DALLAS (AP) — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman made a headline-grabbing hire in the offseason when he brought Bobby Petrino back to Fayetteville as offensive coordinator.
Petrino was head coach of the Razorbacks from 2008-11, but was fired after a scandal involving an extramarital affair and a motorcycle crash.
Petrino has bounced around a lot since, including a one-season stop at Texas A&M last year to work for Jimbo Fisher as offensive coordinator.
“I hire people, I give my opinion, but he’s the offensive coordinator and it’s his responsibility,” Pittman said. “I would want to work for me, if I was an offensive coordinator. I’m gonna let you go get ’em. Give him freedom to run what’s best.”
Petrino has been a head coach at Louisville (two stops), Western Kentucky and most recently Missouri State. He was 51-34 for the Razorbacks.
“Bobby has been a great resource for me,” Pittman said. “So there is a lot of times where I’m able to run things by him and we decide collectively at times what is best for the University of Arkansas football team.”
Pittman is 23-28 in four years at Arkansas and coming off a 4-8 season.
The presence of Petrino only ramped up speculation about how secure Pittman is in his job. And he didn’t shy away from it.
“I’m popular now, just in the wrong way,” Pittman said. “I’d say I’m hot. I’m at the top of those lists.”
Thorne and Auburn’s new receivers
Auburn quarterback Payton Thorne is spending a lot of time getting to know all of his new receivers, a year after the former Michigan State captain was a newcomer for the Tigers.
Five-star recruit Cam Coleman impressed this spring after enrolling in January. He is part of a group of new receivers that includes four freshmen and a couple of transfers.
“Throw, obviously. We’ve gotten a lot of routes in together,” Thorne said about how he is connecting with the new targets. “But we’ve also just been hanging out. It’s been great just to get to know each other. … We’re at a good spot right now, and we’re going to continue that trajectory as we get into camp here.”
Thorne threw for 6,494 yards and 49 touchdowns in 29 games (26 starts) for Michigan State. He had 1,755 yards passing with 16 TDs and 10 interceptions in his Auburn debut.
Coach Hugh Freeze had said after spring drills that Thorne had “the pole position” to be the starting quarterback.
“I feel like I’m better than I was last year, absolutely,” Thorne said when representing Auburn at SEC Media Days. “Sticking to what got me here to this point. And I feel that good things are ahead.”
Rivalries renewed in the SEC
On day one of four SEC Media Days, Commissioner Greg Sankey went out of his way to mention how the conference’s expansion with Texas and Oklahoma would help restart some traditional rivalries. The most obvious one is Texas-Texas A&M.
There has been much chatter this week at the first SEC Media Days in Dallas about the renewal of Longhorns-Aggies.
“Obviously this is a huge talking point for all of you guys. Our focus is on today, not on Thanksgiving weekend right now. And before we get to Thanksgiving weekend, we’re going to focus on Notre Dame, too,” said A&M coach Mike Elko, whose team opens with the Fighting Irish.
“But I think it’s only natural when schools are so close in proximity. And then there’s so much connection between players on rosters, certainly a lot of their players and a lot of our players played together, grew up together. That always enhances rivalry,” he said. “It’s not lost on anyone what that game means to Texas A&M and what it means to Texas.”
Another renewed rivalry is Texas-Arkansas.
“They hate Texas more than they like themselves,” Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said of the Razorbacks on Wednesday.
“He’s probably right,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said Thursday.
Running the Razorbacks
Boise State transfer quarterback Taylen Green made an immediate impression on Arkansas defensive end Landon Jackson.
“I knew from whenever he transferred in that first day, just seeing him work, I said, ‘Oh yeah, that’s our quarterback this year.’ And there’s no question about it,” Green said. “He bring that vibe that it’s his offense, he’s going to run things.”
The 6-foot-6, 223-pound Green is a dual-threat QB who started 22 of the 26 games he played the last two seasons at Boise State. He threw for 3,794 yards and ran for 1,026 more while accounting for 44 touchdowns (25 passing, 19 on the ground).
Green takes over for KJ Jefferson, who transferred to UCF for his final college season after five years in the Razorbacks program, the last three as the starter.
Tigers starting with a home stretch
Auburn will play its first five games at home, a stretch that will include Atlantic Coast Conference newcomer California visiting and wrap up with SEC newcomer Oklahoma making its first-ever trip to Jordan-Hare Stadium.
“That five-game stretch is critical to the success of our season,” Tigers coach Hugh Freeze said. “Whether it’s the Oklahoma game or the Cal game or the Arkansas game, all of those are vital.”
The Sooners visit Sept. 28. Oklahoma won both previous meetings against Auburn, those being Sugar Bowl games at the end of the 1971 and 2016 seasons.
After that, Auburn doesn’t play at home again until Nov. 2 against Vanderbilt.
“Unfortunately, we don’t have a home game the whole month of October, which is usually the best weather for us,” Freeze said.
But the Tigers will have three consecutive home games in November before the regular-season finale in the Iron Bowl at Alabama on Nov. 30.
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