Arkansas fires Pittman, naming Bobby Petrino interim head coach

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Arkansas fires Pittman, naming Bobby Petrino interim head coach

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas announced Sunday they have fired head football coach Sam Pittman, appointing offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino as interim coach for the remainder of the 2025 season.

The move comes after a lopsided 56-13 loss at home to Notre Dame on Saturday.

Athletics director Hunter Yurachek issued a statement expressing gratitude for Pittman’s service while emphasizing the need for change.

“I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication to the University of Arkansas throughout his time as head coach,” Yurachek said. “From Day 1, you could tell how much this opportunity meant to him. At this time, however, I feel a change is necessary to put our student-athletes and program in the best position to be successful. The goal for our football program is to be highly competitive within the Southeastern Conference and compete for a national championship.”

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman on the sidelines against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman on the sidelines against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Razorback Stadium. | Ted McClenning-HitThatLine Images

As the Razorbacks move forward, Yurachek added that Arkansas will immediately launch a national search for a full-time head coach, and that Petrino, whose name has surfaced before, is among those being considered.

“As we move forward … that search will include Coach Petrino, who has expressed his desire to be a candidate for the full-time job,” Yurachek said.

Pittman’s Arkansas tenure: promise unmet

Sam Pittman, age 63, became the 34th head coach in Arkansas football history when hired in December 2019.

Over his six seasons, he compiled a 32-34 overall record, with just 14 wins in Southeastern Conference play.

In his time, Pittman led Arkansas to three bowl victories. But chronic struggles in close games plagued his tenure. Under Pittman, Arkansas was 7-19 in one-possession games. Furthermore, Arkansas recovered just one non-losing SEC season under Pittman.

The Razorbacks entered the 2025 season 2–3, with setbacks including narrow defeats at Ole Miss (41–35) and at Memphis (32–31).

The loss to Notre Dame proved pivotal: Arkansas was overwhelmed, conceding touchdowns on all six first-half drives and trailing 42–13 at halftime.

Return of Petrino as interim

By naming Petrino interim head coach, Arkansas turns to a familiar face. Petrino served as Arkansas’s head coach from 2008 to 2011, compiling a 34–17 record.

His previous tenure ended amid scandal: after a 2012 motorcycle accident, Petrino misled athletic department leadership about a romantic relationship and misused his influence in hiring a subordinate.

Petrino rejoined the Arkansas program in November 2023 as offensive coordinator under Pittman.

Prior to his return, he held various offensive coordinator and head coaching roles elsewhere, including stints at Louisville, Western Kentucky, Missouri State and Texas A&M.

While Petrino’s past raises controversy, his immediate task is to steady the program during a difficult stretch. Arkansas has a bye week before traveling to face Tennessee on Oct. 11.

The program must navigate the remainder of its SEC schedule while also executing a national coaching search.

Observers note that Arkansas’s decision to fire a coach this early in the season is rare. One report observed that the last time Arkansas dismissed a head coach midseason was in 1992, when Jack Crowe was removed after an upset loss to The Citadel.

What’s ahead for Razorbacks

The immediate challenges are substantial:

  • Stabilizing morale and performance. The players face uncertainty and must adjust to new leadership midseason.

  • Securing commitments from prospective head coaches. Arkansas must present an attractive vision despite its current struggles.

  • Protecting recruiting and roster retention. Midseason changes risk losing momentum in the transfer portal and recruiting cycles.

There is also financial complexity: Pittman’s contract reportedly entailed a buyout of nearly $10 million, of which Arkansas owes 75% of remaining compensation. (on3.com)

How fans and boosters will respond remains to be seen. Some critics have questioned the wisdom of returning to Petrino, citing his recruiting shortcomings in past tenures. Others see the move as a stopgap while the university resets.

Key Takeaways

• Arkansas fired Sam Pittman after a 2–3 start and named Bobby Petrino interim for the rest of 2025.

• Pittman departs with a 32–34 record, having struggled in one-possession games and SEC play.

• Petrino, a former Arkansas head coach, returns amid controversy but will be in the running for the permanent role.

Notre Dame routs Arkansas 56-13 in commanding road victory

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Notre Dame routs Arkansas 56-13 in commanding road victory

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In a lopsided contest at Razorback Stadium, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish dismantled the Arkansas Razorbacks 56-13 on Saturday afternoon.

The Irish improved to 2-2 on the season, while Arkansas fell to 2-3 (0-1 in SEC play).

Quarterback CJ Carr paced the attack, completing 22 of 30 passes for 354 yards and four touchdowns, and did not enter the game in the fourth quarter. Running back Jeremiyah Love scored four touchdowns himself, becoming the first player in Notre Dame history to register multiple rushing and receiving touchdowns in a single game.

Notre Dame out-gained Arkansas 641 to 365 yards, including 431 passing yards to the Razorbacks’ 207.

Irish offense overwhelms early

Notre Dame struck fast, scoring touchdowns on each of its six first-half possessions. By halftime, the Irish held a 42-13 lead.

On the first drive, Love punched in a 1-yard run after a 10-play, 75-yard drive to put the Irish up 7-3. On the next possession, he caught a 7-yard pass for another score.

Later, Carr connected on a 23-yard touchdown strike to Will Pauling.

With 35 seconds left in the half, Arkansas coughed up a fumble, and Notre Dame converted it into another score to close the half.

Love finished with 127 total yards — 57 rushing and 70 receiving — and accounted for all four of his touchdowns in the first half.

Arkansas drove early as well, responding in the second quarter when offensive lineman Shaq McRoy lined up at fullback and powered in from 1 yard out to cut the margin to 14-10. But Notre Dame answered swiftly.

Arkansas offense muted

Razorback quarterback Taylen Green was held to modest numbers in this one. He completed 17 of 32 passes for 207 yards, was sacked three times, and threw one interception. He added 81 yards on the ground but was unable to spark his team into serious contention.

Running back Mike Washington carried 15 times for 63 yards, the team’s leading ground gainer. Receiver O’Mega Blake hauled in six catches for 73 yards as Arkansas’ top target.

Late in the third quarter, the Irish executed a fake punt that drew additional attention to their aggressive approach. Arkansas also saw Jalen Brown carted off with a leg injury on a pass attempt that fell incomplete.

Defense steps up, crowd dwindles

While Notre Dame’s offense stole the spotlight, the Irish defense held Arkansas in check most of the afternoon.

In the first half, Green completed just 6 of 15 passes for 85 yards.

The defense also forced a fumble by Arkansas’ Raylen Sharpe, while safety Luke Talich tallied an interception.

Former Arkansas tight end Ty Washington, now with Notre Dame, offered a blunt assessment before the game.

“But if you really shut them out quick, it will be done. The fan base will be quiet and everybody will go home,” Washington said.

By the start of the fourth quarter, much of the home crowd had left the stadium, as Arkansas trailed by nearly 30 points.

Big picture, what’s next

This victory may help Notre Dame steadily rebuild momentum amid a season of lofty expectations and early struggles.

After beginning the season 0-2, the Irish have now evened their record. The schedule ahead is manageable and next up is Boise State at home.

Arkansas, meanwhile, must regroup in SEC play. The Razorbacks are now 0-1 in conference matchups with a demanding schedule ahead after an open date.

Coach Marcus Freeman said the win demonstrates what his team can do when firing on all cylinders.

Observers have noted that Carr’s precision and Love’s versatility are building national buzz.

“It would not surprise me if Notre Dame’s CJ Carr was the first overall pick in 2027,” columnist Dan Wetzel said.

Key Takeaways

• Balanced, dynamic offense — Notre Dame scored on every first-half drive and eclipsed 600 total yards.

• Love makes history — Jeremiyah Love became Notre Dame’s first to score both rushing and receiving touchdowns in one game.

• Arkansas shut down — Arkansas’ offense was held to 13 points, and their defense couldn’t keep pace.

Former Razorbacks coach Lou Holtz with the media before Notre Dame game

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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Former Razorbacks coach Lou Holtz with the media before Notre Dame game

Honorary captain for the Hogs at Razorback Stadium before first-ever meeting between the two schools he coached for a number of years.

Ruscin and Zach Podcast Sept 26th…Football Friday

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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ANDY’S PICKS: With focus on Pittman, can Razorbacks pull off huge upset?

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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ANDY’S PICKS: With focus on Pittman, can Razorbacks pull off huge upset?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Even though Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, there is a lot of smoke coming from the fire on the seat he sits on these days with the Razorbacks.

He’s trying to say it’s just “noise,” but in doing this over 50 years, where there’s smoke there’s usually a fire somewhere.

We’ll know more after they face a Notre Dame team that lost two games to teams now ranked in the Top 10 by a total of four points. Exactly how that’s anybody’s fault but the person who did the schedule still mystifies me.

The Razorbacks are a team that has lost two games people think they should have won because they fumbled in the final minute of each game. That’s ridiculous. They had 59 before that to remove any doubt.

Those mistakes usually happen to the team that simply has lost the mental discipline to pay extra attention to the number one job of someone carrying the ball — hang on to the thing. There have been very scores by someone not holding onto the ball.

In the Hogs’ case, it also pointed out the problems this team has, getting into a track meet with both Ole Miss and Memphis. Arkansas’ offense can score and, so far, the defense is doing a better job of giving up points in bigger numbers than Bobby Petrino can manufacture.

We have proof now the Razorbacks’ secondary is performing about like we saw in the spring. It hasn’t improved and I’m pretty certain the coaching staff didn’t just sit around nothing thinking about before the season started.

The defensive line doesn’t seem to be interested in playing with a physical nature and the linebackers haven’t played anywhere near what was projected of them.

The summary of all this is if the Razorbacks can’t out-score somebody, there doesn’t appear to be any way they can win a game.

On the flip side, Notre Dame can run the football. This may be the best pair of running backs on one team coming into Razorback Stadium since Eric Dickerson and Craig James came to town in 1981 and ran over the Hogs unmercifully.

It’s amazing to watch what happens to the opposing team when a team run the ball. They usually start pressing offensively and Petrino’s impatient nature usually leads to panic-passing that will work for a couple of drives, but not an entire game.

That’s why this one isn’t hard for to pick. Arkansas can prove me wrong (and it won’t be the first time), but the only team that will beat the Irish is Notre Dame.

That’s not something I’m going to predict.

Notre Dame 42, Hogs 24

Pete Morgan broke his picks up into two stories this week. Exactly why he did that is amazing to me since he doesn’t get paid per story.

We do have some good games at last. As the SEC schedule gets under way these games are going to be a little closer, but Pete didn’t get that memo on some of these games.

The SEC has turned into a light version of the NFL and most of these games come down to the last possession for each team.

SEC Picks for Week 5

Utah State at (18) Vanderbilt –  Good Grief 1. After that buildup it’s kind of a downer to start this way, but unless the Commodores have a success hangover this one won’t be close. Utah State just isn’t very good these days. At least the home crowd won’t affect it much. Vandy by 24.

Auburn at (9) Texas A&M – The Tigers could have beaten Oklahoma on the road last week except for a couple of officials’ calls, but it is what it is now. Auburn is not a bad team and Texas A&M isn’t, either. But the Aggies are home for this game and that’s usually good for a touchdown plus they just have slightly better personnel. Aggies by 4.

(4) LSU at (13) Ole Miss – Maybe the best game in the SEC this week. If you haven’t caught the E60 that ESPN did with Lane Kiffin, you might want to see it before you start assuming he’s headed to Gainesville. He’s content in Oxford, but most importantly his family is VERY happy being there and right now that might mean more to a more mature Kiffin than the sugar rush of coaching Florida. A win over LSU could solidify that even more.  Rebels by 5.

(15) Tennessee at Mississippi State – The Bulldogs may be the most improved team in the SEC this year. Granted, the bar they had to clear was pretty low after a 2-10 season, but they’ve already doubled their number of wins this year and haven’t lost yet. In case you forgot, Arizona State in Week 2 was ranked No. 12 in the country, which is higher than Tennessee. This one may be a nail biter. Vols by 1.

(17) Alabama at (5) Georgia – We’ll find out if Kalen DeBoer has the Crimson Tide straightened out or not in this game. The experts are saying the Bulldogs are going to win this one rather easily, but that’s probably based on the opening-day loss to Florida State and the reality is that game means absolutely nothing now. Alabama may not be back, but I’m not going to say they will be blown out. Georgia by 3.

UMASS at (20) Missouri – Good Grief 2. Mezzo will keep right on rolling in this one. Tigers by 35.

Kentucky at South Carolina – For whatever reason, South Carolina doesn’t be as good as folks were projecting them. The offense looks completely dysfunctional at times. Considering they have a new offensive coordinator this year, it may be a clue to what was going on the last couple of years and Dowell Loggains was more critical to the overall team than anyone thought. The Wildcats just aren’t very good. Gamecocks by 6.

PETE’S PICKS: Looking at Razorbacks’ first-ever meeting with Notre Dame

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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PETE’S PICKS: Looking at Razorbacks’ first-ever meeting with Notre Dame

I remember when I first heard Arkansas and Notre Dame had scheduled a home-and-home with each other. There was a sense of newness at the thought of the Razorbacks finally squaring off against the Fighting Irish.

No, the team out of South Bend, Indiana and the Hogs have never squared off on the gridiron, not even in the 1960’s nor 70’s. Nor did they ever meet after former Arkansas coach Lou Holtz took the same position for the Irish. So, I must admit, I was a little anxious for this gameday to arrive from the word “go.”

Notre Dame, probably the most historic and prestigious program in all of college football, would soon be making the trip to Fayetteville, Arkansas. And I could not wait.

Unfortunately, the first game in the series, originally set to take place in 2020, was bumped back due to COVID. The Irish, if memory serves, had already requested the second game be pushed back to 2025 or 26 due to a scheduling conflict.

So, yeah, one would think I would be elated with all of the Arkansas versus Notre Dame discussion sure to consume the airways and internet pages, right? No, that would be the case, but instead the topics at hand have all revolved around the futures of the Arkansas coaching staff and the administration.

Almost everything local you can find when you web search “Arkansas Football” is discussing the timeframe for when Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman be relieved from his duties. Or, “Should they fire athletic director Hunter Yurachek before or after Pittman?”

I totally comprehend it, man, everyone was mad after the loss to Memphis. I was ticked as well. Like many of you, I have been a loyal supporter of Pittman for years, hopeful he can right the ship, using the NIL as an excuse for why he cannot bring Arkansas Football back to some level of relevance.

But a lot of the fan base have reached their expiration date with waiting on Pittman. Yes, he may very well be the nicest guy on the planet, but that does not matter 12 Saturdays out of the year. That impatience, mixed with some less than impressive words from Yurachek at the Little Rock Touchdown Club, has also drawn him into the ire of Razorbacks fans.

I have not soured on Yurachek. I think he is a great AD I do believe he could have chosen his words about Arkansas not being set up to win a national championship under the current NIL structure a little more quaintly. But, in my opinion, his comments were just him doing his job: trying to get more money generated for the program to “hire” the best athletes possible.

Here is the thing, Yurachek is not going to fire Pittman before the game this weekend. He may or may not let him go during the upcoming bye week. He might, to what will be the ultimate dismay of some, not even bid farewell to Pittman at all under the guise of the upcoming revenue sharing by the SEC, instead opting to see how the head coach can perform under its umbrella. The truth is, NIL may have created a financial situation under which we cannot buyout Pittman and hire a top-tier coach to take the helms.

I could be wrong about all this. Hunter may decide now is the time to get in a new coach for recruiting and preparation for the upcoming revenue model. I hate to protect myself with this blanked of “I could be right or I could be wrong,” but I am perplexed on this one, and I think many others are as well.

I have rambled on long enough, and there is a game to discuss, but for the sake of keeping your attention a little longer, I will keep my thoughts short.

Notre Dame was overrated coming into the season with a No. 8 ranking. Their 1-2 record shows that. Yet they are still good. Very good. Neither of their losses have been blowouts, and they have been at the hands of two current Top Ten teams in Miami and Texas A&M.

The Hogs, not so much. Both of their losses have been close, but one of them fell to a much prominent Memphis team – a unit which is undefeated, but only time will tell how good they truly are.

Arkansas’ offense is potent, and the Irish defense is not the best. I will stand by what I said in the preseason. The Hogs get this one because it is at home, but only if the environment is rocking, and, at 11:00 AM, that may be hard to do.

Arkansas 44, Notre Dame 38

Be certain to listen to the game Saturday at 11:00 A.M. via HitThatLine.com and on the air at ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs, and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.

Random Thoughts

Joe Montana was kind of a jerk when it came to his going on “The Dan Patrick Show” and lessening the amount of fanfare and nostalgia experienced by the real-life Rudy Ruettiger.

TRIVIA QUESTION: Lou Holtz compiled a 60-21-2 record at Arkansas. After spending two seasons with Minnesota, he became the head coach at Notre Dame, winning a national championship in 1988. Why did Coach Holtz leave Arkansas?

I should have split this up into two articles.

TRIVIA ANSWER: Initial press releases from then Arkansas athletics director Frank Broyles stated Holtz left because he was “tired and burnt out.” Broyles later admitted he fired Holtz because the latter had lost the fan base at Arkansas. It is thought Holtz’s overstep into North Carolina politics may have been the deciding culprit.

One thing is certain: We love our Razorbacks! We may not all agree who should be in what position, but when it comes time to watch, we all cheer for the cardinal and white.

Do you know for whom all else we should cheer? Our families. And my prayer is you all get to enjoy some time with them this weekend. Off the top of my head, I can count at least thirty-four things we can do with our loved ones that, on the surface, may even seem small, but on the inside, they mean everything.

Go HOGS!!!

BetSaracen’s Neal Atkinson on Memphis game, how action going for Notre Dame

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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BetSaracen’s Neal Atkinson on Memphis game, how action going for Notre Dame

With Irish playing the Razorbacks for the first time in schools history, how bettors are viewing the game.

Eastside Liquor🍺 Half🕛time Podcast 9.26.25

Christian Johnston
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Eastside Liquor🍺 Half🕛time Podcast 9.26.25

Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: 9-26-25

Colton Little
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Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: 9-26-25

Not even Jackie Mock can defend Tye’s takes. LIVE at Mock Legal Solutions in Fort Smith, the fellas talk Arkansas vs Notre Dame and the weekend ahead in the SEC.

Guests: The Fence Man!

WATCH: Halftime is LIVE at All-American Steakhouse & Sports Theater

Christian Johnston
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WATCH: Halftime is LIVE at All-American Steakhouse & Sports Theater

Aaron Torres – 11:15
Neal Atkinson – 1:15

Ruscin and Zach Podcast Sept 25th

ESPN Arkansas News Services
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