Sam Pittman breaks down decision to sit KJ Jefferson, how it helped beat Ole Miss

Arkansas made the decision to sit quarterback KJ Jefferson in their game versus LSU as he was recovering from a shoulder injury, which paid off significantly for them as he returned to action this past weekend. Jefferson helped lead the Razorbacks to a 42-27 victory over No. 14 Ole Miss in his return to action, and head coach Sam Pittman spoke on what went into their decision to rest him the week prior.

“Well one is always about safety first, when we played him against Liberty he had played the second half against Auburn with basically the same deal,” Pittman explained. “So we thought it would be fine and he was physically, he was, he just didn’t practice and we found out, we thought he was abnormal, we thought he was Superman and he’s just a normal guy that needs reps during the week.”

It’s clear that Jefferson had been battling his shoulder injury for multiple weeks, and while rest at practice can be beneficial in the rehabbing of injuries, it can also interfere with a player’s physical and mental preparedness for games.

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“His mind was messing him up, he had no shot, nothing, he just practiced all week and had nothing for the game, he didn’t want it and I didn’t want him to get it either if he felt that way,” Jefferson said.

Jefferson avoided any medication and healed up the old fashion way with a week of rest while the team faced LSU, which paid off in his return. Jefferson looked more than healthy this past weekend against Ole Miss throwing for his highest competition percentage in a game this season at 77%, throwing for 168 yards and three touchdown passes. Per usual, he also added 47 yards on the ground to his day as he helped secure Arkansas’ sixth win of the season granting them bowl eligibility.

“Played well, he’s excited he’s back, our team’s excited, he makes the whole team better but to go out there and do that it makes it look like you made a decent decision. Lord knows if I don’t I will hear about it, that’s good though, I shouldn’t have said that,” Pittman smiled and said.

The addition of Jefferson back into the lineup is crucial for the Razorbacks heading into their next game, as they take on Missouri this Friday on the road, a place that they are yet to win since the Tiger’s arrival to the SEC.