Pittman hoping to use previous seasons of experience with Razorbacks

Originally posted on Arkansas Razorbacks on SI
By Daniel Shi | Last updated Aug 16, 2025 8:00 PM ET

There’s rejuvenation on the offensive side of the ball for Arkansas. Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is in his second season with quarterback Taylen Green.

The schedule, although difficult, presents opportunity. Coach Sam Pittman returns for a sixth year and is looking to find improvement in the operations of his team.

“Each year you have to get better,” Pittman said. “What was our main problem [last year]? We gotta hold on to the ball and gotta get more turnovers and make field goals when we need to make field goals.”

Pittman has made changes, putting freshman kicker Scott Starzyk in more pressure situations, even kicking in front of the chancellor of the school. The team will not tackle to the ground leading up to the final week ahead of the season opener against Alabama A&M in an effort to keep the Hogs healthy.

Other than a few precautionary injuries like running back Rodney Hill missing a second straight scrimmage and defensive lineman David Oke potentially missing “a game or two with a knee”, the Hogs have largely avoided the injury bug.

“We've got a lot of other stuff to work on as well,” Pittman said. “The format of practice and the way we're doing it, and the physicality and all that is working for us. I’m happy with what I've learned over six years, and I've still got a long way to go.”

Arkansas is trying to learn from previous years’ mistakes. The second-team offense scored a touchdown against the first-team defense in the most recent closed-door scrimmage, but was aided with four penalties.

That includes a similar extracurricular penalty in the Oklahoma State game that ultimately led to the Cowboys winning the game in double overtime. Pittman remains steadfast in his belief that the issues will be corrected before the season starts.

On the offensive side of the ball, the comfortability seems to be there. Even though offensive lineman Fernando Carmona admits that the offense started slower than the group wanted, it’s the growth as a group to bounce back and put in a good scrimmage. It’s part of the growth that the Hogs are trying to bring into the season.

“Being an older offense,” Carmona said. “You can’t have one drive dictate the whole scrimmage, or the whole game. Older guys being able to realize, ‘Hey, we didn’t do what we wanted on the first drive, but we have a whole day ahead of us to correct that first drive.’ You learn with being an older player that there’s four quarters in a football game, and not just one drive.“

With two weeks left to go, Pittman is ready to put the improvements from all three phases together against Alabama A&M 3:15 p.m. Aug. 30. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.

Fans can also listen to the game on ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.