Arkansas Heads Down Road To Stillwater

The Arkansas Razorbacks head two and a half hours to Stillwater, Okla., where they face No. 16 Oklahoma State on Saturday.

It has been 44 years since these two schools saw each other on the football field, with it going in Arkansas’s favor with a 33-20 win.

With the buildup and proximity of the game, the Hogs have to prepare for the almost 54,000 fans at the stadium.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman says his team has been preparing for the noise in Boone Pickens Stadium:

Week 1 Performance

The Hogs bullied Arkansas Pine Bluff last Thursday night putting up 70 points on the board, the most points Arkansas has scored since 2014.

Arkansas’ offense looked dominant with the addition of Bobby Petrino, who was hired by Pittman as the offensive coordinator last November. Petrino was the Arkansas head coach from 2008-11 and is known for his elite offensive mind. Coming from Texas A&M, Petrino led the Aggies offense to 34.2 points per game, fifth in the SEC. The Razorback offense is already feeling the benefit of having this offensive powerhouse on their staff.

A needed weapon against the tough OSU defense.

The No. 16 Cowboys began their season against South Dakota State where they dominated 44-20.

OSU looked confident with quarterback Alan Bowman going 25-of-34 passing for 267 yards and three touchdowns. Ollie Gordon II, a Heisman Trophy candidate for the Cowboys, rushed for 104 yards.

Key Matchups

For the Razorbacks to repeat their win from 1980, they are going to have to keep their eyes on Gordon, who had more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage and 22 touchdowns last year. Pittman discusses his scouting of OSU and the talent of Gordon:

Arkansas’s new quarterback Taylen Green looked promising in the Razorbacks’ win over ARPB. Green was 16-of-23 passing for 229 yards and two touchdowns.

The Arkansas offense under Petrino matches well with the OSU defense. If the Hogs get an upside on the OSU defensive line then we could be watching an upset occur.

Another addition to the Razorback offense is a healthy Luke Hasz at tight end. In the season opener, Hasz caught three passes for 42 yards. Pittman talks about the improvement he has seen in Hasz this season:

Luke Hasz and his brother Dylan are both from Bixby, Okla., and have an extra excitement as they return to their home state to face a school that recruited both of them.

Arkansas has to fire on all cylinders to have the chance to come into Stillwater and come out with a win.

Arkansas faces Oklahoma State at noon EST Saturday on ABC.