What Missouri State coach Bobby Petrino said on Monday about his return to Arkansas

When you ask Bobby Petrino’s gamers, you would not be capable of inform that something was totally different about their head coach heading into the third week of the season.

“He is been fairly stonewall,” star quarterback Jason Shelley stated. “He is the identical ol’ person who he is all the time been. I believe that is gonna rub off on the blokes and simply allow us to play our common sport.”

However anybody who is aware of the title “Bobby Petrino” and about his tenure at Arkansas is aware of that Saturday night’s matchup between Missouri State and the Razorbacks can have a special which means.

Petrino will make his return to Fayetteville to teach a soccer sport for the primary time since he was fired by Arkansas in April 2012. Petrino’s notorious scandal in 2012 led to him being fired with trigger after 4 seasons because the Razorbacks’ head coach.

Since then, Petrino has made stops at Western Kentucky, Louisville and, now, Missouri State — which he is rotated in three years with two postseason appearances after the staff beforehand hadn’t made it to the playoffs since 1990. The Bears are presently ranked No. 5 within the FCS.

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The Arkansas Razorbacks soccer program hadn’t been related since Petrino was let go till latest years when this system employed Sam Pittman in 2020. The Hogs at the moment are ranked No. 10 within the FBS after a 2-0 begin to the yr.

Petrino stated he would not anticipate considering an excessive amount of about his return till he steps on the Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium grass on Saturday night.

“I believe we’ll see once I get there,” Petrino stated. “Proper now, I am simply going to consider the week and the preparation and what our gamers have to do. I am certain there will likely be some emotions and feelings once I step into the stadium but it surely’s not likely about me. It is about our soccer staff. Since June, we have been the identical staff devoted and dealing arduous collectively. It is actually about our gamers.”

In Petrino’s 4 years in Fayetteville, the Hogs went 34-17 with three bowl appearances — together with a Cotton Bowl victory and an 11-2 season in his ultimate yr as head coach in 2011.

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Nevertheless it all got here to a sudden finish over a few-day span in April 2012 when Petrino was concerned in a single-vehicle motorbike crash in northwest Arkansas. After initially telling college officers he was alone, it was revealed he had a feminine passenger. Within the coming days, it got here to gentle that Petrino was having an affair with the passenger he had employed to work within the athletics division. He was finally fired.

Petrino returned to Arkansas in 2019 when he was the visitor speaker on the Little Rock Landing Membership the place he gave a teary-eyed apology to Razorback followers for a way his time with the Razorbacks got here to an finish.

“I needed to have the ability to come right here and apologize to all people, the followers, the gamers, and actually let you know how sorry I’m for the way in which it ended,” Petrino advised the gang. “However I additionally needed to return right here to thanks for the whole lot that folks on this room and on this state do for me and my household. They’re nice to us.”

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Through the span from Petrino’s firing to its hiring of Pittman in 2020, the Razorbacks had considered one of their worst stretches in program historical past which included three 0-8 seasons within the SEC and 5 years with no bowl look.

However Pittman has reinstalled hope. Arkansas is now 2-0 to begin the season and has now been ranked within the high 10 of the AP Ballot sooner or later for the second consecutive season — first time the Razorbacks have completed the feat since Petrino’s final two seasons in Fayetteville.

“Sam’s accomplished an important job,” Petrino stated. “While you watch them play, at the beginning, you see that they’ve deep beliefs in what they’re doing. What they’re doing offensively and defensively, the coaches actually imagine in it and the gamers exit and execute it. What he is accomplished with that program, he is accomplished an important job.”

Pittman advised reporters on Monday afternoon that he could not bear in mind any run-ins with Petrino and that the 2 did not have a relationship. He opened his first press convention of the week mentioning the Razorbacks’ former coach and saying that he makes use of Petrino’s time in Fayetteville whereas recruiting.

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Arkansas soccer coach Sam Pittman previews Missouri State

Arkansas soccer coach Sam Pittman discusses the Razorbacks’ win over South Carolina and upcoming sport vs. Missouri State on Sept. 12, 2022.

Christina Lengthy, Fort Smith Occasions Document

“We’re excited to play Missouri State,” Pittman stated. “Final time Arkansas was related, Coach Petrino was right here. We’re very grateful for his time and what he did for this system. I am certain it will be thrilling for him to return again right here, they have staff.

“He is coach. He was when he was right here and when he was with the Falcons and Louisville. They tried totally different folks (at Missouri State) earlier than him and he is been in a position to go in there and get them again to the playoffs. He is only a actually good coach with employees. He went into the switch portal there and obtained lots of actually good gamers and I am certain they went there due to his status as a coach. It has been an important job that he is accomplished there and I am certain will proceed to take action.”

Expectations aren’t extraordinarily excessive for Missouri State to enter Arkansas and knock it off because the Bears opened Monday as 28.5-point underdogs come Saturday’s 6 p.m. matchup however the Bears suppose they will have a shot.

The Bears draw confidence from the 2021 fall season opener at Oklahoma State during which that they had the ball down seven with underneath a minute left and in Cowboys territory. They did not pull it off however they know they have been that near beating a staff (Petrino stated he would have gone for 2) that was extraordinarily near qualifying for the latest Faculty Soccer Playoff.

Petrino stated the Bears can take classes from what they did main as much as Stillwater and apply them to how they strategy this week’s sport along with his former program.

“I believe in the way in which we put together, we actually centered final yr on on the brink of play mentally and bodily by simply being quick and simply taking part in with nice effort,” Petrino stated. “Our gamers will take pleasure in it. It will be an important ambiance with an enormous, large stadium that is good and loud. I believe we have gotta go benefit from the expertise and play as arduous as we presumably can and simply see what occurs.”

Wyatt D. Wheeler is a reporter and columnist with the Springfield Information-Chief. You’ll be able to contact him at 417-371-6987, by e-mail at wwheeler@news-leader.com or Twitter at @WyattWheeler_NL. He is additionally the co-host of Sports activities Speak on Jock Radio weekdays from 4-6 p.m.