Sam Pittman provides health update on KJ Jefferson, reason for Week 6 scratch

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman provided an update on the health of starting quarterback KJ Jefferson after the signal caller travelled with the team to Starkville this weekend but did not play. According to Pittman, the decision on whether Jefferson would play was made before gam eday.

Jefferson is dealing with what is likely a concussion, though that hasn’t been officially confirmed. After he had a mild headache late in the week prior to Arkansas playing Mississippi State, Pittman made the decision that he wouldn’t play.

“After Thursday when we’re going, he had a little bit of a headache on Thursday,” Pittman said after the Razorbacks lost to the Bulldogs. “A mild headache and I’m going ‘OK that’s — I’m not doing it.’ And Dave and them were with me, as well, but at that point I said ‘Hey, look, you practiced on Wednesday, we’re going to take you, but that’s it. We’re not going to do it.'”

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In place of Jefferson, Arkansas featured Malik Hornsby at quarterback. The redshirt sophomore went 8-for-17 passing for 234 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. Hornsby is, like Jefferson, a legitimate running threat, too. He rushed eight times for 114 yards.

But the Razorbacks lost, 40-17, and are 3-3 at this point. Getting Jefferson back could help steady the ship and get Arkansas back to winning ball games.

Based on Pittman’s postgame comments, he should be back this week. And instead of the usual SEC West onslaught, Arkansas will be traveling to Provo to face BYU.

“In all honesty, I think we can bring him in and get him, he’s had some running and some things that they have to test, you know what I mean? He just hasn’t been hit,” Pittman said. “So I think we can bump him around a bit, even tomorrow, and have him cleared-cleared for Monday.”