HawgBeat - Sam Pittman previews rivalry clash with Texas A&M
Head Hog Sam Pittman talked about Bobby Petrino, Texas A&M's offense and motivation in his preview for Saturday's game.
arkansas.rivals.com
Who doesn't love a good old-fashioned college football rivalry game?
When it comes to Arkansas and Texas A&M meeting in the Southwest Classic, chaotic doesn't begin to describe it.
Since joining the SEC in 2012, the Aggies are 10-1 against the Razorbacks — the lone loss coming in a 2021 matchup that Arkansas won 20-10. Though the rivalry has been a bit lopsided, the games have not. Out of those 11, only twice has the outcome been decided by more than two possessions.
"Certainly, I’ve been on some of those overtime losses and things where the game looked like it was ours, just like last year," Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said Wednesday. "And not able to win it. But, it’s definitely a rivalry for us, you don’t see many series lopsided at 1-10 like that, but we did go through some rough, rough years as well in there."
That familiar trend is expected to continue in Saturday's matchup, with the Aggies only favored by 6.5 points, according to BetSaracen.
But a hard-fought, competitive game isn't the only familiar thing fans will see in AT&T Stadium. Former Arkansas head coach and current Texas A&M offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino will be looking to score a lot of points against the Hogs' defense.
This will be the second season in a row that Pittman will face off against Petrino, as the offensive mastermind led his Missouri State Bears into Fayetteville last year. The Razorbacks eventually came out on top in that matchup, but not before Petrino threw everything he had at Arkansas in a 38-27 defeat.
Pittman spoke on the familiarity of Petrino and the effect that has on Saturday's game with Texas A&M.
"Obviously, we watched (last year's game against Missouri State)," Pittman said. "Certainly, the fourth-down play and things like that we have to put in our mind. Missouri State's quarterback was mobile as well as what Max (Johnson) is. So, we'll see, but yeah we have looked over that to see what some of his tendencies might have been and how they relate to the team he is coaching this year."
Texas A&M head coach Jimbo Fisher confirmed Wednesday that starting quarterback Connor Weigman's injury suffered against Auburn was season-ending. Even still, Petrino will have no shortage of weapons at his disposal against Arkansas, as the Aggies have talented playmakers littered throughout the offense for Max Johnson to throw to.
"They obviously have (Evan) Stewart and Ainias Smith," Pittman said. "And I mean, they’re good. So they have guys that can run by you and if they catch it they’re going to be hard to get on the ground. Certainly have a really good quarterback in Max Johnson, who has started a lot of games. He’s started a lot of games in the SEC. So yes, some quite similar situations there because they have really good wideouts and a guy who can get it to them."
Last season, the Razorbacks entered Arlington, Texas, ranked as the No. 10 team in the country and were looking to do some damage in the SEC West. Some quick strikes got the Hogs out to a 14-0 start, but costly mistakes let the Aggies right back in the game and eventually handed Texas A&M the 23-21 win. Pittman said he hopes that the motivation from that game will help Arkansas play a cleaner matchup this time around.
"We would certainly use anything that we think would help us, motivate us to win," Pittman said. "A lot of guys will say, ‘Well, you shouldn’t need motivation.’ You always need as much motivation as you can get.
"I think if we can get a lead, we’ve got to figure out how to extend the lead and not just try to hold onto it. So, hopefully decision-making and all that stuff will be as good as it possibly can be and we’ll come out on top."
Arkansas will get its chance at revenge this Saturday against Texas A&M at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. The game is set to kickoff at 11:00 a.m. CT and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
