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FAYETTEVILLE — For the first time during the Sam Pittman era, Arkansas took the practice fields in full pads Tuesday afternoon.

It was another hot afternoon in Fayetteville, with temperatures reaching the mid-90s - which felt even hotter on the turf field.

That is where HawgBeat was positioned for the 15-minute period open to the media. Here are a few observations from that segment of practice…

~Offensive line coach Brad Davis is still not participating in practice because of what a UA spokesperson described as a pre-existing condition. No timetable has been given, but HawgBeat did confirm that he’s not able to conduct meetings either.

~In his absence, Pittman - a highly regarded offensive line coach before being hired at Arkansas - has filled in and led the offensive line drills. Also, graduate assistant Ryan Yurachek is able to coach the unit, as is quality control coach Joseph Henry, who received a waiver to fill in as the acting offensive line coach while Davis is out.