FAYETTEVILLE — For the third consecutive week Arkansas is preparing for an offense that is a stark contrast from the game before.
Ole Miss shares some elements with the Razorbacks' previous opponents, but the whole package is different from what Arkansas saw against Georgia, Mississippi State or Auburn.
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said during his radio show Wednesday that the Rebels run a fast-tempo offense like Auburn, but snap the ball quicker than any other team “for a while.” He said Ole Miss likes to pass the ball frequently, but it differs from Mississippi State's Air Raid offense because of the Rebels' ability to run the ball.
“The biggest thing we’ve told them all week is we have to stop the run,” Pittman said.
Pittman said it is “scarier” watching Ole Miss’ offense in film review than it is watching them live on TV.
"They are so good on offense," Pittman said. "They are so well coached, they have so many weapons on offense and have a good offensive line. Their quarterback is phenomenal. They’re just really, really good. They’re averaging 7.5 yards per play and 573 yards per game, and they have played Kentucky, Alabama and Florida. Those are pretty good football teams.”
Defensively, the Rebels probably won’t blitz as much as the teams Arkansas has played previously, but will change coverages and fronts to try to keep the Razorbacks off balance.
Pittman said Ole Miss’ defense “isn’t bad” despite the fact it is allowing 51.7 points per game. He said some of those numbers are likely based on how good the opposing offenses have been.
Alabama, for instance, scored 52 points against Texas A&M the week before defeating Ole Miss 63-48.
Arkansas’ home crowd will be limited to around 16,000 again for the game Saturday, although Pittman joked he hoped the Razorbacks could sneak in a few more than that to help with noise. Like Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin earlier in the day, Pittman said noise has not been a big factor this year with attendances limited because of covid-19 protocols.
“The opponents didn’t cause us a whole lot of problems on the road, Mississippi State or Auburn, noise-wise — Mississippi State a little more with the cowbells,” Pittman said. “We have to get some help on Saturday with noise, if we can.”
Pittman said he hasn’t noticed a difference in players’ energy levels with the reduction in attendance.
“I think if it was no fans, we might see a difference,” Pittman said, “but there’s enough fans, enough people there, crowd noise pumped in that it seems close to a regular Saturday, except it never goes unbelievably loud.”
Pittman spoke briefly about the disappointment he felt after the Razorbacks' 30-28 loss at Auburn last week. SEC officials incorrectly called an Auburn pass incomplete in the final minute when it was a fumble that was eventually recovered by Arkansas.
Replay did not overturn the call and Auburn kicked a game-winning field goal on the next play.
"A mistake was made and unfortunately it was at a time in the game where it was a win or lose situation," Pittman said. "It's just unfortunate. We never mentioned it to the team, by the way, not after the game, not this week."
Pittman said he expects Arkansas to be healthier for the Ole Miss game than last week, when several players were either out or limited by injuries. He did not specify which players would be back this week, but said he expected some to return.
“We’re not going to be back totally, but we’re not going to be as depleted as when we went to Auburn,” Pittman said.
Practice this week has looked like Christmas, Pittman said, because of the mixture of red jerseys with green, no-contact jerseys being worn by several players.
Pittman spoke glowingly about the play of quarterback Feleipe Franks, who threw four touchdowns and did not throw any interceptions in rainy conditions at Auburn. It was the second solid performance by Franks, a graduate transfer from Florida.
“What he’s done is he’s allowed us to come in here in our first year and start changing the view of Arkansas football,” Pittman said. “He’s an excellent quarterback, an excellent leader. He’s what we are, he’s tough. You’ve seen him tuck the ball and get extra yards. He’s making really good decisions and he’s helped us put Arkansas back to where we belong and it’ll help us in recruiting.”
Pittman said the quarterback has instilled confidence in the players around him, including receiver De’Vion Warren, who has had two of the best games of his career the past two weeks.
The head coach also praised the play of center Ricky Stromberg, who made a position move in the offseason. Pittman compared Stromberg’s transition to that of Frank Ragnow during his time as Arkansas’ offensive line coach in 2015.
Stromberg “is a little bit of a natural” at the position, Pittman said. He explained the intricacies of playing center after playing another position along the line, including the fact centers pick up just one hand to block, whereas other linemen lift both hands.
“It’s awkward,” Pittman said. “You’re snapping backward and stepping forward all at the same time.
“I’ve been really pleased with him. I’m glad we moved him, actually.”
Pittman said center and nose guard are the two most difficult positions to play in football.
“If you’re playing center, everything is coming from both sides,” Pittman said. “You’re in the middle of the field. You and the quarterback are the only ones who handle the ball every single play."