(Image credit: Nick Wenger)
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman's preview press conference for Saturday's game against Texas A&M lasted more than 38 minutes Monday afternoon in Fayetteville. The Head Hog spent plenty of time updating injuries, revealing a suspension and talking about the state of his team after a big road win at Auburn over the weekend.
To round out his opening statement, Pittman revealed that junior running back Rashod Dubinion is suspended for a violation of team rules. Pittman didn't disclose what exactly Dubinion did, but he did mention the suspension is indefinite.
ALSO READ: Arkansas' official depth chart for Texas A&M game
A 5-foot-10, 201-pound running back out of Ellenwood, Georgia, Dubinion hasn't touched the field since the season opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. He dealt with knee swelling in fall camp, dropped to fourth on the running back depth chart after the UAPB game and hasn't seen the field since.
While starting running back Ja'Quinden Jackson leads the Southeastern Conference with 472 rushing yards through four games, Dubinion was a solid contributor in the backfield over the past two seasons. He totaled 260 rushing yards and one score in 2023, plus he added 293 yards and five touchdowns as a freshman in 2022.
VIDEO: Sam Pittman press conference - Texas A&M preview
Not having Dubinion hurts with depth in the running back room, but Florida State transfer Rodney Hill has been a strong backup to Jackson, plus freshman Braylen Russell is coming along nicely.
"I imagine his load per game will amp up a little bit more, but we just saw that he was practicing extremely well," Pittman said of Russell. "We always have believed in him. It's just a little scary to put a young one in there early. We finally said, ‘Hey, we've got to because we got to be fresh in the fourth quarter, and he'll help us.’ And so that's what we did (at Auburn)."
Here's the rest from Pittman's preview of the No. 24 Aggies, including details on tight end Luke Hasz, the availability of two key defensive backs and more ahead of Saturday's game, which will kickoff at 2:30 p.m. CT on ESPN live from AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas...
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