Sam Pittman addresses his and Razorbacks’ relationship with Bobby Petrino

Sam Pittman spoke highly of Bobby Petrino following Arkansas’s 70-0 victory over UAPB in Week 1. He spoke about what he means to his Razorbacks.

One might think the latter was the head coach and the former was the offensive coordinator.

Pittman told reporters during the August 29 post-game press conference his relationship with Petrino is strong. The entire team believes in him.

"He's a really good coach,” Petrino prefaced before saying, “I've developed a really good relationship with him, and I bet he has with me as well. But the kids believe in him. I believe in him. The team believes in him."

Pittman lauded Petrino for scoring on every single offensive drive against an overmatched Lions squad at Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium. He was making sure not to downplay the achievement happening against an FCS team.

"I'm sure he feels pretty good tonight,” Pittman said of Petrino. “10 tries and 10 touchdowns. That's hard to do, I don't care who you play."

Pittman called Petrino a “legend” who is continuing to grow.

"The legend is going to continue to grow,” Pittman prefaced before saying, “Good for him. He deserves it."

Sam Pittman not putting Bobby Petrino head coaching rumors to bed

Pittman’s effusive attitude toward Petrino could be seen as a head coach who is making sure all of his personnel is aligned.

Or it can be seen as him trying to pass the torch.

Pittman stressing the entire team believing in him didn’t exactly put the rumors that Petrino replacing him to bed. Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger linked Petrino to the Razorbacks’ head coaching job in early August.

"On the cusp of a firing last December, Pittman, like Aranda, is getting an extra year to show improvement," Dellenger said. "That might hinge on his new offensive coordinator, Bobby Petrino, the former Arkansas head coach who many believe could replace Pittman in a return to the big chair."

Don’t expect those rumors to go away after the way Pittman spoke about Petrino in his grand return to Arkansas in a season-opener that couldn’t have gone better.