From @RileyWPS
arkansas.rivals.com
The Arkansas Razorbacks are no strangers to the arduous nature of a tough schedule. After all, that’s just the name of the game when you play in the SEC West.
Still, a 2023 schedule that includes a stretch at LSU (in Baton Rouge), Texas A&M (in Arlington), Ole Miss (in Oxford) and Alabama (in Tuscaloosa) — a run that will keep Arkansas out of Fayetteville for over a month — is quite the challenge.
Head coach Sam Pittman gave his thoughts on the schedule at SEC Media Days on Wednesday morning.
“I think it's a gift that keeps on giving,” Pittman said. “You know, it seems like every year, we've got a stretch in there, especially this year. We have got to get after that stretch but we have noticed it on the schedule as well.”
In Pittman’s debut season as Arkansas’ head coach, the Razorbacks faced a 10-game gauntlet against only SEC teams during the 2020 pandemic-altered season, which saw the Hogs play Georgia, Alabama and Florida — the SEC’s three best — by the season’s end.
The 2021 season didn’t contain a relentless stretch of any kind, but Arkansas still had to manage three away games against Georgia, LSU and Alabama. The Hogs went 1-2 in that stretch with their lone win being an overtime victory over LSU on a Cam Little game-winning field goal.
Last season was no exception, either. The 2022 Razorbacks competed against seven teams who were ranked the week they matched up — Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Liberty.
After going through the wringer for the last three years, Pittman better understands how to handle a taxing road schedule and the travel that comes with it.
“I think you just have to manage each game separately,” Pittman said. “But the heat has something to do with it. The length that you practice, what are they going to wear, pads or spiders, all these types of things come into it; travel and weather.”
For Arkansas to have success in 2023, coming out of that tough four-game stretch at .500 would provide a major boost for the rest of the season.
If we learned anything from Pittman at SEC Media Days, it’s that he’ll have his team physically and mentally prepared for that daunting stretch — “The gift that keeps on giving.”
HawgBeat - Pittman: 2023 schedule is ‘gift that keeps on giving’
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman isn't backing down from a tough schedule in 2023.
arkansas.rivals.com
The Arkansas Razorbacks are no strangers to the arduous nature of a tough schedule. After all, that’s just the name of the game when you play in the SEC West.
Still, a 2023 schedule that includes a stretch at LSU (in Baton Rouge), Texas A&M (in Arlington), Ole Miss (in Oxford) and Alabama (in Tuscaloosa) — a run that will keep Arkansas out of Fayetteville for over a month — is quite the challenge.
Head coach Sam Pittman gave his thoughts on the schedule at SEC Media Days on Wednesday morning.
“I think it's a gift that keeps on giving,” Pittman said. “You know, it seems like every year, we've got a stretch in there, especially this year. We have got to get after that stretch but we have noticed it on the schedule as well.”
In Pittman’s debut season as Arkansas’ head coach, the Razorbacks faced a 10-game gauntlet against only SEC teams during the 2020 pandemic-altered season, which saw the Hogs play Georgia, Alabama and Florida — the SEC’s three best — by the season’s end.
The 2021 season didn’t contain a relentless stretch of any kind, but Arkansas still had to manage three away games against Georgia, LSU and Alabama. The Hogs went 1-2 in that stretch with their lone win being an overtime victory over LSU on a Cam Little game-winning field goal.
Last season was no exception, either. The 2022 Razorbacks competed against seven teams who were ranked the week they matched up — Cincinnati, Mississippi State, Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Liberty.
After going through the wringer for the last three years, Pittman better understands how to handle a taxing road schedule and the travel that comes with it.
“I think you just have to manage each game separately,” Pittman said. “But the heat has something to do with it. The length that you practice, what are they going to wear, pads or spiders, all these types of things come into it; travel and weather.”
For Arkansas to have success in 2023, coming out of that tough four-game stretch at .500 would provide a major boost for the rest of the season.
If we learned anything from Pittman at SEC Media Days, it’s that he’ll have his team physically and mentally prepared for that daunting stretch — “The gift that keeps on giving.”
