Sam Pittman updates health of KJ Jefferson after bye week rest

The Arkansas Razorbacks are fresh off of a bye and preparing to take on the Auburn Tigers on the road this Saturday. The bye week has given the Razorbacks some much-needed rest in preparation for the last half of the college football season. With their intentions fully focused on the upcoming opponent, head coach Sam Pittman provided an update on the health of quarterback KJ Jefferson and how he has performed during practice after the bye week.

“Yeah, he’s been great. Got a lot of zip on the ball, very accurate,” said Pittman. “He’s had a really, really strong week. That’s kind of what we felt that he would do. But he’s been really good, really consistent. He’s been a good leader; had a nice two days this far.”

Arkansas started the year off strong with three straight wins over Cincinnati, South Carolina, and Missouri State. Unfortunately, the three games that followed resulted in three consecutive losses to then-ranked SEC opponents: Texas A&M, Alabama, and Mississippi State. The loss to the Bulldogs came with Jefferson sidelined. Without their star quarterback, the Razorbacks’ offense only mustered up 17 points, their lowest point production this season. Once he returned, Arkansas was able to upend BYU on the road for their fourth victory of the season and, more importantly, ending their three-game losing streak.

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Jefferson has looked every bit as impressive this season, leading the Razorbacks’ offense. The dual-threat junior quarterback has lit up opposing defenses through the air and on the ground. Jefferson has passed for 1,463 yards completing 109 of his 161 pass attempts and boasting an impressive 14 to one touchdown to interception ratio. On the ground, he has 91 rushes for 344 yards and four touchdowns.

Pittman explains the value of getting a mental break during bye week

Bye weeks are commonly seen as a great physical break for players, but Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman recently spoke about the mental break they provide for players and coaches alike. The Razorbacks just finished their own bye week, and could definitely use it mentally after their rollercoaster first half of the season. Arkansas started the season 3-0, then lost their next three games in a row putting them at 3-3, and secured a win over BYU right before their bye week to put them a game above .500.

“I think rest a lot of times puts things in perspective, you’re not running running running, you’re looking at okay here’s where we are, this is what we’ve done, this is where we can get to,” Pittman said.

Mental rest is important to take advantage of for athletes whenever they can get it, but Pittman wanted to make sure his players didn’t get too much, as their next opponent in Auburn is also coming off of a bye week of their own.