Ball security continues to be big priority in Saturday's practice

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is putting ball security at the forefront of the Razorbacks’ fall camp, making turnovers a primary concern as the team prepares for its season opener.

Practice started Saturday morning shortly after the appointed 9:15 a.m. start. The media got to see nearly 45 minutes.

Part of that was stretching, then the fastball periods which resemble something on the order of a two-minute drills. Everybody started inside, then the defense went outside.

The tone from the first two days of practice that turnover issue that's becoming a bigger topic almost every day is an issue with the coaches.

Pittman, entering his sixth season, said leading into fall camp that minimizing mistakes is critical as the team seeks to turn the page after a difficult 2024 campaign.

“We’ve got to protect the football,” Pittman said. “You can work hard and not be very good, but you can’t win games if you give the ball away.”

It was even clear in Saturday morning's practice as one of the periods in the individual workouts the media was allowed to watch had a lot of the folks that handle ball going through basic drills.

Arkansas was 130th nationally in fumbles lost per game last season at 15. Those turnovers were a real issue and Pittman is hoping he can rectify that this season.

“The very first thing we do out of stretch is ball security,” Pittman said. “We need to emphasize it. I don’t know how to do it anymore than do it the first thing in practice.”

They did that again Saturday morning.

Running backs and quarterbacks handling wet footballs during position periods. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who returned to Arkansas in the offseason, was seen correcting handoffs and ball placement on several occasions.

Arkansas’ offense struggled with turnovers last season, finishing among the bottom half of the SEC in both fumbles lost and interceptions. Pittman said the staff has reviewed every turnover from last year in team meetings, highlighting how takeaways led directly to losses in close games.

“We play better with pads on, we practice better with pads on,” Pittman said. “But it doesn’t matter if you’re physical if you don’t protect the ball.”

Running backs Rashod Dubinion and Brian Whitehead took extra reps on ball control, with assistant coaches using foam bats to punch at the football during drills. Pittman said the team’s goal is to cut turnovers by at least 30 percent from 2024’s total.

On defense, linebacker J.J. Shelton and safety Caleb Wooden focused on creating turnovers, with the secondary spending extended time on interception drills.

The Razorbacks open the season Aug. 30 at home against Alabama A&M. Pittman said the team’s emphasis on ball security will continue throughout camp, with daily competitions and additional film study planned.

“There’s no easy weeks in this league,” Pittman said. “If we want to win, we have to win the turnover battle.”

Arkansas is seeking to rebound from back-to-back losing seasons and will rely on improved ball security as a foundation for success in 2025.

HOGS FEED: