How Is Arkansas Prepping for Bowl Implications After Bye Week?

The Razorbacks need one more win to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2016

allHOGS will have updates (with full video) following Sam Pittman's only press availability this week at 1 p.m. today.

Eight weeks later, Arkansas can breathe. Can the fans finally exhale after the trialing start to the the second season under Sam Pittman? 

The Razorbacks (5-3, 1-3 SEC) will have their bye week before resuming conference play against Mississippi State at home on Nov. 6.

A win over Mike Leach's squad would bring more than just another "W" marked away in the SEC win column. 

The next win Arkansas finds will make them bowl eligible for the first time since 2016. That season, the Hogs would go on to face Virginia Tech in the Belk Bowl, losing 35-24. 

Pittman understands the pressure that comes at hand. His players have spent the roller coaster season fighting to prove the dark days of the program's past are nearing its end. And it's not just a win for the players. 

A bowl trip is a win for the school and city of Fayetteville as a whole.

Sam Pittman thinks Hogs ready for another big run :: (Ted McClenning / allHOGS Images)

“It would be a big deal for the University of Arkansas and our fans, I believe, for us to get another win or two or three or four or whatever that is and go to a bowl game,”  Pittman said Monday. “This got us one away from it. 

"I think we’ll be very hungry to do that." 

Things become a tad tricky for the Razorbacks following a visit from the Bulldogs. Arkansas will then travel to Baton Rouge and Tuscaloosa to face LSU and Alabama, respectively. 

They will then close out the season at home against Missouri in the annual Battle Line Rivalry. Thank goodness for. a 45-3 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Little Rock to ease the schedule at the right moment. 

Following a 4-0 start, and finally beating Texas A&M in Arlington, the Hogs fell flat. A 37-0 loss to now-No. 1 Georgia was followed by a close 52-51 to now-No. 10 Ole Miss. At home against Auburn, quarterback KJ Jefferson could never find consistency passing, leading to a 38-23 loss. 

Tune-up games are never meant to be praised in the public eye, but perhaps it what turns this team around. Jefferson dazzled with 227 yards of offense and four touchdowns.

Treylon Burks continues to show why he could be a high pick in NFL Draft / Arkansas Communications

Wide receiver Treylon Burks continued to show why his first-round draft status could be warranted. 

The top target for the Hogs recorded four catches for 89 yards and scored three of the four touchdowns from Jefferson. 

“It feels good just to know that we got the win and just go into the bye week 5-3,” Burks said. “But it really came from this week that we prepared for. 

"We went out every day and prepared like we were playing Alabama.”

That will be the next task for Arkansas in what could turn out to be a special year. If the Aggies proved anything to the other 13 schools in the conference, it's that this version of a Nick Saban roster is vulnerable. 

Aggies QB Zach Calzada, the one that threw for 151 yards and an interception at AT&T Stadium shined at Kyle Field while throwing for 285 yards and three touchdowns on the way to a 41-38 upset.

Bye week gives Hogs chance to recover for final four games, says KJ Jefferson :: Nelson Chenault/USA TODAY Images

The difference between A&M and Arkansas? The Aggies played host to the Crimson Tide. The Tide will kickoff Nov. 20 at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 

Arkansas already has two top 25 win this season. Maybe a third will be in reach for help secure a better bowl nod. 

“We’ve been grinding from fall camp, straight into the season, playing SEC games week in and week out,” Jefferson said. “So this bye week is going to get us right mentally and physically, just giving our bodies a rest and time to get back ready to work after the bye week.”

All that for another day. For now, it's about getting healthy in both mind and body for the Bulldogs come next Saturday. 

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