Sam Pittman recalls memories of coaching at Missouri, how he views the rivalry
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.
If it were only 1969, this would be the game of the year had Arkansas and Missouri been in the SEC. Arky wouldn’t have lost to Texas in December, and Missouri wouldn’t have lost to Colorado in October. They’d both be undefeated with top 5 teams.
Both teams ended up being bridesmaids by one game–Arkansas lost 15-14 to Texas in the Game of the Century, and Missouri lost to Penn State 10-3 in an Orange Bowl where MU QB Terry McMillan completed 6 passes to his teammates and 7 to Penn St.
fun memories, and let’s be sure to remember the Missouri vs. Arkansas Cotton Bowl game where Tony Temple demonstrated to the nation what Missouri fans had been wide-eyed about since September.
Good writing LH61, but I thought the words Terry McMillan were always followed by the words Mel Gray or Joe Moore. I’m sitting on the grass hill in 1969 and I’m watching McMillian launch an inter-continental ballistic missile no human could ever catch up to…. except Mel Gray.