For Arkansas football, 2025 has been a season many in Fayetteville would like to forget. After opening with two wins, the Razorbacks have now dropped nine straight games, including Saturday’s 52–37 loss to No. 17 Texas, another blow in what has become a spiraling campaign.
The turmoil reached its peak on Sept. 27 following a 56–13 dismantling at the hands of Notre Dame. That loss cost Sam Pittman his job and elevated offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino to interim head coach. What was intended to be a stabilizing move has instead been a difficult six-game stretch for the veteran coach, who has gone 0–6 since taking over.
Four of those losses came by three points or fewer, showcasing Arkansas’ ongoing issues with late-game discipline, situational awareness, and execution. These were the same problems that have plagued the team all season regardless of who held the headset. Saturday’s matchup against Texas was the opposite: a blowout from start to finish.
It has all placed Petrino in a complicated, pressure-filled position in trying to lead a team he did not build, with a staff he did not hire, under a fan base desperate for hope.
Petrino Admits Midseason Takeover Has Been a Challenge
During his Monday media availability, Petrino was candid about the unique strain of assuming full control of a struggling program midseason.
"“It’s been difficult, I can’t say taking over mid-season hasn’t been difficult. There’s a staff that was already in place. There’s guys already in the building that you didn’t hire. You’re trying to make it so everybody has a good experience. You’re trying to go out on the field and compete and find ways to win.”"Bobby Petrino
Petrino didn’t hide the fact that he hoped to make a strong impression on athletics leadership in his interim run. He reportedly expressed interest in the full-time job early in the transition, using the remainder of the season as a chance to show he could still lead at a high level.
But the results haven’t helped his case. The continued skid, defensive lapses, and inability to close tight games have all but shut the door on Petrino’s hopes of reclaiming the position he once held from 2008–2011, when he compiled a 34–17 record and elevated the Razorbacks to national relevance.
A Program Searching for a Lifeline
Arkansas now heads to No. 22 Missouri for its regular-season finale. If the Hogs can’t pull off an upset in Columbia, they will finish winless in SEC play for the fourth time since 2013, a staggering statistic for a once-proud program with deep tradition and passionate support.
The past decade has been rocky, marked by false starts, fleeting momentum, and repeated rebuilds. This season has only magnified the need for stability and direction.
As Arkansas’ coaching search intensifies, the pressure is mounting for athletic director Hunter Yurachek and the administration to deliver a home-run hire, someone capable of pulling the Razorbacks out of the SEC basement and restoring competitiveness in a conference that grows more unforgiving each year.
The Final Chapter of Petrino’s Second Tenure
For Petrino, Saturday likely represents his last game leading Arkansas. His return to Fayetteville began as a nostalgic reunion and ended in an impossible assignment: rescue a sinking season with pieces that weren’t his.
Interim roles are seldom fair, and this one was especially unforgiving.
Still, Petrino’s honesty this week underscored the reality of midseason transitions in college football: they demand immediate results in situations where immediate results are almost impossible.
As the Hogs look toward 2026 and beyond, one thing is clear: Arkansas football needs a reset, and the next coaching hire may be the most important the program has made in more than a decade.