Hogs guard against overconfidence

FAYETTEVILLE — Hard to imagine a football program losing 20 consecutive conference games then ballooning with soon to be punctured overconfidence the game immediately after finally winning.

But that can happen. It won’t to his Razorbacks, first-year Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman vows.

Pittman doesn’t guarantee coming off last Saturday’s 21-14 stunner in Starkville, Miss. over then 16thranked Mississippi State that his by two touchdowns underdog Hogs will upset 13th-ranked Auburn today in Auburn, Ala. He does guarantee regardless the outcome of today’s 3 p.m. ESPN televised SEC West game that it won’t have been affected by too long dwelling on last week’s triumph.

“Let me say this,” Pittman said. “If we went out there and didn’t play well, it’s not because we beat Mississippi State, I promise. It’d be because Auburn beat the heck out of us. That’s why.” Pittman explained.

“We are ready,” Pittman said. “We’re prepared. We’ve put the game from Mississippi State away. We really have. And our kids are hungry to try to go out there and get that feeling again.”

Pittman pointedly has stressed it’s a whole new regime and whole new ballgame for these Razorbacks. A new era not only obviously for those Pittman and staff have recruited, but especially for returnees whether dating back to the SEC skid’s start the final three league games of Bret Bielema’s 1-7 in 2017 SEC into the consecutive SEC 0-8, 0-8 Chad Morris era of 2018 and 2019.

That said, without learning from it bad history is bound to repeat.

Last year’s Razorbacks ruefully recall “Club Dub,” Morris’ postgame feel-good creation celebrating the 55-34 nonconference victory over Colorado State three games into the season.

The next week San Jose State padlocked Club Dub. Coming off a 1-11 2018, the Spartans stunned Arkansas, 31-24 in Fayetteville. That debacle commenced the Hogs losing their last nine games displacing Morris from Arkansas head coach to today’s Auburn offensive coordinator.

Even as he postgame celebrated Arkansas’ Starkville success for which his 20 tackles earned him SEC Co-Defensive Player of the Week with Razorbacks safety Joe Foucha, junior linebacker Bumper Pool blanched at Club Dub’s mention.

“Club Dub celebration is never acceptable,” Pool said in Starkville. “This win is a lot different. We beat a SEC school and we feel like we earned it because of the work we put in.”

And the tone that’s been set. “We’re four days a week, grinding it out, and I think we’re going to keep the mentality of Pittman,” Pool said. “He’ll never let us get too high. He’ll crack you down quick. Without that mentality, you’re not going to win many games in the SEC.”

Even with a 37-10 defeat, these Razorbacks gained confidence from their Pittman piloted preseason to lead now nationally No. 3 Georgia, 10-5 midway through the third quarter in the Sept. 26 season-opener in Fayetteville.

Pittman expects them coming confidently but certainly not overconfidently into Auburn today.