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Already facing the same issues as other programs around the nation like increased ticket costs and the ease of watching games at home, two two-win seasons back-to-back at Arkansas under Chad Morris caused attendance at football games to plummet to historical lows, as to be expected.

The Arkansas athletics department is charged with finding ways to make attending (often early and chilly) games in Fayetteville worth the fans time. Step one was firing Chad Morris and step two was finding a head coach who wanted to be here and could win more ball games.

While "win more" is the obvious solution to low attendance, winning big games will take time. Sam Pittman thinks he and his staff can make an impact on the number of butts in seats right away just by being who they are.

"I was gonna say win," Pittman said with a laugh. "Man, that’s a good question. I think this: I think that us showing that we care about the state and the people will get more people in the stands.

"I think if we show the state of Arkansas that they’re dang important to us, that they’ll come out and give us a chance. Once we do that, then we have to put a good product on the field, a good football team out there.

"I don’t think anybody’s ever accused me of, ‘That’s not really how he feels, he just says that.’ I think you can tell that I feel that way about the state of Arkansas and I think that, without changing the music at the stadium or whatever, hopefully will bring folks in, because we want them here, we need them here."

While Morris was seen as an implant from Texas, Pittman has been an Arkansas man through and through despite being born in Oklahoma. Before ever getting the job in Fayetteville, Pittman had bought property in Hot Springs to build his future retirement home.

That attitude of caring about the state, and the people in it, was never something fans felt was genuine during the Morris era–perhaps because his words rang more and more empty with each loss, but hopes are high with the new head hog.