Sam Pittman analyzes Arkansas high sack number in spring game

The Arkansas defense got to the quarterback many times during its spring game in April to rack up a high sack number. But Razorbacks head coach Sam Pittman said it wasn’t that much different than what has been done the entire spring.

“It was nothing more than what we’ve seen all spring,” Pittman said after the Arkansas spring game about two weeks ago. “I guess, you know how it is, you can make a mountain out of a molehill one way or the other if you’re giving up sacks and then you don’t have any tackles. They could blocking and all that.I think we’re pretty good on defense I think we’re pretty good at the offensive tackles too. We’ve put them in pretty hard situations with situational football that we had to.”

The Razorbacks two leading pass rushers — Drew Sanders and Jordan Domineck — have moved on from Arkansas prior to the spring. Sanders in now in the NFL after getting drafted with the fourth pick of the third round by the Denver Broncos. Domineck transferred to Colorado, where he was one of the many new faces in the Buffaloes program after Deion Sanders‘ arrival in Boulder, Colo.

Sanders had 13.5 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks to go along with his team-leading 103 tackles. Domineck had 9.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

But two players who Pittman is excited to see on the in game action this fall along the defensive front is Nico Davillier and Taurean Carter.

“Nico got a lot better. I think we got a lot better as as a team and per man but Nico felt really showed out as well,” Pittman said. “TC, it’s just great to have him back and I believe TC will be a lot better in the fall than he was even in spring.”

Davillier is a rising sophomore who played in 12 games last season but didn’t compile any stats. Carter is a fifth-year senior who missed last season with an ACL tear.

Pittman talked about what Carter’s earlier in the spring and how much time and effort the Arkansas defensive lineman put in to get back on the practice field.

“I love him. I’m so proud. We mentioned that in our team meeting. He’s been a long way back. He’s done a really good job, and survived the first day of pads. I think he’s going to be a really good player for us, and I do think that you’re going to play a little slow coming back from that ACL at the beginning,” Pittman said in March. “But I think he’s going to be just fine. I’m really happy for him.”