Yurachek shows faith in Morris, calls for patience
An appearance at the Little Rock Touchdown Club after a week-four game against a Mountain West opponent probably sounded like a good idea back when the schedule was made but Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek ended up having a lot of tough questions to answer after a very surprising 31-24 loss on Saturday.
Yurachek got right into it and acknowledged the disappointing performance, echoing the statements Chad Morris made both on Saturday night and Monday afternoon to the media.
“A team like San Jose State, this was their super bowl," Yurachek said. "And they played like it was. They played better than we did on Saturday. We didn’t deserve to win the game. I’ve got 120 kids out there on the field. Even with Jake (his son) out there, the disappointment is the same.”
Yurachek was direct on giving answers to hard questions like where the football program is currently and what his expectations are going forward.
“We are not good enough that we can go out and play every Saturday and expect to win, we’re just not good enough,” Yurachek said. “My expectation right now, is that we continue to get better as a football program. Saturday, quite honestly, we took a step backwards. We did not get better.”
Arkansas paid San Jose State $1.5 million to come to Fayetteville and beat the Hogs, the largest sum any team has paid an opponent to beat them so far in 2019. Though that fact is embarrassing in a headline, Yurachek explained that it’s "not about the money."
"The money gives our fans an opportunity to have another home game, so we don’t have to go out and play them," Yurachek said.
Despite the disappointing loss to a Mountain West Conference team, Yurachek expressed his belief in Chad Morris and his vision for the future of the football program.
“I do (believe in Chad Morris) and I told him that yesterday,” Yurachek said. “He was really, really down. He took full responsibility (for the loss). I said coach, you’re our football coach, you’re my football coach. I see that this program, in spite of the loss on Saturday, I know is headed in the right direction.”
Yurachek wasn't asked on the LRTD Club stage about coaching staff changes but after the event he told media that changes haven't been considered yet. On the other hand, defensive coordinator John Chavis made it sound like if things don't improve, it's only a matter of time, saying, "it's not a good time to be a defensive coach because we've got to have that sense of urgency. We've got to get it done. Where we are, we can't allow it to continue to go there."
Even though “Club Dub” took a lot of criticism following the win over Colorado State, Yurachek stood behind the post game celebration.
“You’re trying to energize 18-22 year old kids," Yurachek said. "It’s hard to win a football game no matter who you’re playing. And you need to celebrate that. These young men train all year long. They get 12 opportunities to showcase their craft and man, if you win one of those, you better celebrate it.”
The Razorbacks travels to Arlington this weekend to take on Texas A&M. Yurachek stated that ‘we got to put the San Jose State game behind us and prepare for a great Texas A&M game Saturday.’ The Aggies are 2-2 on the season with the same record as the Hogs, although the Aggies' losses are to the defending national champion and the no.7-ranked team in the nation.
Looking forward, Yurachek is implementing some changes in the athletics program that haven’t happened in 75 years; Arkansas will host UAPB on the gridiron in 2021.
“I’m not saying that we’d never look at (playing) Arkansas State down the road, but right now we’re just taking the first step,” said Yurachek when asked about playing instate opponents. “We’ll play Pine Bluff in football here in a couple of years.”
The Razorbacks are also getting ready to unveil the new basketball court design that is very highly anticipated. Yurachek mentioned that the 'slobbering hog' was the number one design suggestion he was sent for the Noland Richardson court on social media.
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