College football teams typically use the week of an open date to focus on the within before turning to the next opponent.
The No. 15 Tennessee Volunteers had those plans altered at the beginning of this week when Arkansas fired head coach Sam Pittman and promoted offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino to interim head coach. Petrino then elevated running backs coach Kolby Smith to offensive coordinator — Petrino will still be calling plays — and fired defensive coordinator Travis Williams.
Defensive line coach Chris Wilson is now also the interim defensive coordinator for the Razorbacks as they prepare for their Oct. 11 visit to Tennessee (4-1, 1-1 Southeastern Conference).
“I think you’ve got to look at some of what they’ve done while also going back and looking at some of the things that Chris has done historically,” Vols coach Josh Heupel said Wednesday in a news conference. “It’s a balancing act with all of that. A year ago, they had success playing a version of their three-down (linemen) look that night, so we’ll prepare for that.
“We’ll also have to adjust to anything else that we will see.”
Arkansas upset Tennessee 19-14 last season in Fayetteville, holding the Vols scoreless in the first half and limiting them to 332 total yards. The Vols averaged 447.0 yards overall in their 10-3 season that concluded with a first-round loss at Ohio State in the College Football Playoff.
Of course, this unusual circumstance in Knoxville can’t compare to what’s transpiring in this first open date for Arkansas. The Razorbacks are off to a 2-3 start this season, which includes a 32-31 upset loss at Memphis and last weekend’s 56-13 humiliation at home against Notre Dame. The Hogs are also 0-1 in SEC play after losing 41-35 at Ole Miss.
“We had a team meeting Monday, and I thought it went very well,” Petrino said Wednesday on the SEC teleconference. “There was a lot on the table, and there were obviously some hurt feelings with Coach Pittman not being here anymore and with a couple of defensive coaches not being here anymore. The players understand that they need to move on and to have a great finish in these next nine weeks so that they can be more marketable, whether that’s going into the NFL or staying here or transferring.
“They need to have a very productive nine weeks, as do I and the assistant coaches. We’ve just tried to focus on that.”
Petrino said he and his assistants have held a lot of one-on-one meetings with players this week and there has been full attendance in the weight room, on the practice field and in meeting rooms. He has not been surprised by that, because he told the players there is no benefit or value in getting into the transfer portal midway through a season.
During the SEC teleconference, Petrino was asked how he has balanced challenging his players to improve while also providing comfort.
“I don’t really know what that balancing act is,” he said. “I tried to let them understand that everybody in the room is feeling some of the things that have hurt and don’t feel right. I came here to coach quarterbacks and coordinate the offense. I came here because Coach Pittman was a man who reached out to me, and I developed a really close friendship with him and respect him tremendously.
“Now he’s no longer here, so I have the same feelings that a lot of people in that room had. We have to understand it, and then you try to go out and do something positive and get back to something that was important to you before.”
Sanders assessment
Heupel was asked Wednesday about the performance of five-star freshman offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., who played the final 11 snaps of Tennessee’s 13-play, 75-yard drive in the fourth quarter at Mississippi State that culminated with Joey Aguilar’s 6-yard touchdown run that produced a 34-34 tie.
The Vols wound up winning Saturday’s game in Starkville 41-34 in overtime.
Sanders briefly replaced redshirt freshman Jesse Perry, and those were his first 11 snaps of the season due to a lingering shoulder injury.
“I thought he went in and handled himself extremely well for his first action of the season,” Heupel said. “There were seven minutes and change to go in the ballgame on a drive where you’ve got to go score and tie it up. It was something I wound up pointing out to everyone in our team room.
“He was prepared for that moment, and he went in and executed and handled himself the way he needed to.”
Though Sanders has returned, Heupel said he would let practice determine the starting five up front for the Arkansas game.
To be determined
The Vols will practice again Thursday before having the weekend off, but Tennessee coaches will be on the road recruiting.
Heupel said he would be out and about Thursday and Friday but did not disclose his travel plans.
Hoops commitment
Tennessee has received its first men’s basketball commitment for the 2026 signing class, getting a nonbinding pledge from small forward Ralph Scott out of IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida.
The 6-foot-8, 190-pounder is the nation’s No. 38 overall prospect in the 247Sports.com composite rankings, and he picked the Vols after taking official visits to Houston, Texas A&M, Tennessee, LSU and Purdue. Scott is also Tennessee’s first commitment since coach Rick Barnes received a lifetime contract in late August.
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com.