Arkansas
Top 5 Sam Pittman Quotes from Razorback Fall Camp
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman has had his fair share of quotable moments from his press conferences. In honor of the end of fall camp, here is a compilation of the best Pittman-isms from the past few weeks.
“You can work hard and not be very good.”
Sam Pittman was clearly looking for the right words after the second scrimmage and praised defensive end Landon Jackson as both a hard worker and being good at football.
“11 a.m. can’t get drunk enough, I don’t think. I think you can drive. Hell, I’ve done it a couple of times, but it’s hard. If you go at 3 o’clock, everybody is passing out in the stands.”
The Razorbacks’ season opener was originally slated for Saturday. Pittman painted a very vivid picture as to why he thought a night game would be best for the patrons’ drinking habits in the stands at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
“You need to go out there and keep chunking that thing.”
Pittman was especially complimentary of Roje Stona’s gold medal performance at the Olympics. Once working out at football pro days with NFL aspirations, Stona took down a world-class field in the discus and set a new Olympic record.
“I have more patience than I used to have. I’m not as dictatorship as I used to be.”
Year 5 of the Pittman era certainly feels like a make-or-break season, and it looks like Pittman is embracing a bit more of a democratic approach to handle plenty of new faces on his staff, including offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino.
“It’s a damn book that doesn’t have to go talk to the media nor lose the game.”
In 2023, there was more than one instance where Pittman opted to aggressively go for it on fourth down instead of punting, potentially costing the game against BYU. It seems like the analytics book is burned and no longer part of the repertoire.
Pittman and Arkansas are just eight days away from its season opener against UAPB on Aug. 29. The game will be broadcast on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. .
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FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Freshman Darius Acuff Jr. scored a career-high 29 points, including a key 3-pointer with just over two minutes left in the second half, to help No. 18 Arkansas to an 86-75 win over No. 19 Tennessee in the Southeastern Conference opener for both teams on Saturday.
Arkansas (11-3) used a 18-5 run over a 6-minute, 37-second span midway through the second half to turn a five-point deficit into an eight-point lead with 5:40 left. Tennessee shot just 2 for 10 from the field during Arkansas’ run, missing eight shots in a row before finally scoring.
The Volunteers (10-4) took advantage of an Arkansas cold shooting spell — the Razorbacks picked up 12 of their 18 points during the run from the free-throw line — to close within two points with under four minutes to play. Acuff made a 3-pointer from the wing with 2:09 remaining to give the Razorbacks a 79-68 lead.
Tennessee shot 49% from the field and was outscored at the line, going 12 for 23 while Arkansas shot 29 for 33.
Acuff was the only Arkansas player to shoot better than 50% from the floor, going 9 for 16. The Razorbacks shot 42% overall. Acuff was joined in double-digit scoring by Meleek Thomas, who scored 18 points. Malique Ewin added 12 points and Karter Knox 11.
Amari Evans’ 17 points on 7-for-7 shooting led three Tennessee players in double figures.
Arkansas won its opening SEC game for the first time since the 2020-21 season. The Razorbacks have reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament in four of the five seasons since and made two Elite Eight appearances.
Arkansas guard Meleek Thomas (1) shoots over Tennessee defenders Ja’Kobi Gillespie, left, and Felix Okpara, right, during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Fayetteville, Ark. Credit: AP/Michael Woods
Up next
Arkansas: At Ole Miss on Wednesday.
Tennessee: Hosts Texas on Tuesday.
Sheila Yount
Sheila Yount is a features editor for the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. An Arkansas native and communications professional with 42 years of experience, she edits and writes for the Style sections with a primary focus on the Saturday home and garden section and the Monday style section, which includes content on outdoor recreation, physical fitness and health, as well as history and other topics.
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