Arkansas dialing back offense for Florida game
Following Arkansas football head coach Sam Pittman's decision to relieve Dan Enos of his playcalling duties after a 7-3 loss to Mississippi State, it was expected that some changes were going to be made to the Hogs' offensive scheme with wide receiver's coach Kenny Guiton stepping up as interim offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
Pittman said the day after firing Enos that there was just too much volume with the offense, so the Hogs trimmed things down significantly over the bye week.
"We probably cut it down, I don’t know, I'm guessing 30% of it we cut out," Pittman said. "We’re trying to do the things we do well and more specific to what we can do vs. how to attack a defense. Now, hopefully they’ll combine with checks and RPOs and the way to throw off that and run off that.
"But probably about 30%, and probably another 5 last night to be honest with you, because some of the things we had in, I want to be able to do it that everybody’s on the same page, blocking the right guys and playing as fast as we possibly can with the ability to have that tempo and all those type things."
Ranked as the 120th team in the country in total offense (305.9 yards per game), 112th in rushing offense (109.0), 103rd in passing offense (196.9) and 71st in scoring offense (26.5), dialing back the amount of plays in the offense should help Arkansas' offensive playmakers focus on what works and could result in an attitude change in the program.
"What I wanted to do was make sure we brought life back into the program, brought enthusiasm back into the program," Pittman said. "Accountability. And I’m not saying we didn’t have any of that before because it makes me sound like I’m blaming A guy, and I’m not. But something has to change, so I feel like we’ve done that."
A former Ohio State quarterback that threw for 893 career yards and rushed for 383 career yards on the ground, Guiton has spent time at programs like Houston, Lousiana Tech and Colorado State and should have solid offensive experience to draw from.
Pittman said that everybody is excited for Guiton and that the team is trying to eliminate distractions this week, so they are closing off practice to the media.
"I'm just trying to close it in and make it about us this week to be honest with you," Pittman said. "It's something with Kenny and his new role and things of that nature, I'm trying to take any added pressure that he might have off of him."
With his previous experience as wide receiver's coach, there's an expectation that Guiton can maximize the play of the unit to better suit each player's strengths.
"He knows them better than anybody," Pittman said. "So, I think targets for whom he thinks are his best players is going to be big for us. And he knows them better than anybody, so he should know what routes they can run the best and where they can get open and we can get it to them faster.
"What you might or might not look at is, how fast the quarterback gets rid of the football, and sacks can have a lot to do with protection, have a lot to do with running backs, can have a bunch to do with wide receivers, and a bunch to do with the quarterback."
If the Razorbacks are going to have any success in Guiton's offense, it starts with the mentality and leadership of starting quarterback KJ Jefferson. The senior signal caller has completed 219 passes for 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns this season, but has also thrown a career-high seven interceptions.
"I think he’s excited about the change," Pittman said. "Again, no disrespect to anybody on that. But I think he’s excited about that. I think he’s a guy that we probably needed to take some offense off of, where he could play faster and be more confident with what he’s doing.
"But he’s healthy and becoming…even the last week, I think his leadership skills were better. I think any time a guy opens his mouth and talks, I think he’s got to back it up. To me, that’s what a leader does. If you’re not wanting to lead, you probably don’t talk, because you’re not wanting to back up what you say. He was more vocal last week than what he had been."
Everyone knows that most of the offensive issues plaguing the team this season stem from the lack of protection. That includes the play of the running backs blocking in the backfield, something Pittman said he knows has to get better.
"Obviously our worst game was against Mississippi State," Pittman said. "But we have to get better there. We also have to put them in less possibilities to protect as well. I mean, obviously on third down, you’ve got choices. What kind of protection do you want to use?
"Florida certainly has a defensive end that is really good. They have a couple of them. But number 1 is exceptional, has a nice spin move and things. We really have to … We can’t let him just wreck our game."
Arkansas (2-6, 0-5 SEC) will travel to Gainesville, Florida, to face the Florida Gators (5-3, 3-2 SEC) this Saturday. The game is set to kick off at 11:00 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on ESPN2.