Tag: Arkansas BYU

Hogs excited for business trip to the mountains

The Hogs are excited about a trip out West.

How can you not be excited about a football game in the mountains?

The BYU Cougars have a 64% chance of winning, according to ESPN’s FPI, which has Sam Pittman and his team excited for the Saturday afternoon game in Lavell Edwards Stadium.

“I’ve never been up there before for  agame. I’ve driven by the stadium, but never for a game,” the Arkansas coach said.

The Hogs head to Provo, Utah on a three-game losing streak and need a big win for the morale of the team and Razorbacks Nation. Luckily,  Pittman suggests his boys are excited about the first matchup between the schools.

“I know our team is excited. They have a really nice team. They play extremely hard and have a really good quarterback. I really like their linebackers on defense. It’ll be a really nice challenge for us. It’ll be kind of neat to go out of conference right now before the bye,” Pittman said.

A bye Pittman said his team badly needs.

This will be Arkansas first real road trip of the season after starting the year with five home games and one on neutral grounds.

Arkansas branded “losers” after Mississippi State loss

Arkansas picked up the dreaded loser label after disappointing against Mississippi State.

Sam Pittman can’t tell the future, but he’s a smart man.

The Arkansas coach knew pitchforks would be out for his staff, himself and his program following the Hogs’ third straight loss Saturday, a 40-17 whipping at the hands of Mississippi State.

The defeat not only sent Arkansas all the way out of the Top 25, not even garnering a single vote, but also saw the Razorbacks labeled “losers” by USA TODAY’s Paul Myerberg in his weekly column.

“Under far less scrutiny, Arkansas’ season has followed the Oklahoma model: strong start, national attention, higher and higher rankings in the Coaches Poll, three losses in a row. The first loss, 23-21 to Texas A&M, was easily avoidable had the Razorbacks put their foot down when up 14-0 in the first half. Last week’s defeat, 49-26 to Alabama, was a 28-23 game before the Crimson Tide pulled away. Saturday’s was different: Mississippi State dominated from kickoff, likely ending Arkansas’ odds of a major bowl.”

Arkansas started 3-3, but things have changed since KJ Jefferson’s fumble near the goal line in the loss to Texas A&M. Little becomes easier, either, as the Razorbacks travel to Brigham Young in Week 7 and are likely to drop below .500, matching last year’s loss total of four with five regular-season games remaining.

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