SEC football opener not ideal, says HBCU coach

University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff ( UAPB ) is set to kick off its 2024 HBCU football season with a matchup against SEC powerhouse the Arkansas Razorbacks on Thursday night. Head coach Alonzo Hampton expressed both excitement and realism as his team faces this formidable in-state opponent.

“We’ve had a really good camp,” Hampton said during the SWAC Football Coaches media session on Monday. “The players have worked hard, and the coaches have done a good job of coming together, figuring out what we are as a football team. Now, we get an opportunity to go out there on Thursday night and see what we have as a football program and if we’ve made improvements from last year.”

UAPB went 2-9 last season in Hampton’s first year at the helm. Arkansas is a 49.5 point favorite over the state’s HBCU program.

Facing an SEC opponent is a significant challenge, especially given the disparity in resources.

“We’ve got 63 scholarships; they’ve got 85,” Hampton noted. Despite this, he remains optimistic about the game. “We’re excited to see how we look. We’ve got some returning starters back, ready to take that next jump, especially on defense where we hope to see improvements.”

This game marks only the second time Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Arkansas have faced each other, adding an extra layer of anticipation for both the team and fans. The school’s women’s basketball programs met last fall with the HBCU getting the better of the state’s flagship school.

“Yeah, you can look at how the basketball team beat them, but that don’t really got nothing to do with us,” Hampton answered stoically. “It’s football. Alright. It’s 11 men against 11 men. At the end of the day, you talking about 60 minutes. You gotta look that man in the eye for 60 minutes and whup him time and time again. So we’re excited about that opportunity. And as I told our players, we’re gonna take it one play at a time.

While Hampton acknowledged the challenge of his HBCU facing an opponent like the Arkansas Razorbacks in the season opener, he emphasized that this game won’t define the Golden Lions.

“This one game won’t define us one way or another,” he said. “Obviously, you don’t want to play an SEC opponent first game of the year, but that’s the hand we’ve been dealt.”

In addition to being the first game of the season, the game was also moved up from Saturday to Thursday for TV reasons. Again, something out of Hampton’s control, but that he knows is part of the game.

“We need these kind of games, all right?” Hampton said. “It helps us financially. It helps us do the things that we need to do as a university. So we’re excited about it. And again, I would always like a warm up game before we play the best opponent. Right. So that’s that’s that’s my hesitation. But guess what? Thursday night, August 29th, 6:32 p.m.. When the ball kicks off, the Golden Lions will be out there on the field and we’re excited to play.”

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