Pittman: Team not complete
FAYETTEVILLE — University of Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Thursday that the Razorbacks will have players missing from Saturday’s season opener against No. 4 Georgia, and he’s crossing his fingers COVID-19 testing from Thursday goes well.
“I feel good about our numbers,” Pittman said. “And yes, there will be some guys that won’t be able to play, but I feel good about our numbers and where we are right now with COVID.”
The UA has not released its positive coronavirus test numbers since a report of zero in athletics in late July, but there have been positives in athletics, including the football program, during preseason practices, as well as tracing that has led to quarantines.
“Now, we still have a few test results that are not back yet from our Wednesday tests, and we tested this morning,” Pittman said prior to Thursday’s practice. “So we won’t get those back until probably about noon [today].
“But as of right now, I feel real good about our players’ health and safety who have contacted COVID and about our numbers going into the game.”
On his radio show Wednesday night, Pittman talked about testing and how dealing with the virus has impacted him.
“We’re back,” Pittman told host Chuck Barrett. “We’re not completely back. But we have most of our football team ready to play. … To be honest with you, that weighs on my mind more than anything. It’s who you’re going to have available.”
Later in the show, he said, “As of right now there’s no conversation about not playing. We’ve got plenty of kids and all that. But it’s scary you know as each week goes on.”
Top 5 in house
No. 4 Georgia’s appearance for the opener will mark a rare occasion for Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
The Bulldogs will be the first team ranked in the top five of The Associated Press poll not named Alabama to play in Fayetteville since No. 3 Tennessee came in 1999.
The Razorbacks dispatched the defending BCS champion Volunteers on Nov. 13, 1999, by the score of 28-24, the identical score from Tennessee’s victory over Arkansas the previous season en route to the
SEC and national championships.
Alabama has played five games at Razorback Stadium as a top five team since 1999, all with the Crimson Tide ranked No. 1, on their last five visits to Arkansas.
Alabama won those games by the scores of 24-20 in 2010, 52-0 in 2012, 14-13 in 2014, 49-30 in 2016 and 65-31 in 2018.
In a nutshell
The Razorbacks practiced in full pads on Monday and Tuesday, their 20th and 21st practice of the preseason, before working in “shells” on Wednesday and even lighter pads called “spiders” on Thursday.
“Trying to get ready, trying to build confidence, trying to let our football team feel what’s going to come on them on Saturday,” Pittman said on his radio show on Wednesday.
Pittman said he and the players could sense it was game week.
“I thought yesterday was a really, really good practice for us. Today was OK. We have to do some things a little bit better. I’m so glad that we have another Thursday practice to clean that up. I thought yesterday was really crisp, not many errors, physical, a lot of strain out there. I think the kids should be proud of their effort and the things they got accomplished yesterday.”
Extra points
— Defensive back Jerry Jacobs, who had been wearing No. 8, will be the first Razorback to wear No. 0 since the NCAA allowed its re-introduction this season. The change was due to Jacobs sharing No. 8 with receiver Mike Woods and being on the same special teams unit with him.
— Pittman said freshman Vito Calvaruso from Jefferson City, Mo., will be the Razorbacks starting kickoff man.
— Georgia coach Kirby Smart is one of nine Power 5 head coaches leading his alma mater, joining Wisconsin’s Paul Chryst, Northwestern’s Pat Fitzgerald, Stanford’s David Shaw, Nebraska’s Scott Frost, Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy, Oregon State’s Jonathan Smith, Michigan’s Jim Harbaugh and Indiana’s Tom Allen.
— Pittman said he didn’t have any big game-day superstitions and that he would probably go on a morning walk Saturday, hopefully accompanied by “old partner” defensive coordinator Barry Odom.