If Sam Pittman is being honest, his Arkansas program is roughly four years ahead of where Chad Morris had his Razorback program entering his first fall training camp.

All offseason, two of the biggest questions in Fayetteville centered around the team’s offensive line and how far they could progress with Pittman and first-year offensive line coach Brad Davis taking over the unit this season and the installation of Kendal Briles’ offense.

Can the Razorbacks really run at the pace Briles likes to go? Of course, Pittman said during his recent media availability, but that doesn’t mean the Razorback offense will be run at warp speed all season long.

“Well, if I wasn’t confident we could do it, we wouldn’t do it. Number one,” Pittman recently said. “We probably, I don’t know, we probably got 85-90 percent of our offense in, to be honest with you. We’re not up-tempo all the time.

“We talk about a fast offense because when we want to play at that speed, we have to be ready to play at that speed. So do we practice it? We obviously do but we’re certainly not uptempo all the time.”

As we said, if the offensive installation is that far along at this point in camp, that should be enough to prove to Arkansas fans that progress is being made and that the right coaching staff is now in place in Fayetteville.

Of course, it doesn’t matter how far along the offense is installed if the offensive line can’t block anyone.

Pittman was asked to discuss the progress of that unit during his Wednesday press conference.

“I thought the did more today than what I’ve seen,” Pittman continued. “We are still trying to find the right pieces, and as we find the best five we have, we are trying to find the best No. 6, No. 7, No. 8.

“We are still closer than we were a week ago but I like Ricky (Stromberg) at center, I think he’s doing a nice job. He and Ty (Clary) are in a nice battle there for the center spot. We are also working Ricky at some guard and we are also working Ty at some guard. I’m pleased with where we are right now on the O-line.”

For a program that once prided itself on physical play that started on the offensive line, how well that unit holds up may prove to be the difference between winning some SEC games this fall or going winless once again in league play.

The good news is, the last time we checked, there’s not a coach better qualified to coach up the offensive line than Pittman.

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