Sam Pittman, Arkansas not keen on using analytics

Week 5 was one to forget for Sam Pittman and the Arkansas Razorbacks, as they traveled to Athens and lost 37-0 to the No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs. In the process, Pittman’s previously-unbeaten team fell from No. 8 to No. 13 with the loss.

Pittman and Arkansas has yet another test this weekend, with the Razorbacks set to travel to Oxford to face No. 17 Ole Miss. The Rebels offense may have struggled against No. 1 Alabama, but the Matt Corral-led attack has generally been a problem for opposing defenses to-date. Among the many curveballs Lane Kiffin might throw, one of the more difficult ones comes on fourth down: Kiffin and Ole Miss are reluctant to punt, as the Rebels have gone for it, rather than punt, on 19 fourth-down attempts this season. And they’ve converted 14, good for a rock-solid 73.7 percent conversion rate.

Arkansas, by comparison, has only gone for it four times on fourth down. That could be in large part due to Pittman’s reluctance to rely too heavily on analytics.

“We have an analytics guru. I do [things based on] film more than I do analytics,” Pittman said in Wednesday’s SEC Coaches’ Teleconference. “I think coach Kiffin has gone for it a little more over five times a game on fourth down, and they’ve only punted nine times. I don’t want to speak for him, but I’m assuming he looks at [analytics] maybe a little bit more than I do.”

The Arkansas Razorbacks have converted two of their four fourth-down conversion attempts this season, as Pittman has opted to roll with a more conservative approach to his play calling. He says he prefers to make in-game decisions on a situational basis, diverting his attention away from analytics.

“A lot of my decisions go on feel of the game and things of that nature — what’s the score, how’s our defense playing and all those types of things,” Pittman continued. “I’m sure that’s what goes into [Kiffin’s] mind, too, but he’s probably a little bit smarter with analytics than I am.”

Arkansas has had a tough time converting on third down, too, and Pittman has instead opted to rely on his punting unit. While the Razorbacks have converted on just 21 of their 62 third-down attempts this season — converting on just 34 percent of their tries — Ole Miss is in a similar boat, converting 21 of 55 attempts and holding a 38% conversion rate. The difference merely lies in what the coach prefers to do on fourth down: Pittman prefers to punt, while Kiffin prefers the bolder approach of leaving his offense on the field.