Arkansas suffered an opt out this week from RB Rakeem Boyd, and coach Sam Pittman said Trelon Smith would start at running back this week at Missouri, and the Razorbacks will also have T.J. Hammonds in the backfield.

Pittman said Boyd opted out because he’s concerned about the COVID virus, and because of those concerns, he opted out.

Pittman will get his first dose of the Missouri rivalry this week.

“It’s our crossover game so it has to be our rivalry game,” Pittman said on the SEC coaches media teleconference. “It’s a trophy game. It hadn’t been a strong rivalry the last 4 years but because we recruited against each other, we are close in proximity. That would equal a strong rivalry game.”

Pittman has coached at a lot of schools, and Missouri is one of them. He said when he coached there, he
ate a lot at a Mexican place called Chevy’s.

“I put on some weight at Missouri,” Pittman said.

About the rest of the schedule, Pittman said he expects Arkansas to play Alabama, has no reason to believe that game won’t be played.

The biggest storyline this week is former Mizzou coach Barry Odom returning to his alma mater, but also that current Tigers coach Eli Drinkwitz is an Arkansas native and coaching against the Razorbacks.