Bad news came this week in a season that has been mostly good to Arkansas.

Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman tested positive for COVID-19 twice and will miss Saturday’s game at Florida. He has no symptoms and will be allowed to coach virtually throughout the week in zoom meetings.

More news will likely come regarding the status of players and other coaches, but for now the game Saturday against No. 6 Florida is still on.

The news stings as Pittman had led the Hogs to a 3-3 record and put himself in the running for SEC Coach of the Year, but there is always a bright side. Defensive coordinator Barry Odom will step in as interim head coach until Pittman recovers. This seems like a perfect opportunity for Odom to cement himself as the lead candidate for the Broyles Award, given annually to the top assistant in college football.

Odom has already been mentioned as a potential winner of the award because of the job he has done improving the defense. His decision to join Pittman’s staff after being let go as Missouri’s head coach has paid off.

The Razorbacks went from being 110th in total defense in 2019 to 58th this season. They are 7th in the country in turnovers forced per game (2.5) among teams that have played at least 3 games. More often than not this year, Arkansas can point to its defense as a key reason it won.

There have been some incredible performances, too.

The Hogs stymied Mike Leach’s Air Raid attack by dropping 8 into coverage in Week 2 to snap a 20-game conference losing streak. They forced 6 interceptions in the victory against Ole Miss. Just last week, they held Tennessee scoreless in the second half and to just 16 yards in the 3rd quarter to come back from down 13-0.

Odom amassed a 25-25 record in 4 seasons as Missouri’s head coach. His experience was expected to help ease Pittman into his first head coaching job, and Odom’s preparation has been praised by players and Pittman this season. So he is familiar with leading a sideline.

Against the Gators, Odom and the Arkansas defense face their toughest task this season. Florida has the 5th-best passing attack in the country, with Heisman candidate Kyle Trask leading the way. Top target Kyle Pitts is questionable to play against the Razorbacks, but they’ll still have to worry about Kadarius Toney (339 yards, 6 TDs) and solving Dan Mullen’s various schemes.

The Gators opened as a 17-point favorite. That number could rise depending on whether any Arkansas players are ruled out. Either way, few expect the Razorbacks to pull off the upset.

Still, we shouldn’t rule them out completely. After all, Arkansas quarterback Feleipe Franks spent 4 years at Florida and might be extra amped at the opportunity to play in Gainesville and return to his home state. He has been playing well coming off an ankle injury last year. If the defense can slow down Trask and the air attack, Franks’ familiarity with the Gators’ defense might also come in handy.

Pittman being out adds some adversity heading into the matchup this weekend, but that is nothing new for this Razorback squad. Odds are low, but if Odom somehow coaches the team to a win, the race for the Broyles award is over.