AUBURN, Ala. -- University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman had a message for his heartbroken charges in the visitors locker room at Jordan-Hare Stadium Saturday evening.
Pittman had to provide an uplifting message after a controversial officiating decision went against the Razorbacks in the final seconds of a 30-28 loss to No. 13 Auburn.
Had the officiating crew properly adjudicated the bungled "spike" by Auburn quarterback Bo Nix, the Razorbacks would have notched a second consecutive road win over a ranked SEC opponent.
But they had not. Officiating experts Terry McAulay and Bill Lemmonier, among others, agreed the SEC got it wrong.
And the Razorbacks grieved again at the hands of the SEC.
Pittman said he told the Razorbacks "That I was proud of them, that they fought their butt off, that we've got a good football team, and that the times of us going some place and embarrassing our fans and our football team are over. I was proud of them. That's what I told them."
Pittman has been plain spoken to his team, which has quickly made him a fan favorite.
The first-year Arkansas coach was livid on the field after what he thought was a backward pass by Nix and a live ball recovered shortly thereafter by Arkansas safety Joe Foucha.
He and the Razorbacks cannot go back and reverse the ruling, which of course had a fatal bearing on the outcome of the game.
Instead of Arkansas being 2-1 and tied with Texas A&M one game behind No. 2 Alabama, the Razorbacks are undeservedly in the SEC West cellar with LSU, Ole Miss and Mississippi State.
Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek spoke with the SEC office on Saturday and encouraged Razorback fans to begin turning the page on Sunday.
Yurachek wrote on his Twitter account, "Fans of @RazorbackFB; immediately following last night's game, I spoke with the appropriate staff at the SEC office regarding the official's ruling on 3rd down with :30 remaining in the game. They provided an explanation consistent with what was outlined in their statement.
"I expressed my disagreement and disappointment with the final decision. However, there is no further action to be taken and we will turn our attention to the Ole Miss game on Saturday. I am extremely proud of the effort of our football team. I appreciate your continued support."
Razorback fans will end up raging over the blown call, which immediately stoked memories of a loss at No. 1 Florida in 2009, but Pittman and the football team cannot stew in their anger and disappointment.
The most diverse and explosive offense the Razorbacks have faced all season is heading into Fayetteville on Saturday.
Ole Miss is an early 3 1/2-point favorite over Arkansas for the 2:30 p.m. game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The Rebels are No. 5 in the nation in total offense with 536 yards per game, No. 2 in passing efficiency and No. 17 in scoring with 38.5 points per game.
They turned Alabama's traditionally stout defense inside out on Saturday with 647 yards, a school record for a Crimson Tide opponent, in a 63-48 home loss. No matter if the Rebels had Alabama's defensive signals as Nick Saban and his players suggested or not, that's serious production.
Auburn Coach Gus Malzahn and his players recognized Arkansas as a significant threat, three games into the Pittman era.
"It was a close one," Nix said. "They fought their butt off. They were actually a really good team. You have to give them credit for playing it down to the wire, playing to the end and never giving up.
"They easily could [have given up] getting down early, but they continued to battle."
The Razorbacks hope to start getting star players back this week. Pittman would not elaborate on their status, but tailback Rakeem Boyd, receiver Treylon Burks, cornerbacks Montaric Brown and Jerry Jacobs, and defensive end Dorian Gerald have missed varying amounts of time the last two weeks. Additionally, linebackers Bumper Pool and Grant Morgan did not engage in contact this week in practice, and Pool went out and returned again with what looked like a shoulder injury or stinger against Auburn.
Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon, a redshirt freshman, had the perspective of a veteran in his post-game remarks.
"It's a tough one to swallow, but we got to swallow it, get back in the film room, and get ready for Ole Miss next week," Catalon said.
Pittman, who has not been doing opening statements on his Zoom conferences with reporters, adding a closing statement on Saturday night because he didn't want the moment to pass without saying it.
"I want everybody to know how proud I am of our football team," Pittman said. "They played their butt off tonight and I'm proud of them. We'll get better, but I'm proud of those kids."