FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas fans don’t have to dig deep to remember the last time an offense looked this lost.
It was 2023. The Razorbacks fell 7-3 to Mississippi State and never sniffed the end zone. Sam Pittman fired offensive coordinator Dan Enos the next day before Halloween.
The Hogs eventually handed the offense to Bobby Petrino, one of the top offensive minds in college football.
Three years later, plenty of what fans saw in that 7-3 mess has come back around. Points are scarce again, and the heat’s landing on Tim Cramsey.
Ryan Silverfield was asked Monday if he’d ever shake up his staff in the middle of a season. He didn’t say no.
He did make it clear that Cramsey’s got the headset. “But in-game, for the most part, Tim is calling it,” Silverfield said.
Ten points won’t get it done
Missouri held Arkansas to 10 points Saturday.
A week earlier, the Razorbacks hung 31 on Vanderbilt in a 31-21 road win. That was their top showing against a Power Four foe all year.
It didn’t carry over.
Arkansas averages 19.6 points per game, good for 125th nationally.
Every other SEC team scores more. So does every other Power Four program. That’s a lonely spot.
A fourth-and-1 call against Mizzou didn’t help Cramsey’s case with the fan base. The snap to Cam Settles got fumbled, and Missouri cashed in with a touchdown.
Silverfield said he’d make that same call again.
The quarterback question
Cramsey isn’t the only one fans are grumbling about.
KJ Jackson showed some flashes in limited snaps last season under Petrino. As the starter this fall, the jump a lot of Hog fans expected hasn’t shown up.
Silverfield didn’t have one neat answer for the turnovers. He did point toward the position.
“Sometimes it’s a quarterback who’s still getting used to playing as a starter and making better decisions with the football,” he said.
On one Jackson run against Mizzou, he spun and the ball got knocked loose off his elbow. “He needs to squeeze that, too,” Silverfield said.
The coach was blunt about the bigger picture.
“The turnovers are just inexcusable,” he said. “And then the seven drops. Those are things that just cannot happen.”
A long history with Silverfield
Cramsey and Silverfield go back a ways. Cramsey took over the Memphis offense under him in 2022.
Silverfield said the weekly game plan is a group project.
“We’re all part of putting together the practice plan, and that ultimately creates the call sheet on Saturday,” he said.
On game day, there’s some back-and-forth. Short-yardage downs tend to get extra discussion.
He still put his trust in his OC.
“But I have great faith in what he’s going to do and what he is doing,” Silverfield said. “Ultimately, he’s got the ability to call the play and put us in the right situation.”
Other schools aren’t waiting
The staff question had some timing behind it.
Up in Norman, Oklahoma parted ways Monday with offensive coordinator Ben Arbuckle. The Sooners’ offense hadn’t been clicking.
He’s one of several coaches around the country, SEC schools among them, shown the door with games still left to play.
“It’s my job to always put our program in the best position to have success, no matter what that looks like,” Silverfield said. “Whether it’s an in-season staff shakeup, a postseason staff shakeup, a change in the nutrition plan, a change in travel plans — my job is to make sure that whatever we’re doing puts our guys in the best position to succeed between the white lines on Saturday.”
He said he looks at all of it.
“I’m evaluating every single thing every single day — wins and losses and all of it,” he said. “Whatever it takes for us to be successful, we’ll do.”
Coach-speak? Sure. But it’s the kind that leaves the door cracked.
Auburn’s up next
The Hogs head to Jordan-Hare Stadium on Saturday. SEC Network has the game.
Auburn’s defense likes to take the ball away. Silverfield pointed out in his press conference the Tigers rank third in the SEC in takeaways.
Arkansas hasn’t exactly been careful with the football. Not the matchup you’d draw up.
If the offense stalls again on The Plains, the Cramsey talk will only get louder. Folks will get tired of seeing it on social media by Sunday night.
A lot of Hog fans remember what came after that 7-3 game in 2023.
