Well, it’s been a week! Somehow I’m a few days late getting this article out but it seems fitting to throw out my first Football article on Sunday…since that’s a typical football-ie day! I think part of the delay could be that my favorite tiny human broke my heart this week by starting Kindergarten…I will insert proud picture here for your enjoyment…
But now that I have recovered from all of that excitement (as much as I possibly can) let’s talk a little pigskin and start with the Arkansas Razorbacks. Will this year be a year of redemption or will we forever live in the land of the ever familiar WaterBoy chant…”oh, no, we suck again”? Only time will tell but the Head Hog is certainly optimistic.
In my opinion it’s hard not to like Sam Pittman. He’s got that good ole boy self-deprecating humor that I love. The 2024 season marks his 5th year as the Head Hog and, if memory serves, I have made the trek to the opening event of the Little Rock Touchdown Club each year since he’s been at the helm and if nothing else, he’s a dang good time!
Pittman makes no excuses about the Razorbacks’ less than stellar performance overall last year but has high hopes and aspirations for this year’s squad. He said multiple times during his portion of the program “have I said I really like this team, because I do” and if nothing else his genuine enthusiasm for the package they are putting together makes even the biggest doubter want to don their Hog Hat and give them one more try.
So let’s hit the high points that Coach addressed regarding the upcoming season and see if we can’t stir up a little Arkansas Razorback Pride to kick off the season.
Pittman started the conversation by addressing the elephant in the room…or maybe the big steaming pile of elephant dung in the room that was last season. Basically he acknowledged that last year was tough and that they have been through a lot of changes in the off season. He didn’t ignore the fact that they lost a lot of close games last year where they could have been victorious and that (uncharacteristically) they played better on the road than at home. But, Coach encouraged Razorback fans to hang in there and give this year’s squad a chance to show you what they can do. They have taken the licks from last year and learned the lessons – moving forward to focus on turning failures into learning experience so they don’t make those same mistakes again. And really, that’s all you can ask from anyone.
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As of his presentation to the Touchdown Club the team had completed 16 practices and he definitely sees a lot of good things. They aren’t taking it easy on each other and are going full contact. There may be a few bumps and bruises but nothing to write home about at this point. Pittman is a believer that in order to be successful you can’t take it easy in practice, you have to understand how to hit and be hit, and we are here for it. This team is not practicing to stay healthy, they are very physical, and they are focused on practicing to get ready to play.
Coach Pittman also had a lot of great things to say about his coaching staff. There have been some big changes, he jokingly asked if we had heard he hired Bobby Petrino and that it was a shame he didn’t hire someone that the people of Arkansas liked, but he is proud of their staff of both new guys and steady returning crew. While there will be a host of new faces on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive guys will look very familiar since they are all returning.
Going line by line, Coach offered what I would call his “guys to watch” which included Benton’s own Braylon Russell. Here’s the rundown:
- Quarterback: Taylen Green – big, tall, fast, great leadership skills
- Running backs – 5 that can play including Braylen Russell (Benton)
- Tight Ends are all back – Luke Hasz is healthy
- Offensive Line – 4 out of the portal and 3 will start (2 tackles and a center)
- Wide receiver – added in the portal but didn’t lose anyone
- Defensive – Anton Juncaj, Landon Jackson
- Linebacker – Spence, Sorey, Dix, Switzer, Shaw
- Secondary – a lot of guys coming back: Braxton, Robinson, Singletary, Stewart, Clark (who is jokingly thought to have been there longer than pittman, LOL)
- Kicker – battle going on between Shipley and Ramsey after the loss of Cam Little
- Punter – Devin Balel having a great camp
Though the proof is in the pudding and we won’t know how this Razorback roster stacks up until the first game of the season kicks off, there is excitement brewing in Razorback nation. It was said during the luncheon that there are approximately 15,000 student seats that sell out each game paired with the 50,000 to 60,000 season tickets that have already been claimed and with that trajectory in mind Donald W. Reynolds stadium should be packed and rocking in anticipation of what this season has to offer. Even Pittman suggested “If you don’t have your season tickets or you aren’t a student you better get to buying those game tickets up because it’s gonna be a hell of a season”.
Coach Pittman’s parting thoughts were best summed up in his thoughts on starting the new season: “We have a really good football team right now – I want you to be excited. We have to get off of this negative stuff, that ain’t ever solved no problems. You are going to enjoy watching the Hogs play this year.” and I hope that’s true. It sure makes my house a happier and more peaceful place to reside!
And as a rare treat this year (especially since our little guy was able to join us with Kindergarten starting later in the week), Coach Pittman took time to take some quick pictures with the Touchdown Club Members. He really is a good human as far as people go.
Tis the season for all things football so we will probably stick here for the foreseeable future. And next week we are all in for a special treat as the LRTDC will be bringing in Quarterback legend Brett Favre. He and Peyton Manning have always jocked for first and second place in my heart and I had the privilege of listening live an in person to Manning at the Touchdown Club around this time last year. Favre, as expected, sold out the first venue and now has done the same for the second venue and I couldn’t be more excited to say I have tickets and will bring you the recap next week.
Until then…that’s how the ball bounces.
Read more from How the Ball Bounces with Bekka in the archives at www.mysaline.com/bounces.
About the author: Bekka Wilkerson is a lifelong lover of all things sports. Raised in a super athletic household it was no surprise when she too began to love sports at a young age. It seems like from the time she could walk she had a softball bat in her hands, but her true athletic passion came from all things Basketball. That love served her well as a Bryant High School Lady Hornet and ultimately earned her a full scholarship to play at the University of Central Arkansas – among many other adventures.
These days Bekka can be found running around Saline County with her husband, Speedy, or chasing one of her grandsons. She is also the Executive Director of The EMpact One Foundation, a Saline County Nonprofit Organization that helps young people stay connected to extracurricular activities through tuition assistance and equipment provisions.
Reach out to Bekka with questions and/or ideas about things you want to see in this column at [email protected] and learn more about The EMpact One Foundation at www.empactone.org.