In the aftermath of Arkansas notching likely the biggest win of the Sam Pittman era, the victory isn’t getting the most headlines as the Hogs enjoy a bye week.
No, the talking heads this week are less focused on Arkansas’ 19-14 win over then-No. 4 Tennessee and more fixated on the aftermath of the postgame celebration. An on-field party that saw the goal posts protected so they wouldn’t be torn down like they were in 1999, and the Arkansas Athletic Department $250,000 lighter in the pocketbook. And the kicker … a new SEC rule stipulates the department must write the check to the Tennessee athletic department, not the SEC.
On the field immediately following the game, CBS Sports/247Sports’ Brandon Marcello asked UA athletic director Hunter Yurachek if he was happy to pay the fine. Yurachek’s response – “Hell, yeah!”
I can see why Yurachek was so happy. This win was a huge burden lifted off him and the head coach’s shoulders. Coming off a 4-8 season, it’s no secret that Pittman’s job security is in doubt. His seat got a little cooler after the win and that comment reflects that relief. However, I am sure given some time to think about the reality of the situation, he may have a less-enthusiastic take. I don’t blame him or the fans for being excited. This was a huge win, and honestly a very unexpected one. But field/court storming can’t happen again.
Going back to ’99 with Arkansas Football
There is an obvious financial cost to rushing a playing surface, but I have never been for these celebrations because of the danger that is involved. I told the story in this space about legendary Iowa reporter Randy Peterson being seriously injured in a court storm at Iowa State. That 2015 incident was enough to sour me on it for good. I’m sure there have been plenty of other incidents similar that have occurred around college sporting events. One of those also happened Saturday when nine University of Minnesota fans were injured during a field rush after a 24-17 win over No. 11 USC. Minnesota officials reported nine fans were injured in the celebration.
Going on to the field or court is dangerous. When I was on the field interviewing victorious Razorbacks in the 1999 win over Tennessee, I had to dodge numerous fans on the way over to find quarterback Clint Stoerner. I wasn’t sure if I was going to make it. With that much humanity running recklessly, there is a good chance bodies will collide, and falls will occur. If you fall in a celebration such as that, you could easily be trampled. That’s exactly why I wouldn’t take my kids into that scrum, but more than a few parents thought it would be neat to participate in the fun. Bad idea.
It’s also not fair to the players. I know Hogs fans don’t give a rip about the Volunteers, but they have the right to exit the field safely. The same thing for the Auburn players when Arkansas beat them in 2022 and fans rushed the Bud Walton Arena floor.
There were no injuries reported at Reynolds Razorback Stadium Saturday night, but mammoth Volunteers defensive lineman Omari Thomas shoved one fan into another as they were spilling on to the field, knocking them to the ground.
“…I’m not sticking up for [Thomas], I think that was really terrible, and you shouldn’t do that,” Pig Trail Nation reporter Courtney Mims said on this week’s “Ask Mike” show. “But also, you take a risk when you jump onto that field. I will say this because I got slammed, too, by an Arkansas fan. Now, an Arkansas player grabbed me, and I can’t remember who it was, but credit to him because he was so sweet and went, ‘Are you OK?’ Just stay by me.’ And he was kind of helping me through it all. You take a risk.”
Agreed, and dodging crazy fans isn’t something players need to deal with. Some aren’t going to deal with it well, like was the case here, but they should never have to deal with it. The field and locker room area should be a safe place.
“How about everybody stay in the stands,” ‘Morning Mayhem’ co-host Justin Moore said this week on the Little Rock-based morning radio show. “Call the Hogs. Take your rear end to your tailgate. Have a few cold beers and go home.”
Then there’s the financial hit. Different soundbites coming from UA figures the past few months suggests Arkansas can use all the money it has, especially in light of a multi-billion-dollar settlement of three athlete-compensation antitrust cases against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences. Pittman has complained at different times about a lack of NIL funds, which is one reason Arkansas is perpetually toward the bottom of least likely teams to win an SEC title according to sports book at strafe.
Yurachek addressed the very issue at the Little Rock Touchdown Club last month.
It’s unclear how the athletic department will pay the fine. It won’t be from the Arkansas Edge NIL collective, but still it’s easy to see how the department losing money overall could down the line diminish funds/amenities that more directly help lure a top-flight athlete to the program.
Yurachek’s reaction indicates the department can afford the $250,000 but, still, it can’t be easy to write a check to Tennessee. Paying a fine to the SEC is one thing, giving a gift to an opponent is another.
“It’s just going to make the rich a little richer,” Moore said.
I suspect many fans had no idea the fine would be sent to the opponent. Can you imagine how extra funds in Tennessee’s football program might have kept Doneiko Slaughter in Knoxville, considering his stated reason for coming to Fayetteville? Another incentive to do what Moore instructs.
Some may argue that that the overall benefit in publicity resulting from such a raucous, jubilant scene far outweighs the $250,000 fine. Indeed, Mike Irwin half-jokingly said it’s a $250,000 fine worth a million dollars in publicity. But that kind of reasoning is like playing with fire. One incident seriously harming an innocent person on the field/court and the publicity resulting from that could hurt the UA’s image for a long time.
That would a reputational stain to endure for much longer than anybody wants to see happen.
Can Arkansas prevent these celebrations?
On Wednesday, while appearing on the ‘Chuck and Bo Show’ radio program, Pittman said the crowd storm couldn’t have been prevented.
“We were not desperate, but we were hungry for a moment like that,” Pittman said. “And guys, you couldn’t have stopped that if you had a policeman at every spot … I’m glad nobody got hurt or anything like that, but, man, that is part of college football, and I know we have to get ‘em off the field and all of that, but how do you do that? Somebody needs to tell us how to stop that.”
Pittman added that seeing some of the fans who were so fast beating him to midfield gave him an idea: “We ought to recruit a few of those kids… I’m going ‘I wonder what that kid runs in the 40?'”
Dan Mullen, the former head coach of Mississippi State and Florida, may beg to differ with Pittman. Before he addressed the crowd at the Little Rock Touchdown Club Monday, he told how cash strapped MSU handled potential post-game celebrations. He knew the program couldn’t afford the fine, so he orchestrated a plan.
“So, we told our players after the game, if we won a big game, the players would go race and dive into the student section in the stands,” he said.
It also sounds like this message had been conveyed to fans, too. Arkansas can use social media and the Jumbotron during games to send video messages from Yurachek and Pittman explaining the costs and risks of these celebrations, so fans understand the circumstances. Will it keep everyone off the field? Probably not. Some of the students may still try, but you’d hope it would keep an adult husband from dragging his wife and kids down there.
Educate the fan base and let them know the opponent is going to cash in.
It’s always been dangerous and costly, and now it’s aiding the opponent. What other motivation do you need? Do the right thing and the next time the Hogs notch a big win, think about the consequences.
See our latest here:
More from Pittman at the 2 hour 33 minute mark below:
Update on Taylen Green and Other Injured Hogs
Perhaps the most notable injury, outside of Green, has been to star cornerback Jaylon Braxton. The sophomore hasn’t played in five weeks because of tendinitis, but Pittman said on the Chuck and Bo Show that “there’s a possibility” he’s able to return for the LSU game next Saturday. He later added that Braxton should be back at practice Thursday.
The injury bug has also struck Arkansas’ tight ends room, with Andreas Paaske missing the last three games with a concussion and both Luke Hasz (back) and Ty Washington (undisclosed) playing through pain against Tennessee after being very limited during the week. It sounds like that unit is trending in a positive direction, though.
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