Hogs’ Sam Pittman Needs Defense to Keep A&M Offense Quiet

Aggies haven't done much on offense this year but can Razorbacks defense hold up one more week?

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Some folks in College Station may be wondering when Jimbo Fisher is going to have an offense that lives up to the hype.

Texas A&M may have the athletes, but they haven't been able to win the game that matters the most in Fisher’s four years.

It makes you wonder if they're paying $90 million for Gator Bowls.

Arkansas' Sam Pittman came in about as quiet as you can and re-built a program at a Kansas-type low point to a New Year's Day bowl in two years.

Now he's got to have a defense keep an offense down that hasn't shown many signs of life this year.

The Razorbacks' offense is going to have to find a way to score on an Aggies' defense that has given up just 23 points through three games.

Don't give me the level of competition comparison because A&M has better backups than every time team the Hogs have played this year combined.

A&M didn't lose to Appalachian State because of the defense.

It might be a mistake to assume they are going to fly up and down the field on the Aggies like Cincinnati, South Carolina or Missouri State.

Plus A&M might have its back against the wall. Somehow it's hard to imagine they pay Fisher $9 million a year hoping to get a bowl trip to Florida around the first of the year.

Especially when the hype around him is championship-caliber offenses.

Putting up 34 points in two games isn't going to win a lot of titles or even get many trips to Florida at New Year's.

The Hogs probably know all this. They can see the Aggies' talent on film and probably tried to recruit a lot of the same players.

Pittman isn't taking A&M lightly or Fisher, who he has a friendly relationship with, he said earlier this week.

If Texas A&M suddenly figures things out on offense, with the Hogs' problems in the secondary it could get interesting in a hurry.

Exactly why everybody assumes their problems won't improve is interesting.

It was Lou Holtz at Arkansas that said during that wonderful 1977 season that ended with a No. 3 final ranking that "you either get better or worse every week ... nothing stays the same."

Which is exactly what the Hogs need to happen this week.

HOGS FEED:

WHAT A&M WRITERS ARE SAYING ABOUT ARKANSAS THIS WEEK

SATURDAY WILL PROVE IF ASSUMPTIONS ON HOGS ARE RIGHT

SEC ROUNDUP: CAN ANYBODY BEAT ALABAMA THIS SEASON?

IF HOG NAMED HEISMAN FINALIST, STROMBERG SHOULD GET TO RIDE SHOTGUN

FINALLY A MATCH-UP FALLS IN HOGS' FAVOR, DOESN'T GUARANTEE WIN THOUGH

SAM PITTMAN AND EVERYONE ELSE KNOWS WHAT HOGS HAVE TO FIX, AND SOON

SEC ROUNDUP: AUBURN COACH COULD BE LEADING CANDIDATE OUT WEST

SEC SHORTS TRIES TO SOLVE MURDER OF AUBURN TIGERS

THERE IS MUCH THE CURRENT STAFF CAN LEARN, STEAL FROM BOBBY PETRINO

SANDERS AVOIDS RUNNING INTO THE RAZORBACK RECORDS BOOKS SATURDAY AND THAT'S A GOOD THING

DESPITE EARLY STRUGGLES, HOGS FIND WAY TO MAKE IT 'SPECIAL' IN THE END

HOGS PLAY ROLE OF ORIGINAL APOLLO CREED, AVOID ROCKY II

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