Arkansas (1-1, 0-0 SEC) was the victim of self-inflicted wounds in its 39-31 double-overtime loss at No. 16 Oklahoma State on Saturday, and it appears some Razorback football players are taking accountability for the early-season blemish.
According to Cory Stewart, there have been 338 games since 2020 where a team has put up 550+ yards and outgained its opponent by over 200 yards. Those teams are 337-1 in those matchups — the only loss being Arkansas — with the average score coming out at 53-15.
The Razorbacks totaled 648 yards offensively against Oklahoma State, 263 more than what the Cowboys managed. But yet, Arkansas still lost in heartbreaking fashion.
"I feel like we need to play better as a team," wide receiver Andrew Armstrong said Tuesday. "We beat ourselves. I feel like if we just make those small mistakes… it’s the smaller details, because you can look at the stats, everybody can look at the stats that didn’t even watch the game and be like ‘How did they lose?’
"It’s those three turnovers that they’re not looking at. It’s the small things like that that just can turn a whole game around. I feel like if we get those out of the way and we play more sound, play more disciplined, we can come out on top."
Turnovers were certainly the key component in Arkansas' loss at Oklahoma State, but the Razorbacks still had opportunities to win in crunch time at the end of regulation and in overtime.
Despite not having any timeouts available and only 55 seconds left to tie the game to force overtime, Arkansas had already proven its ability to get big chunks of yardage against the Cowboys throughout the day.
Why is it, then, that Arkansas seemingly looked unready to handle the pressure moments against a ranked foe? Wasted time, curious playcalling decisions and a lack of a killer instinct down 31-28 reminded fans of so many games in the dreadful 2023 season, but Armstrong said the blame is as much on the players as it is the coaching staff.
"Like I said, fatigue can kick in at that time," Armstrong said. "People are not thinking as much. I know a lot of people want to say it’s on the coaches and things like that, but I feel like it’s on us as players as well to make sure we’re in the right spots.
"We practice it, we go through what we’ve got to go through. I feel like us as players need to take more accountability as well when we go out there on the field and have things like that happen."
Whether the inexplicable mistakes and lack of execution are due to player fatigue or a lack of hammering down the basics by Arkansas' coaches, Armstrong and running back Ja'Quinden Jackson didn't let any of the blame leave their plate Tuesday.
"The turnovers are what shot us in the foot," Jackson said. "That’s what really beat us, is we beat ourselves at the end of the day. Because we had the game, we just didn’t execute when we needed to the most. We’re going to fix it and continue to build on that."
Defensively, Arkansas dominated in the first half and did its best to close the game despite poor field positions. Still, a lack of any kind of meaningful pass-rush put a strain on an Arkansas secondary battling Oklahoma State's adjustments.
Defensive end Nico Davillier said he's ready to flush the performance and start rushing the quarterback with more energy.
"Win, lose or draw, when it comes to the next week, we just flush everything," Davillier said Tuesday. "Just trying to get ready for the next game, because last week’s game doesn’t win or lose you the coming up week game. I think just focusing on our next opponent and going over the film from last week and just trying to fix the little things we messed up and clean everything up. I think everything is going to be good for us."
Up next, Arkansas will play its home-opener in Fayetteville against UAB (1-1, 0-0 AAC). That game will kick off at 3:15 p.m. CT at Razorbacks Stadium and it will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
