HawgBeat Recap: Pittman challenges Hogs in tough 1st scrimmage of camp

FAYETTEVILLE — The Razorbacks got their first taste of a Sam Pittman scrimmage Friday afternoon and the first-year coach certainly didn’t take it easy on them.

With the goal of a “hard-nosed, blue-collar, no rah-rah” scrimmage, Arkansas went about 125 total plays on its grass practice field while also working on every phase of special teams in the seventh of 25 practices before the Sept. 26 opener against Georgia.

The first and second units each played about 50 snaps, while the third unit got about 25. Pittman said the Razorbacks got through it injury free, but temperatures in the 90s and a head index approaching 100 degree seemed to wear on his team.

“Honestly, I’m not positive our kids were quite ready for that type of scrimmage,” Pittman said. “I don’t know the scrimmages they’ve had in the past, but this was a very physical, long scrimmage, and it just proved to us we’re not in quite good enough shape.”

Pittman said he expected that to be the case, though, and wasn’t too much of a concern. Defensive tackle Isaiah Nichols wasn’t surprised either, especially given the long layoff because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“It was the first scrimmage of fall camp, guys are going to be tired,” Nichols said. “We've got to get back in shape, get in football shape. There's no amount of training that can put you in football shape.”

Offensively, presumed starting quarterback Feleipe Franks threw four touchdown passes on what Pittman described as his most accurate day of camp so far. Redshirt freshman KJ Jefferson, the frontrunner to be Arkansas’ backup, also had a touchdown pass, but he did more with his legs.