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Arkansas is not the pushover we thought they'd be

Coming into this season, there was an idea that the Sam Pittman era at Arkansas was on its last legs. Suddenly, things in Fayetteville don't look so desperate.

By Jake Mitchell

Sep 7, 2024; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Isaiah Sategna (6) on the field prior to the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images
Sep 7, 2024; Stillwater, Oklahoma, USA; Arkansas Razorbacks wide receiver Isaiah Sategna (6) on the field prior to the game against the Oklahoma State Cowboys at Boone Pickens Stadium. Mandatory Credit: William Purnell-Imagn Images / William Purnell-Imagn Images
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Coming into this season, there was an idea that the Sam Pittman era at Arkansas was on its last legs. According to many, the Bobby Petrino hire was a desperation move, not enough to save the Razorbacks from a head coaching change.

Suddenly, things in Fayetteville don't look so desperate.

This is not suddenly a perfect team, as Saturday's loss in Stillwater showed, but it's a team capable of hanging with Top 25 teams. It's a team capable of outgaining Oklahoma State by 263 yards. It's a team capable of outrunning the Cowboys and Heisman candidate Ollie Gordon by 2.6 yards per carry.

In the preseason, the Razorbacks seemed destined to be a 3-9 cakewalk in the SEC. On Saturday, they seemed more like a chaotic 7-5 who pulled an upset at some point during the season.

A big reason why Arkansas seems formidable now is the play of quarterback Taylen Green. He threw for 416 yards on Saturday and added 61 on the ground. Time and time again, he avoided sacks and gave plays new life they wouldn't have with most quarterbacks.

The 6'6", 230 lb passer gives this offense so many options with his dual-threat abilities. When the Razorbacks snagged Green out of the transfer portal, they did the absolute best job they could have possibly done in replacing former QB KJ Jefferson.

This wasn't just an encouraging day for the Arkansas offense, however. The Razorback defense also showed major improvement from a year ago.

Travis Williams' defense held the Cowboys to 5-16 on third down and just 2.3 yards per carry. Even as the Cowboys made their comeback in the second half, they were forced to fight for every yard. The Razorbacks didn't give away many yards.

Arkansas was not able to put together a 60-minute performance on Saturday, and they let an extremely experienced Oklahoma State team pull off a comeback in double overtime. It was not a day, however, that was without positives.

The Razorbacks are not a playoff team or an SEC champion, but they have playmaking ability on offense and quality defense, and some really good teams are on the home schedule in 2024. Could they disrupt the seasons of Ole Miss, Texas, or Tennessee?

After Saturday, it's not out of the question.

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