The clutch gene does not exist under Sam Pittman

Fans have complained about Arkansas's inability to win close games under Sam Pittman for years. The Razorbacks are 7-16 under the head Hog, but the problem is much broader than that lopsided stat, reaching into the realm of intangibles. The Razorbacks are without the clutch gene under Pittman.

Arkansas never led against Texas today, but in the third quarter, the offense showed life. They drove the ball down the Horns' throats to put the Hogs within a touchdown of the go-ahead score.

The defense did its job, forcing a three-and-out for the fourth time in the game. Instead of scoring six, the offense had to settle for three points from the Texas 26-yard line because of a blown pass blocking assignment, letting a defender explode through the A gap for who knows how many times this season.

Texas responded with a touchdown to go up by ten at the top of the fourth quarter. Arkansas again put together a nice drive, but for some insane reason, the Hogs called a screen for true freshman CJ Brown, who hasn't seen a target since Auburn.

Brown fumbles, and Texas runs out the clock. Of course, the freshman needs to hold onto the ball, but why would Arkansas's coaching staff put the game in the hands of someone who hasn't seen any actions since September?

This has happened time and time again. Arkansas vs LSU was a game until Arkansas gave up an interception within the 10-yard line. You can find examples going back as far as 2021 in Arkansas's loss to Ole Miss.

Don't even get started with the doink on top of the field goal against Texas A&M in 2022, or the loss to Mizzou eight games later. You can add BYU's collapse and what should've been a gimme game versus Mississippi State in 2023. Situational disasters have killed Arkansas for five seasons.

Decision-making, lack of execution, and just plain bad luck are keeping the program from taking the next step. Is changing the head coach the fix? I don't know because correlation doesn't necessarily mean causation, but something has to change in philosophy or culture, and a change in leadership would do that. By no means am I calling for Pittman's job, but big changes need to change after today's loss.