John L. Smith just can’t catch a break.
Speaking to the Little Rock Touchdown Club, the embattled Arkansas coach made a serious gaffe while attempting to rally support for his program.
Smith said,
“Don’t give up on us. It’s our program, it’s a state of Alabama program. It’s not one individual’s program.”
Yes, you read that right. John L. Smith said Alabama when he was referring to the state and program. Of course, Smith doesn’t coach for the University of Alabama. As Arkansas fans are painfully aware, Alabama is the team that thrashed the Razorbacks in Little Rock 52-0 earlier in September. The game was so lopsided that quarterback Tyler Wilson claimed that the team had quit.
The embattled Arkansas coach has had a rough season, so far. Brought in to replace Bobby Petrino, Smith was given a ten month contract to see if he could continue the success that the program had found under Petrino.
After four games, it’s safe to say that this season is the end of the road for Smith at Arkansas. Barring a dramatic turnaround, Athletic Director Jeff Long will not be able to justify bringing Smith back next year.
The Razorbacks had hopes of a national championship going into the season and, after a season opening win against Jacksonville State, it seemed that this experiment with Smith might have some merit. Only a week later, though, the Razorbacks suffered a shocking defeat to the University of Louisiana Monroe. Now, with last Saturday’s 35-26 loss to Rutgers at home, Arkansas has dropped three straight and appears to be in free fall.
The program is in a tail spin, players are turning on each other, and the schedule is only going to get tougher. The season probably can’t end soon enough for Arkansas fans and it’s not even October.
Arkansas Coach John L. Smith/Photo Credit: arkansassports360.com
Steve Rosenberg
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