Sam Pittman not surprised by KJ Jefferson's big game, provides health update

Arkansas dismantled Ole Miss on Saturday at home in Fayetteville. Sam Pittman’s squad posted 200 fewer total yards of offense but with starting quarterback KJ Jefferson back on the field, the Hogs capitalized on three Rebels turnovers and took the win 42-27.

According to Pittman, he wasn’t surprised in the least to see Jefferson thrive in his first game back since the loss to Liberty on Nov. 5. The redshirt junior completed 17-of-22 passes for 168 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 47 rushing yards.

“What did you think?” Pittman responded when asked how he thought Jefferson looked coming off of the shoulder injury. “He looked pretty good, didn’t he? I was not surprised. He had no medication or anything like that this week.

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“When we made the decision last week because you know, he hadn’t practiced and I think we would have put him in that cycle of non-practice, give it up for the team, and he would have done it. But we felt like, if we get him back, and because our defense has been playing better, healthier as well too, we felt like we could come in and do what we did tonight.”

The Hogs had kept Jefferson out of their Week 11 game versus LSU. It was a decision that factored into their 13-10 loss, but ultimately, it was the right choice for the quarterback’s health.

Heading into the final week of the season, Jefferson has a 67.6% completion rate, a slight improvement on his 2021 figure, with 20 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He also has 472 rushing yards and six more scores on the ground.

Pittman pleased after earning bowl eligiblity in win over Ole Miss

After an impressive and dominating victory at home over the Ole Miss Rebels in their senior night game, the Arkansas Razorbacks and Sam Pittman are now bowl-eligible. After the game, Pittman expressed how big of a deal this win was to him and the players in his program.

“A big deal, you know. We’ve been here for three years. That’s a top-15 team in the country we’re able to beat,” said Pittman. “That’s our sixth win over a top-25 team since we’ve been here. The kids are bowl eligible three years in a row—our program is on the up and up.

“We play in a hell of a division. And that’s what it is. You gotta be ready each and every week. But we’ve got a good football team, and I think you saw that tonight. We got a big game against Missouri, but we’ll celebrate tonight.”