Pressure on Arkansas coach Sam Pittman as Razorbacks seek strong start against Arkansas-Pine Bluff

Arkansas-Pine Bluff vs. Arkansas in Little Rock, Ark., Thursday, 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPNU)

BetMGM College Football Odds: Arkansas by 49 1/2.

Series record: Arkansas leads 1-0.

WHAT’S AT STAKE?

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman is on the hot seat, as he acknowledged at SEC Media Days. The nine wins in 2021 are pretty much forgotten and Pittman’s Razorbacks have gone 11-14 over the past two seasons. They fell to 4-8 last season with one SEC win. Most forecasts have Arkansas picked among the bottom three teams in the 16-team SEC and cannot afford to lose this one. Arkansas-Pine Bluff, which was 2-9 overall last season in Alonzo Hampton’s first year, is predicted to again be near the bottom of the Southwestern Athletic Conference’s West Division. A solid showing here would give the program momentum.

KEY MATCHUP

Arkansas has completely rebuilt its offensive line from 2023 with four new starters and returning senior OG Josh Braun. The Razorbacks, who gave up 47 sacks last season, will be looking to give new starting QB Taylen Green time to throw while finding better ways to establish the run game after a dismal 2023 campaign. UAPB will try to improve upon a season that netted just 18 quarterback sacks.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Arkansas: Green will be the first new quarterback to start an opener for the Hogs in three years. He started 22 games over the past two years at Boise State and last year passed for 1,752 yards with 11 TDs and nine interceptions. He will have a well-stocked WR unit, led by senior Andrew Armstrong and sophomore Isaiah Sategna. Utah transfer RB Ja’Quinden Jackson is expected to lead the rushing attack. Preseason All-SEC DE Landon Jackson headlines the defense.

UAPB: All the Golden Lions’ offense will run through Mehki Hagens, a mobile, dual-threat QB who played in nine games in 2023 and comes off a high of scoring on a late TD run in the Lions’ only SWAC win, at Texas Southern in the season finale.

FACTS & FIGURES

Arkansas and UAPB have met just once, with the Hogs winning 45-3 in Little Rock in 2021. ... Former Razorbacks coach Bobby Petrino returns to the UA sideline as first-year offensive coordinator. ... UAPB’s new offensive coordinator, Tony Hull, once worked for NASA as an industrial engineer and last year was QB coach and co-coordinator at Grambling State. ... Little Rock’s War Memorial Stadium, which seats 54,120, is playing host to Arkansas’s season opener for the second straight year.

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