What Sam Pittman said during his radio show previewing Rice

Arkansas football coach Sam Pittman (left) speaks with Chuck Barrett during "Sam Pittman Live" on Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2021, at Catfish Hole in Fayetteville.

FAYETTEVILLE — Talking season officially ended for Arkansas coach Sam Pittman on Wednesday night.

Pittman’s one-hour show at the Catfish Hole was his last scheduled media appearance before the Razorbacks’ season opener against Rice on Saturday at 1 p.m. inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

It was the third media responsibility of the day for Pittman, the second-year Arkansas coach. He also spoke on the SEC Coaches Teleconference during the morning and to local media Wednesday afternoon.

Pittman said he also spent time on campus visiting with students Wednesday and “handing out hot dogs.”

“I’ve done about everything except coach a football game the last couple of weeks,” Pittman said.

Chuck Barrett, the Razorbacks’ play-by-play voice and host of Pittman’s weekly radio show, acknowledged the long run up to game day when he asked Pittman about health.

“I’m going to be the latest one this week to ask you about that,” Barrett said.

In a moment of levity, Pittman said, “I feel like I’m pretty healthy.”

Turning to his team’s health, Pittman repeated last week’s comments that the Razorbacks made it through camp without any season-ending injuries, “per se.” Pittman said that was despite a physical camp.

“That’s our belief,” Pittman said. “If you’re going to be tough, you probably have to be physical. I think the guys understand that if we do something, we tell them why we’re doing it. I think they appreciate that. I always wanted my coach to tell me why we were doing something, and if I knew the reason I usually played a little harder.”

Pittman identified defensive tackle John Ridgeway (appendectomy) and receiver Treylon Burks (undisclosed injury) as a “major question mark” for the Rice game.

Otherwise there will be several Razorbacks in their jerseys Saturday. Pittman said every player who went through preseason camp will dress for the game.

“There are going to be a lot of folks running through that ‘A’ but they’ve earned it,” Pittman said. “They deserve it. Everybody on that team has helped us get prepared for that game.”

Pittman indicated it is easier to fill his roster this year. He said last year the Razorbacks often only traveled 65 to 68 players, despite the SEC limit of 70 for conference games, due to covid-19 protocols.

The Razorbacks plan to take 80 players — the maximum allowed by the SEC for a nonconference game — to the team hotel Friday night.

“It was hard because we had to (leave off players),” Pittman said. “We have much more depth and guys who we feel like can contribute to a win on a Saturday, not just during a (practice) week.”

The added number of capable bodies should be a benefit to the special teams.

“The more people you have that you can depend on, the better your special teams get,” Pittman said. “I think Coach Scott Fountain is a really good coordinator and I think he’s done a good job with these guys, and I’m excited to see Saturday what we can do.”

Pittman called Rice “exactly who we need to play the first game” because of the way the Owls play. Pittman said he expects a physical run game and play-action passing from Rice’s offense, and blitzes on defense.

“All these things you prepare for because they’re multiple, those help you as the year goes on,” Pittman said. “Obviously, we need to play well Saturday, but those things help us in the future. I think Rice is a great opponent to start with.”

Pittman said he likes the makeup of Rice’s team, which he called physical. The Owls’ tight ends are “good blockers” who complement five returning starters on the offensive line, as well as good route runners and pass catchers, Pittman said.

Rice is expected to play two quarterbacks, Luke McCaffrey and Wiley Green. Pittman said he expects to potentially see both players on the field at the same time, with Green at quarterback and McCaffrey — the brother of Carolina Panthers All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey — at running back.

Pittman instructed his staff to cut up plays from McCaffrey during his time at Nebraska the past two seasons. He said McCaffrey played running back some with the Cornhuskers.

“I wanted to see McCaffrey and what he did at Nebraska,” Pittman said. “He’s a very, very talented guy who can throw it and run it.

“I think they’re going to run a lot of draws with him and try to spread us out. He’s a good player. We’re going to play against a bunch of good players, so we’ve got to find a way to stop him.”

Defensively, Pittman said Rice is “a lot like us” with multiple looks on the line.

“They’re kind of complicated a little bit,” he said.

Pittman spoke at length about third downs, a focus this offseason. He said he thinks the team will improve on its 33.8% offensive and 46.8% defensive third-down conversion rates from a year ago because it will be better on first down.

“Third-and-3 is a lot easier to make than third-and-8,” Pittman said. “Along with third downs, we said we want to win first downs on defense. Now, we obviously do on offense, too, but it was a big, conscious goal of ours that we need to put people behind the chains instead of second-and-6.

“I think they go hand in hand, but both of those have been a big-time goal for us.”