By Jordan Long
The University of Arkansas Razorbacks decided to move on from Head Coach Chad Morris after their 7th straight loss on Saturday. The Razorbacks were drummed 45-19 by Western Kentucky University. It was the 3rd time this year they failed to score 20 or more points in a game. Arkansas will now move forward with tight ends coach/special-teams coordinator Barry Lunney Jr. as the interim Head Coach for the final 2 games of the season.
Arkansas hired Morris on December 6th, 2017. He spent 2015 to the 2017 season as the Head Coach of Southern Methodist University (SMU). Morris was a disappointing 14-23 there. SMU reached a bowl game with him once in 2017 when they went 7-5.
Arkansas was hoping Morris would change the course of the program. The Razorbacks went to 3 Bowl Games under Bret Bielema but were 4-8 in 2017 and he was let go. The goal for Morris was to reach a bowl game every year and have a chance to win the SEC West. By winning the SEC West, they would be in the SEC title game to go to a Major Bowl game or be in the College Football Playoff. They gave Morris a six-year, $21 million contract which would be more than enough time to do so.
Unfortunately, neither of those happened. Morris guided Arkansas to a 2-10 record last year. This season they started 2-1. It looked like they were trending in the right direction. After that they lost 7 straight games.
This past weekend they didn’t look competitive against Western Kentucky University. They were outscored in the first 3 quarters 38-7 with the final being 45-19. With that showing, it was time to move on from Morris.
According to ESPN, Arkansas’ Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek said, “As part of my continued evaluation, I have come to the conclusion that a change in leadership is necessary to move our football program forward and position it for success. It is clear that we have not made the progress necessary to compete and win, especially within the Southeastern Conference. Throughout our history in football, as well as with our other sport programs, we have demonstrated that the University of Arkansas is capable of being nationally competitive. I have no doubt that as we move forward, we will identify a head coach that will help lead our program to that benchmark.”
Morris leaves Arkansas with a combined record of 4-18, a winning percentage of .182, the lowest in the history of Arkansas football. It was clear he was not moving the program in a positive direction. Arkansas still owes him $10 million on his contract.
Barry Lunney Jr. has his chance to coach this team. If they play competitively, then it is possible they will keep him around. Then again Arkansas will probably start a coaching search after they play their last game on November 29th when they host Missouri.
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