FAYETTEVILLE -- Arkansas will open SEC play on Saturday night in Baton Rouge against No. 12 LSU.
Both teams will enter the game with a record of 2-1. Arkansas lost 38-31 to BYU this past Saturday night in Fayetteville while LSU dropped its season opener to Florida State 45-24. Sam Pittman has a lot of respect for LSU.
"Well, we’re really excited to go to Baton Rouge," Pittman said. "Fantastic team they have. Playing extremely well right now. A lot of athletes. But we’re looking forward to going down there. Obviously it’s a trophy game. Our kids are excited to go down there. But it’ll be a very, very tough task because they have an outstanding team."
It has been learned that former Arkansas defensive back Greg Brooks Jr., who played at Arkansas from 2019-2021, before transferring to LSU, has had surgery for a brain tumor. LSU coach Brian Kelly explained how they discovered the brain tumor while thinking it was vertigo.
"Yeah, we were trying to find out what the symptoms were," Kelly said. "And he had another episode. He had dizziness again on Wednesday of last week. Finally we said enough’s enough and we got an MRI and that’s when the tumor was located. So the vertigo was just a symptom of what was obviously a larger issue."
Pittman paid respect to Brooks who last played for the Hogs in the Outback Bowl win over Penn State.
"Caring, loving, smiles all the time," Pittman said. "Competitive. Great teammate. Great person and family. That was easy by the way because that’s who he is. I was able to talk to [his mother] on Monday, I guess it was. We’re just continuing to pray for him. In a nutshell, and I mean this with all my heart, he’s a wonderful, wonderful kid. And that didn’t change when he decided to go back to his home state of Louisiana. We have prayed and will continue to pray every day for his health."
Pittman talked about Brooks' history with the program and the significance for those who knew him.
"You know, it’s amazing," Pittman said. "You have to continue to play hard. You have to play in honor — just like LSU did last week — of Greg, and there’s certainly a big part of that on our team. We’re very competitive, we want to win and all that, but when tragedy is put in our life, we have to honor those times and that’s what we’re going to do. He was a wonderful teammate here, and I could not think of one negative thing to say about him or his family. It’s tough. Our kids know it as well. But all we can do is represent him in the way that we play."
Arkansas may have to play its third game in a row without running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders. He rushed 15 times for 42 yards and two touchdowns while catching a pair of passes in the season opener. He hasn't played since due to a knee injury.
"Well, I don’t have an update on his status, but I can tell you that he’s ran really… Ran well yesterday and progressing faster than what I thought he might," Pittman said. "But I don’t know whether he’ll be able to play or not."
The Razorbacks, led by AJ Green, rushed for 177 yards against BYU. Green led the way with nine carries for 86 yards and two touchdowns while catching a pass for seven yards. The 177 was easily the best output of the season.
"Obviously we were better," Pittman said. "We’re not as consistent as we’d like to be. And we started off well. But we’re still having too many negative plays. We’re not necessarily winning first down all the time, as much as we need to. But, yeah, I thought we were better in that aspect. We’ve got to cut down the MAs and the penalties, but if we can cut down on the penalties, I think we can win a whole lot of games. And could have won last Saturday if we would have [cut down on penalties] with that run game.
"I think until we get Rocket back, which could be this week. I don’t really anticipate that. I don’t know. That 180, closer to 200, would be something I think would be pretty good for us in what we’re trying to get done offensively. The bottom line is offensively, we’re trying to get more points than they do, and being able to run the ball efficiently and when we want to. And we haven’t got there yet in the first three games consistently."
Kelly has a lot of respect for Arkansas. His Tigers escaped with a 13-10 win last year in Razorback Stadium when the Hogs were without Jefferson.
"Certainly this week presents a great challenge from Arkansas, another SEC matchup and our first SEC game in Tiger Stadium so I know our guys are excited," Kelly said. "It’s a rivalry game. It’s the Battle for the Boot, which is an annual trophy between both teams, started back in ’96. Both these teams certainly understand these games have been close and hard fought the last three games. I think there’s been a three-point difference in each game. The kids know each other, recruit against each other. Actually a couple of the players have played on each team. So there’s a great understanding of both programs. I have a great deal of respect from Coach Pittman and what he’s been able to bring to Arkansas: A toughness and physicality.
"Their defense is playing really well in terms of their total defense and their rush defense. Again it’s led by KJ Jefferson, a three-year starter, you know 50-something plus touchdowns. A big, physical quarterback that brings a presence to the position. Outstanding running backs in Sanders and Green, a very capable wide receiver corps and defensively they’ve got two of the top guys in terms of sacks in all of the SEC. So, looking at that, plus their special teams. They’ve got one of the best punt return guys and he returned a punt 88 yards for a touchdown against BYU."
LSU is led by Jayden Daniels in both passing and rushing. Daniels has completed 70-of-95 passes for 976 yards, eight touchdowns and an interception. He also has rushed 35 times for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Daniels' favorite target is Malik Nabers who has caught 24 passes for 393 yards and three touchdowns. Harold Perkins and Mekhi Wingo each have 10 tackles. Pittman is sold on both Perkins and Wingo.
"Just unbelievably fast," Pittman said of Perkins. "Fast. I went back and watched last year's game this morning actually, and I mean he ran down Malik Hornsby several times, so I know he’s fast. You know, they're playing him a little but differently and they’ve got a different defense. They got Coach House and they’ve got a different coordinator. He hasn’t rushed as much as he had in the past, but really his plays against us he was a spy. He was a spy and when Malik broke, he went and ran him down. I don’t know if that’s what they’re going to do with KJ or not. I would assume not. I think they’re going to play their defense. I think they like their defense.
"I mean, Wingo is incredible. I mean, he’s unbelievable. He’s as good a d-lineman as I’ve seen, but with Perkins, he can do so many things. He covered, I think it was a wide receiver but they might have split the running back out there, but he covered him 40 yards down the field. They ran a go route and the guy was right on him. He’s probably as fast as anybody they have on their team. He’s very instinctive, but he is fast, and he will hit you. I mean he’s just a really good player."
LSU blasted Mississippi State 41-14 last Saturday. Pittman obviously feels they have moved on well since falling to Florida State.
"Well they played Grambling at home and beat them bad bad," Pittman said. "Grambling did things offensively early in that game and maybe in the entire first half. And then the Mississippi State game, they were incredible. They were great on defense. I mean, I don’t know, they held Mississippi State to I think right at 200 yards, which is hard to do because they’ve got a quarterback, great running back. I mean Mississippi State had got a good football team. But they were just all over the place on defense.
"And then they threw the ball well. I mean, that’s the one thing really that Daniels is doing. He’s lights…He can beat you with his feat, he’s the leading rusher they have and (Logan) Diggs is too. Diggs is a really good player. We tried to recruit him as well. But he’s just throwing the ball on point and then he’s a great runner. He’s playing, in my opinion, the best he’s ever played right now. So that helps them bounce back. Sometimes, they went and they got… For LSU, I’m sure they got embarrassed the first game and they said ‘We’re better than this.’ Which they are. And they went out and started playing a little bit better. I don’t know what the problem was the first game, but they’re playing a lot better."
The Hogs and LSU will kickoff at 6 p.m. on ESPN Saturday night. The Texas A&M game will be at 11 a.m. in Arlington on Saturday, Sept. 30. It will air either on ESPN or the SEC Network.
Photos Courtesy of Craven Whitlow CW3 Sports Action
