WATCH: Hogs' Coach Sam Pittman Just Sounds Tired of Camp

It's clear he's ready to get things under way for season opener next weekend

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Aug 25, 2023 1:02 AM EDT

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Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In his last appearance before starting to talk about games, Arkansas coach Sam Pittman sounds a little worn on the same subjects. If he doesn't have to talk about the transfer portal or NIL before January, I doubt he's going to be complaining. Even the media questions are getting a little boring.

Everybody is ready for the season to start and have actual games to talk about. Since the Liberty Bowl in December, there hasn't' been a football game to talk about, everybody is ready for that. Pittman isn't the only one sick of practice.

It's been a much more physical approach this year and now it's got Pittman worried a little. He would probably be worried if he wasn't worried about something, but that's the nature of some coaches. The thing about coaches and injuries, though, you never really know for sure whether it's the real truth or not.

That hasn't changed in over 65 years, Some of the greatest coaches in the history of the game never were very forthcoming about what was really going on. Darrell Royal at Texas pulled it off to perfection in 1970 before Big Shootout II that came off as the cap pistol follies in another Longhorns' blowout in Austin.

"We are beat up," Pittman said Thursday afternoon. "Today, though, we won't have — I think — anybody miss the game with the exception of (Sam) Mbake. We're trying to be smart with them."

At times he sounds like the Razorbacks are just trying to get to game week and, as always, Sam ends up being optimistic it'll all work out by next Saturday. That's another thing he does very well.

Pittman's great at starting the picture as a mess and working it around until it comes out looking okay at the end. Western Carolina really doesn't pose much of an issue for an opener that may be more like a scrimmage keeping score. How long we see the top players on the field hopefully isn't that long.

"Some of the guys did scout team work, but didn't do any good-on-good," he said. "We didn't put them in live action. We do have some guys with ankle injuries and things of that nature we've got to get healed up between now and next Saturday. It's been a physical camp and today was a physical day. It's a Tuesday for us."

At the end of the injury report it probably wasn't all that bad. With the exception of Mbake (who's recovering from a spring auto accident and nobody is making any projection about returning to anything other than student coaching) the picture isn't that grim.

"Really proud of where we've been but I wish we weren't as banged up right now," Pittman said. "By Monday at least half of the guys we've been holding or more will be back."

Like I said Sam gets worried if he's not walking around worried asking questions about things he or the person he's talking to at the time have zero ability to control. It's not a bad thing, but not that uncommon.

The Hogs will open the season next Saturday at 3 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. You can't see the game on a television channel but only on ESPN+.