Arkansas fires football coach Sam Pittman after blowout loss

The Arkansas Razorbacks fired head football coach Sam Pittman and named Bobby Petrino the interim head coach on Sunday following the team's lopsided loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.

The Razorbacks had no answer for the Fighting Irish's offense in the 56-13 defeat. Notre Dame put up 42 points on Arkansas in the first half. Quarterback C.J. Carr had four touchdown passes and Jeremiyah Love ran for two scores.

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The loss dropped Arkansas to 2-3 on the year, but it was apparently the last straw for the university.

"I want to thank Coach Pittman for his service and dedication to the University of Arkansas throughout his time as head coach," athletics director Hunter Yurachek said in a statement. "From Day 1, you could tell how much this opportunity meant to him. At this time, however, I feel a change is necessary to put our student-athletes and program in the best position to be successful. 

"The goal for our football program is to be highly competitive within the Southeastern Conference and compete for a national championship. As we move forward in the process of finding our next head coach, I am certain we will be able to provide the necessary resources to our staff and team to reach our goals. We will begin a national search for our next head coach immediately and that search will include Coach Petrino, who has expressed his desire to be a candidate for the full-time job."

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Pittman was 32-24 since he took the Arkansas job in 2020. The team made three bowl games and won each of them. The Razorbacks were 7-6 last season and won the Liberty Bowl.

Petrino coached at Arkansas from 2008 to 2011. He was fired before the 2012 season officially began after a motorcycle crash sparked a scandal in the program.

He was last the head coach at Louisville in 2018. He is 119-56 in 14 years as a head coach in college football.

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