Late fumble a disaster for Sam Pittman, Arkansas against Memphis
By David Wasson
Published:
Sometimes playing it safe leads to disaster. Just ask the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Sam Pittman’s Razorbacks were about to lock up their third win of 2025 on Saturday at Memphis, but trying to burn off time before attempting a game-winning field goal turned into a nightmare.
Trailing 32-31 with 1:18 to play, Arkansas went with the high-percentage play near the goal line – handing it off to running back Mike Washington on 2nd-and-goal at the Memphis 9. Washington initially got enough for the first down, which would have meant Memphis would burn its final timeouts trying to stop the clock before the Hogs lined up for a chip-shot field goal.
But Washington was stripped of the football before he was brought down, as Memphis defensive back Chris Bracy jarred it loose and pounced on it for a most untimely turnover. The Tigers were then able to earn a first down and run out the rest of the clock.
Arkansas turned the ball over 3 times to Memphis during the game, but without doubt the final one was a back-breaker for the Hogs – who drop to 2-2 with the loss. And now the question is this: Can Pittman survive this end-game gaffe in Fayetteville?
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
