Bobby Petrino and Sam Pittman. Two men seemingly at opposite ends of the spectrum when it comes to coaching college football, but they do have something in common other than just being Arkansas head coaches.
Incidentally, the two coaches will face each other Saturday: Pittman as the Arkansas head coach in his fourth season and Petrino as the Texas A&M offensive coordinator in his first season.
Arkansas snapped a nine-game losing streak to their former Southwest Conference rival in 2021 when Pittman led the Razorbacks to a 20-10 win and a No. 8 ranking. The Aggies picked up their revenge and kept the Hogs winning streak to one game with a 23-21 victory last year.
“It’s a series where the game is going to be close,” Pittman said. “Obviously another trophy game, things of that nature. In all honesty, in these close games we’ve come up disappointed more times than not. We’ve got to play with the same amount of passion we had last week, but smarter.”
When Pittman beat Texas A&M two seasons ago, he was literally the first since Petrino beat the Aggies – better put: he beat Mike Sherman – three straight years from 2009 to 2011. John L. Smith failed. Bret Bielema failed. Chad Morris failed.
Now, Pittman could really use another win. After consecutive losses to Brigham Young and LSU, Arkansas fans have begun to turn on him. Not that he needs them, per se, but a victory would go a long way in making everyone – including his boss, athletic director Hunter Yurachek – feel more confident.