Sam Pittman: 'Expectations are a great thing'

Arkansas has had a disappointing season compared to the standard they set last year, as head coach Sam Pittman turned things around quickly for the Razorbacks in his second season leading them to a 9-4 record following a 3-7 debut season. Arkansas is 5-5 with two games remaining on their schedule, as Pittman spoke about the new expectations that he has set for the program.

“It’s a great thing, I mean I’m the head coach at Arkansas, if we were 10-0 people wouldn’t like me, or like what I’m doing, or decisions I make and that comes with the job. That’s just what it is. Is it right, is it not, I don’t have time to talk about that but you’re going to get criticized,” Pittman said.

Pittman also elaborated on some of the team’s struggles from last year compared to this season.

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“And we’re 5-5 and we lost to A&M by two, last year if you go back we beat Mississippi State at the end of the game, we beat LSU in overtime or we’re 7-5 last year or whatever it is, two in two, 7-6 I guess,” Pittman said. “We haven’t been able to win the close games, two of them weren’t close, well Alabama was a five-point game going into the fourth quarter.”

The Razorbacks have won and lost in bunches this season, winning their first three games, followed by three straight losses, then two wins, and then most recently back to back losses, as they’ve struggled to finish games in the fourth quarter.

“We’ve got to figure out how to win close games and you’re going to have to do that every year, if you don’t your record’s going to be from nine, 10 wins to six and five, that’s just how it is. And I think if you look over most of all the teams in the SEC it’s that way as well,” Pittman said.

Despite their struggles this season, Pittman invites the expectations and criticism that may be newer to a program that isn’t used to having those high standards that others with pedigree are accustomed to having.

“With being 5-5 and all the expectations, I’d rather have the expectations be high and take the criticism than they go oh well you played LSU to 13-10 and they are west division champs,” Pittman said. “We don’t want any of that, we want to win and it doesn’t matter who we play.”

Pittman even admitted to last years amazing turnaround being greater than what was forecasted, as the Razorbacks look to finish the season strong and get back to their winning ways from a year ago.

“So did we go faster than even what I though we would last year, probably, but I was happy with it and we’re disappointed where we are, but we can wallow in it or we can bowl eligible. And I think you saw Saturday that our team wants to go to post season play and I think you’ll see it again Saturday,” Pittman said.