Sam Pittman wants Arkansas 'to wake the hell up' against Mississippi State

Arkansas and Mississippi State are off in a pivotal game for both teams, but the game has gotten off to a slow start, one that caused Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman to be quite blunt in an interview on the field.

Following the first quarter, Pittman linked up with ESPN sideline reporter Quint Kessenich and provided a to-the-point summation.

“Well we haven’t given up any sacks. We’re on the edge,” Pittman said. “We’ve got to throw it and catch it better now too, but we’re dead right now. We’ve got to wake the hell up.”

Shortly after the Arkansas head man gave his interview following the first quarter, the Razorbacks gave up a touchdown to the Bulldogs.

Pittman had already indicated some frustration with his defense.

“All they can do is run the football and we can’t hold them back here either,” Sam Pittman said. “We’ve got to do some adjustments and get going here.”

Mississippi State is playing with a backup quarterback, with starter Will Rogers ruled out just before the game began. Instead the Bulldogs are starting former Vanderbilt quarterback Mike Wright, who is proving to be a challenging rushing threat.

Wright had run twice for 42 yards by the time Mississippi State scored its first touchdown of the game, while the Bulldogs had run for 68 yards.

Mississippi State scored on a 2-yard pass from Wright to running back Jo’quavious Marks, who was shaken up after scoring. Marks received some medical attention on the sidelines, and his status going forward will be worth monitoring.

Still, the early touchdown by Mississippi State opened up a 7-3 lead in the game with 13:03 left in the second quarter.

Arkansas opened the game’s scoring after taking advantage of a short field following a turnover. Wright was intercepted by defensive back Alfahiym Walcott on the game’s first series, but the Razorbacks couldn’t punch it into the end zone.

A 24-yard field goal from Cameron Little put Arkansas up 3-0.

But, of course, Sam Pittman will be looking for more out of his team after a very sluggish start at home in a key conference game.