The new-coach bump phenomenon is quite real. Years of evidence have shown teams play well after its head coaches have been relieved of their duties. Temporarily, anyway. The why seems mostly psychological in nature, but for whatever reason, teams seem to get better results after the boss gets the axe.
Arkansas is the latest case in point after Saturday’s game against Tennessee. Sort of. Interim head coach Bobby Petrino, in the first game of his second tenure running the Arkansas football program, led his Razorbacks team to a 34-31 defeat at the hands of the 12th-ranked Volunteers.
Short-term, the result is likely to be used by the pro-Petrino crowd as testament that the 64-year-old should be given the reins for the foreseeable future.