No answers, but dismissing coach Sam Pittman along with several key defensive assistants including coordinator signals problem.
Varsity Vibe’s Alyssa Orange on change with Razorbacks affecting recruiting
High school players, coaches after changes in Hogs’ football program and looking at forward direction with Bobby Petrino finishing season as coach.
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: 9-30-25
Tye and Tommy share their thoughts on Bobby Petrino and Hunter Yurachek’s press conference, who is a realistic candidate for the job?
Guests: Bruce Stanton (Pradco) and Tom Murphy!
WATCH: Halftime is LIVE!
Alyssa Orange – 11:15
Charlie Liggett – 12:00
Clay Henry – 12:30
Bill King – 1:15
Arkansas at Tennessee set for 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas’ Week 7 trip to Tennessee is locked for 3:15 p.m. Central on Saturday, Oct. 11, with SEC Network carrying the broadcast from Neyland Stadium. The SEC announced the time and channel Monday.
The matchup comes after open dates for both teams and marks the 21st meeting in the series. Tennessee leads 13–7, though Arkansas has won the last four, including last fall’s 19–14 result in Fayetteville.
Arkansas (2–3, 0–1 SEC) is regrouping under interim head coach Bobby Petrino after a 56–13 loss to Notre Dame prompted a midseason change and subsequent defensive staff dismissals. Tennessee (4–1) is coming off an overtime road win at Mississippi State.
After surviving in Starkville, Vols coach Josh Heupel pointed to the bye week as a chance to reset.
“We’ve got a chance here with the bye week to heal some guys up, get better, and get ready to get back to work,” Heupel said.
For Arkansas, the game will be Petrino’s first on the sideline as interim coach following Sam Pittman’s dismissal.
Petrino moved quickly, firing defensive coordinator Travis Williams, co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson and defensive line coach Deke Adams as part of an overhaul.
The Razorbacks opened with wins over Alabama A&M and Arkansas State before losses to Ole Miss, Memphis and Notre Dame.
Tennessee’s résumé features wins over Syracuse, ETSU, UAB and Mississippi State, with the lone setback a 44–41 loss to Georgia.
The 2024 meeting in Fayetteville hinged on defense and late situational offense.
Arkansas held Tennessee to 332 total yards before backup quarterback Malachi Singleton scored the go-ahead touchdown inside the final two minutes.
That backdrop, plus both teams’ byes, frames a scouting week heavy on corrections.
Petrino has emphasized a back-to-basics approach on that side of the ball. He told reporters Arkansas would get back to the “principles of great defense” as the staff reassignments settle and the roster resets under a new voice.
Heupel, meanwhile, praised his team’s competitiveness after the Mississippi State finish while noting execution issues that surfaced late.
“A lot to clean up … everyone, coaches, players, everybody,” he said in his postgame remarks.
The SEC slotted Arkansas–Tennessee for the mid-afternoon window as part of its Oct. 11 lineup.
The Razorbacks return to Fayetteville for a three-game home stretch after Knoxville, while Tennessee continues a schedule that already includes two one-score outcomes.
Arkansas has not lost to Tennessee since 2007, a streak that has spanned coaching changes on both sidelines and two wins in Knoxville.
The Volunteers still hold the all-time edge and enter with a ranking attached, adding weight to a midseason cross-divisional game that will influence both teams’ trajectories.
Kick is 3:15 p.m. on SEC Network from Neyland Stadium.
3 key takeaways:
• Arkansas at Tennessee kicks at 3:15 p.m. on Oct. 11 on SEC Network.
• It is Bobby Petrino’s first game as Arkansas’ interim head coach after defensive staff changes.
• Josh Heupel said the bye week offers time to heal and improve after the MSU win.
Bobby Petrino, athletics director Hunter Yurachek on football shakeup
Why Yurachek felt Notre Dame game showed how Hogs had quit on Sam Pittman and why Petrino felt he owed it to Arkansas to take job.
Chris Wilson, Kolby Smith take lead roles in Razorbacks’ staff shakeup
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Interim Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino dismissed defensive coordinator Travis Williams, co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson and defensive line coach Deke Adams, the university announced Monday.
Williams had spent three years at Arkansas after arriving from UCF, while Woodson directed the secondary and Adams oversaw the defensive line.
The moves came a day after the Razorbacks fired head coach Sam Pittman and elevated Petrino to interim head coach.
The changes followed a 56–13 loss to Notre Dame in Fayetteville in which Arkansas gave up 643 yards and 56 points.
Athletics director Hunter Yurachek said Sunday when announcing Pittman’s dismissal that the program required a different direction.
“I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication,” Yurachek said. “At this time, however, I feel a change is necessary to put our student-athletes and program in the best position to be successful.”
Wilson named interim defensive play-caller
With Williams, Woodson and Adams removed, Petrino turned to Chris Wilson to handle defensive play-calling as interim coordinator.
Wilson had been serving as an assistant defensive line coach in his first year at Arkansas.
Wilson has coordinated defenses at several levels, including college stints at Mississippi State and Colorado, and professional experience with the Houston Roughnecks of the UFL. He was also part of the Philadelphia Eagles’ Super Bowl LII staff as defensive line coach.
Petrino also reassigned Che Hendrix, who joined the program earlier this season as a defensive assistant, to work with the safeties. Hendrix previously spent four years as a high school head coach in Texas.
The moves leave Arkansas with a reshaped defensive structure just as the team heads into a bye week.
Kolby Smith promoted to offensive coordinator
On offense, Petrino promoted Kolby Smith to offensive coordinator while retaining play-calling duties himself.
Smith had been Arkansas’ running backs coach this season after working in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins.
Smith played under Petrino at Louisville before a four-year NFL career. His new role gives him additional responsibility in shaping the Razorbacks’ offensive preparation even as Petrino maintains in-game control.
“Kolby has great knowledge of our system and understands what it takes to prepare players at this level,” Petrino said.
The changes reinforce Petrino’s desire to keep direct influence on the offense while delegating broader responsibilities to trusted assistants.
Arkansas faces challenges ahead
The Razorbacks are 2–3 heading into a bye week before visiting Tennessee on Oct. 11. The program sits at the bottom of the SEC in several defensive categories.
Former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy, now an ESPN analyst, said the timing of the change made sense.
“After five games, these are when decisions are likely to be made,” McElroy said. “You hate it. I love Sam Pittman to death, but it just wasn’t going in the right direction.”
Arkansas’ search for a permanent head coach is underway, and Yurachek said Petrino will be considered. The former Razorbacks head coach won 34 games from 2008 to 2011 before being dismissed in 2012 following an off-field scandal.
Despite the controversy surrounding his return, Petrino is now positioned to audition for the job over the remainder of the season.
Key takeaways
• Bobby Petrino dismissed three defensive assistants in his first full day as interim head coach.
• Chris Wilson was elevated to interim defensive coordinator, and Kolby Smith was promoted to offensive coordinator.
• Arkansas is 2–3 and searching nationally for its next head coach, with Petrino under consideration.
Razorbacks fire defensive coordinator as Petrino begins staff reset
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas announced Monday that it has relieved Travis Williams of his duties as defensive coordinator, part of a sweeping staff overhaul initiated by newly appointed interim head coach Bobby Petrino.
The move comes one day after the Razorbacks parted ways with head coach Sam Pittman.
Petrino’s first decision in his new role was abrupt: he dismissed Williams, along with co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson and defensive line coach Deke Adams.
ESPN sources confirmed the firings, and ESPN’s Pete Thamel reported Petrino was reshaping the defensive staff.
Morgan Turner, currently Arkansas’s tight ends coach, and other assistants will remain, for now, as Petrino seeks to patch a defense that has permitted 129 points across the past three games.
That stretch includes a 56-point showing by Notre Dame in what turned out to be Pittman’s final game.
Petrino moves swiftly after Pittman exit
Sam Pittman’s dismissal on Sunday came after a 2–3 start and a lopsided loss to Notre Dame, which dropped Arkansas into the SEC’s lower tiers in several defensive metrics.
In announcing Pittman’s firing, Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek emphasized the need for a new direction.
“At this time, however, I feel a change is necessary to put our student-athletes and program in the best position to be successful,” Yurachek said.
Petrino, who served as Arkansas’s offensive coordinator before being elevated, is now interim head coach and will be considered for the permanent job.
While Petrino has a controversial past — including a prior Arkansas head coaching stint ending amid scandal — he now faces a compressed window to prove he can restore credibility and consistency on both sides of the ball.
Williams tenure ends after defensive collapse
Williams had served as Arkansas’s defensive coordinator since 2023, following a résumé that included roles at Auburn and UCF.
He previously was a co-defensive coordinator at Auburn from 2019 to 2020 before spending two seasons at UCF under Gus Malzahn.
He was twice a Broyles Award nominee early in his Arkansas tenure, and many believed he had helped stabilize a defensive unit that had struggled prior to his arrival.
But the defense’s regression this season was stark. Over the past three games, Arkansas allowed 129 points.
The Razorbacks ranked last in the SEC in points allowed per game (30.0), rushing yards allowed (168.0), and total yards allowed (425.0), and ranked 15th in passing yards allowed (257.0).
Arkansas’s roster, including linebackers and secondary units, often appeared mismatched or out of position, particularly in the Notre Dame game when the defense looked overrun.
“I believe we can adjust and get better in a hurry,” Petrino said in a prepared statement. “This program deserves competitiveness on both sides of the ball.”
What comes next in Fayetteville
Petrino’s immediate challenge is staffing the defensive side of the ball from scratch midseason, a tall order given recruiting, scheme, and buy-in hurdles.
He must also establish authority with current players, many of whom are adjusting to rapid change.
Observers and fans have questioned whether the athletic department bears responsibility, pointing to hiring and oversight decisions.
In fan forums, criticism has been vocal about Hunter Yurachek and the broader structural direction.
On the recruiting front, Arkansas must maintain stability as it navigates the transfer portal and upcoming signing windows.
Prospective recruits paying close attention to staff turnover will evaluate the program’s trajectory.
Key takeaways
• Swift staff overhaul: Petrino’s first move as interim head coach was to fire DC Travis Williams, co-DC Marcus Woodson, and D-line coach Deke Adams.
• Defense in crisis: Arkansas’s defense had deteriorated, allowing 129 points over three games and ranking last in multiple SEC categories.
• Midseason rebuild ahead: Petrino has to reconstruct the defensive staff and restore credibility on short notice, while managing recruiting and player morale.
