FAYETTEVILLE — Fifth-year University of Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman has been more candid than many coaches dare when speaking about what he saw as flaws in his program the last couple of years.
Pittman has suggested the disparities in name, image and likeness (NIL) compensation created divisions in the locker room, which he and his staff struggled to keep in check as the Hogs fell to 4-8 last year. That was a season in which they lost five of six games decided by a touchdown or less, and Pittman believes a tighter core can be a difference maker in pulling out games decided on a razor’s edge.
He also admits he did not mandate enough toughness the last couple of years.
Pittman has said some variation of “you can’t be a good tackling team unless you practice tackling,” or “you can’t be a tough team unless you practice with toughness” a dozen times since the end of 2023.
Now Pittman and the Razorbacks will begin finding out if that approach will translate into the season. Arkansas opens Thursday at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock against Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Pittman’s first two years offered a glimpse into what his program could accomplish, following a build-up year during the covid-19 shortened 2020 season with a 9-4 run in 2021.
That success was followed by a 7-6 mark in 2022, then last year’s 4-8 disappointment, including a 1-7 mark in SEC play. That was the worst for the Hogs since back-to-back 0-8 league campaigns under the ill-fated Chad Morris regime in 2018-19.
The media does not see a turnaround on the immediate horizon, picking the Razorbacks to finish 14th in the now 16-team SEC, ahead of only Mississippi State and Vanderbilt.
Pittman has preached to the current team that unity will help them prevail in tight games, where the Hogs have struggled, and that toughness will play in the SEC.
“We had the good team that came out 9-4 and … to be honest with you, I didn’t tackle to the ground like I should have, which took a little bit of the physicality away from our team that year [2022] we won the Liberty Bowl,” Pittman said last week at the Hawgs Illustrated Sports Club lunch.
So Pittman was adamant the team would have a rugged spring and then embrace the toughness and grit of training camp, and he said the Hogs checked off that box.
“We went back to the old school of what I knew of coming in, and that’s what we did,” he said at the luncheon.
“I mean we scrimmaged twice and then we were live two other times. I don’t know how you tackle if you don’t practice it.”
The Razorbacks appeared to dodge any long-lasting injuries in their scrimmages, so their depth should be at close to full capacity when they face the Golden Lions.
Senior defensive end Landon Jackson, a defensive captain last season and a strong bet to take that mantel again, was asked during camp about the need to tackle more and he made his feelings clear.
“That’s been a problem that I’ve noticed from my past two years here,” Jackson said early in camp of limited tackling during preseason training. “First few weeks, our tackling is poor. We just have to go to the ground.
“A lot of people might say, ‘Oh, the players will get injured.’ At the end of the day, it’s the game we signed up for. I’d rather take that risk than us lose football games.
“I think the coaches have taken a lot of initiative with that. We’ve done a lot of live periods and we’re also doing a lot of tackling drills. I think we’ll be a lot better at tackling this year.”
Though offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino was known for a free-wheeling passing game in his stint as Arkansas head coach from 2008-11, he knows the Hogs must have a rugged running game to offer balance.
To that end, Arkansas worked some I-formation and multiple tight end sets into the mix during camp.
“Bobby and I are on the same page there,” Pittman said. “It’s hard to be physical if you don’t have the guys to be physical. We think that we went out and got that fixed.
“Bobby, as you all know, he’s going to throw the ball deep because he loves to play-action. But it all starts with how physical can we be up front? Can we turn around and run the football?”
On the other side of the ball, defensive coordinator Travis Williams played up the Arkansas’ depth. Though he wouldn’t go into details about schemes, Williams suggested the roster and schemes are suited now to bulk up against tough running attacks and cover against teams that pass the ball all over the field. Position versatility was a big part of the defensive scheme during camp.
Williams said the unit is fit and ready, and he touted the work of strength and conditioning Coach Ben Sowders and his staff for getting the Hogs in that shape.
“Coach Sowders, he’s with the guys way more than us, and that work that they put in during the summer, they do an unbelievable job,” Williams said. “It was really good seeing them come to fall camp, and you can see the work that they have put in.
“A lot of times you get there and the guys are still tired, and you’re like, ‘What have they been doing all summer?’ Not with Coach Sowders. Those guys were ready to roll, and he and his staff do a great job.”
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Publish date : 2024-08-24 20:00:00
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