Pittman Still Seeking Answers, Whether He Admits It or Not

While fans basking in glow of 70-0 win, it only showed Razorbacks can still win scrimmages

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman after the game against the UAPB Golden Lions at War Memorial Stadium. Arkansas won 70-0. / Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Razorback fans are probably feeling pretty good after a 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff on Thursday night. None of the many answers for questions we don't even know to ask weren't really answered in that game.

About the only thing the Hogs discovered is their extra point game with Kyle Ramsey is rock solid. They didn't punt a single time so we have no idea there. Let's not criticizing the offense scoring a touchdown on every possession or a kicker making extra points.

Even Arkansas coach Sam Pittman knows that, but he's not really going to wander into those waters. Granted, they put up nearly 700 yards in a game with a second half with a third of it the game wiped out to try and hold down the score. Whether he wants to admit it or not, he knows that.

That's not a knock on the Hogs or the Golden Lions. This game was scheduled because nobody's going to put a marquee game in Little Rock and they can't play SEC games there anymore. UAPB hasn't been good in a long time and they weren't even close to being able to match up in this game.

Don't read too much into it. Stephen F. Austin put up 70 points Thursday night ... in the first half. They downed North American from the NAIA 77-0. The Lumberjacks probably didn't find out much about their team, either.

While the media doesn't get to watch scrimmages in camp these days, there were holes against the Golden Lions' defense as big as what we saw in some of the practices. Those workouts weren't with full contact.

The UAPB defense didn't have a lot of full contact, either, which helped the Razorbacks' offense out a lot. The test will come this week against No. 17 Oklahoma State, who also opens the season Saturday against an FCS team.

Fans can be heard saying, "there's the direct comparison." Hold up a minute.

The Golden Lions are one of the worst in the FCS, while the Cowboys' opponent, South Dakota State, is the defending national champion. They are strong almost every year.

A better read on UAPB will come when they play FCS No. 13 Central Arkansas later in the season. Oklahoma State also returns one of the best running backs in all of college football.

After a game to sort out the wrinkles, they will be better than what is seen from them in their opener. Every team makes the most progress of the year from the first game to the second.

That goes for teams other than the Razorbacks, too. Too many fans often forget that little fact.

Arkansas isn't the only team that thinks it improved from last year or spent a lot of time trying to accomplish more. That will be the case when the Hogs roll into Stillwater, Okla., next Saturday.

About the only surprise for them to unveil on the roster is the punter who didn't make an appearance other than warmups down at War Memorial Stadium. Don't worry about what they showed or didn't show.

Fans spend too much time trying to keep everything secret. As former Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry used to say about all of his "exotics" he would show in meaningless preseason games, "I want them to know we have it. It's something else they have to prepare to see."

Having teams waste valuable practice time on something meaningless only benefits the team that's put everything out there. For Arkansas, it appeared fairly simple Thursday night to get ready for the offense.

Offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino didn't show a whole lot that was absolutely new. Folks have seen it here before.

Scouting and watching what opponents do is nothing new in football. Very few teams even bother trying to hide things.

Even when Bear Bryant hid his Alabama team coming out in the Wishbone against USC to open the 1971 season, the Tide only won the game 17-10, so the Trojans figured it out pretty quickly.

When Bill Parcells took over the Cowboys in 2003, he immediately closed down practices and access to the media after it had been basically wide open since the team started in 1960. The reason was he had seen on some TV practice video before his Giants played the Bills after the 1990 season about a play they ran with Thurman Thomas and he didn't want other teams finding that out.

Then some folks started researching, found out if the Bills had run it in the Super Bowl. On that single play, Thomas ran it nine times for 97 yards and scored twice.

Parcells was asked what would have happened if he hadn't known they were going to run it. Practices became open again.

The Oklahoma State coaches got enough to prepare for in the Razorbacks' win. The Razorbacks didn't even find out enough about their own team to know what they are going to do next Saturday. It won't be a 70-0 blowout again.

Whatever happens, it will at least give Pittman and his staff some answers to what they are going to have to fix. Maybe the fans, too, if they've read too much into that dominating opening win.

HOGS FEED:

• Did Oklahoma State see enough to lose sleep over Hogs' win?

• Razorbacks do exactly what they should in UAPB opener

• Hogs' Green runs circles around UAPB after slow first play

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