Can Arkansas fix their closing problems in 2023?

It’s no secret that Arkansas Football has struggled to close games during the Sam Pittman tenure. There were high expectations going into last season but came away unmet. Whether it be situational play calling or defensive deficiencies something has to give for the Razorbacks to breakthrough this fall.

One of the more interesting stats that I’ve run across this summer is Arkansas’ amount of losses endured by 3 points or less since 2020. Under Pittman, the Razorbacks have eight such losses since he became head coach just three seasons ago.

A lot of heartbreak

Certainly, there is many a heartbreaks that fanbases in football have to endure but this takes the cake. No other team in college football has more losses by 3 points or less in that same time period.

One can look at that stat and say ‘our team isn’t as bad as we thought they were under Chad Morris.’ Even though this program is almost completely rid of the stench that was the worst era of football in school history some folks still think about it.

However, other folks will say ‘yeah, they’ve been close but expect more.’

Both point of views are absolutely ok to have. At some point the Razorbacks have got to breakthrough before the SEC becomes even tougher with Texas and OU coming in once the calendar flips to July 1, 2024.

Back to the losses the previous three seasons and you’ll see that four of those happened in 2022. LSU, Liberty, Missouri and Texas A&M were those 3 point ball games. If fortunes were flipped the Razorbacks are an 11-win club in the hypothetical world.

One must remember how close Arkansas was in year one to pulling out six wins in 2020. Those three losses saw Arkansas leading in the final minute of the game. Ultimately, falling to them on either bad officiating or faults on defense.

The Ole Miss game in 2021 was a classic that saw Arkansas go for two to win the game. Unfortunately, the pass fell incomplete and the Rebels squeaked by. That game was tied with under one minute to play.

How will they turn their fortunes around?

The hiring of Dan Enos, a methodical playcaller, is a big reason why.

Pittman calls his new offensive coordinator ‘the best play caller he’s ever worked with.’

His desire to score the ball on every possession without being gimmicky is key to establishing a true dual threat offense.

Being more aggressive on defensive by running more four man front ought to help with man coverage. The defensive line has truly been retooled and will go 11 deep between the edge and interior positions. That’ll give new DC Travis Williams enough men to be as aggressive as he wants to be in a 4-man front.

Limiting big plays on defense was an issue throughout 2022. Especially in the secondary where they were often under-manned for the majority of last season. Whether it be players in terrible spots, or technique not being sound it was not fun to watch at times. There have been additions through the transfer portal and recruiting that provide hope on the backend that last season was just a fluke in pass defense.

If these issues are shored up then Razorbacks can win big this fall.