouri was 62,621, but there were nowhere near that many fans in the building – understandably so given the conditions.
- Arkansas equaled a season high with 10 penalties, matching its total from the Texas A&M and Ole Miss losses. They went for 72 yards. It averaged 6.9 flags per game this season, which is 105th in the FBS.
- Sophomore linebacker Brad Spence notched the Razorbacks’ lone sack. It was his third straight game with a sack and he now has 4.5 this season, which is second on the team behind Landon Jackson (6.5).
- Arkansas native Dreyden Norwood (Fort Smith Northside) started at cornerback for Missouri. He finished with 8 tackles and 1 pass breakup.
- The Tigers also started an Arkansas native on offense, giving Jordon Harris (Pine Bluff) the nod at tight end. He didn’t catch any passes, but did play 41 snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
Arkansas vs Missouri Highlights
Postgame Interviews
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