Arkansas is opening Year 2 of the Sam Pittman era against Rice in Fayetteville. It’s the first time that the Razorbacks and Owls have met on the gridiron.

There were plenty of high hopes for the Razorbacks going into the 2021 season. Sure, they were picked to finish 2nd-last in the SEC West by the league media, but a host of returnees, including Treylon Burks on offense and Jalen Catalon on defense, were thought to help the team build on a bit of positive momentum gathered from last year. Pittman, for his part, has looked to change the culture within the locker room as he returned to Arkansas last year for the first time since serving as its associate head coach and offensive line coach from 2013-2015.

However, things aren’t quite going to plan thus far. The good news is that Trelon Smith has 12 carries for 68 yards at halftime, while KJ Jefferson has a 34-yard touchdown run. The bad news: pretty much everything else. Jefferson has completed just 4 of his 10 passes and thrown an interception as the Razorbacks trail the Owls 10-7 at the break.

Here’s some of the social media reaction after a tough first half for the Hogs:

https://twitter.com/bjmays1/status/1434234403434246146

https://twitter.com/ChaseGage1/status/1434236937812992000