Arkansas had a historic win against No. 4 Tennessee. It was the first time in 25 years the Razorbacks knocked off a top-5 team at home. Afterward, Sam Pittman met with the media to talk about the game.
Pittman covered everything from the atmosphere to the final few seconds of the ball game to what a win like that means to the program. Here's everything the head Hogs had to say after the game:
Everything Sam Pittman said after beating Tennessee
Opening statement
In his opening statement, Sam Pittman came off as a man who had a weight lifted off his shoulders. He also had a point to prove, being that Arkansas has a good football team.
"These guys are happy, not surprised. If we have the same amount of turnover, we can play with anybody, and the two games that we've lost to this point, we had more turnovers than what we got. But our coaches did a great job of making them believe that we had a really good football team. We can compete if we take care of the football and we try to tackle well and play smart."
Pittman went on to talk about how great of a moment this was as a coach. "You get into coaching for moments like what just happened... there's a lot of teams that can't get to that feeling, and we did tonight." But he wasn't only feeling proud of his team's performance. The fifth-year head coach also felt a little feisty.
Pittman has struggled in the past with one-score games, heading into last night's game 5-15 with a loss of eight points or less. After knocking off the No. 4 team in the country, Pittman said, "And if y’all care, it was a one-score game. [You] might want to write about that, too."
Arkansas's atmosphere
The Razorback faithful packed Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium for the game against Tennessee, creating the sixth largest crowd in Arkansas history. The stadium was striped out like it was against Texas in 2021, and the atmosphere was electric. Pittman accredits the win to the fans.
"The fans won the game for us. There was [sic] four offsides they started. I think it was the sixth largest crowd in the history of University Arkansas and our fans got us four false starts and it helped us tremendously. And our atmosphere and our coming in today was like any of the elite University football programs. Nobody had nothing on us today."
Taylen Green's injury
Late in the game, Arkansas was driving down 14-10. Quarterback Taylen Green was on fire, making brilliant throws, but on a 30-yard strike to Andrew Armstrong, Green was injured on a dirty hit. However, the initial signs are that it's nothing serious.
"I think Taylen, you know, we'll see obviously. It wasn't as bad as for us… if he wanted to get back in the game, he could. Then he got tackled again and then we just said, okay, that's enough. Let's put Malachi in."
Fans storming the field
Tennessee is the second field storming that Pittman has been a part of. The first was against Texas in 2021, but apparently, the last time wasn't nearly as intense. Pittman went to do a post-game interview with Holly Rowe but could not escape the pressure of the fans rushing the field.
"Yeah, I got caught up in it because I can't move my damn hips, you know… I don’t remember, you know, when we beat Texas… I don’t remember getting jammed up like I did out there."
Last moments of the game
Arkansas scored with a minute and 17 seconds on the clock, and Kirk Herbstreit pondered if that left the Vols too much time. Pittman was thinking something similar. "I was thinking, you know, get him on the ground, honestly… But [before] the clock ran out, I was just thinking all those stuff and all those things."
However, when the clock hit double zeros and the gravity of the win finally set in, Pittman thought of only fans. "when it was over, I was thinking about how proud that the State of Arkansas is on the football team… That’s one of the top reasons that I came here."
Offensive line
Arkansas has struggled upfront the past few games. Taylen Green got a lot of flack for his decision-making, but to be fair, it's hard to think when you're running for your life. With Tennessee's elite front seven coming to Fayetteville, many thought it'd be more of the same Saturday night.
However, the offensive line played great and Sam Pittman was ecstatic. "I was so proud of our offensive line… That is our best game protecting a quarterback, and we've got to get better, but that's our best game against a really good defensive line."
The backups
After Green left the game with a knee injury, it was up to Malachi Singleton. The red shirt freshman was thrown into the fire against a top-5 team but somehow came out on top. Pittman was asked about any encouragement the coaching staff might have given Singleton, and he said, "I don't think it was one of those ‘we believe in you’ things. It's just ‘all right, bro. It's your time. Let's go get it,'" which says a lot about the confidence they have in their backups.
Singleton wasn't the only underclassman to come in clutch in the final moments of the game. True freshman Braylen Russell had two massive runs in Arkansas's final drive, and he finished with a team-leading 62 yards rushing and 7.8 yards per carry. Pittman's comments were short but to the point. "Wasn’t that something? I thought it was great."
The last backup to receive praise was kicker Matthew Shipley. He came in after starter Kyle Ramsey hurt himself on a field goal attempt. "He was perfect. He made every extra point and every field goal… After the game, I called him out with the team. I usually don’t do much of that, but the kid came in there and kicked a field goal and made it 14-13. That was big."
Pittman on what this win means
When asked about what the win against Tennessee means going forward, he balked at the idea that it will affect the team much. "[The win] will do a bunch, but that locker room there believes we’re pretty good." However, he thinks it will help heal the fanbase after so much adversity. Pittman said, "I think it’s going to do more for the state to… unite the state a little bit."