The Arkansas Razorbacks' season-opening game at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock is just two days away, with kickoff against Arkansas-Pine Bluff set for Thursday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
It will be the second consecutive year the Razorbacks open their season in Little Rock, but they are no strangers to playing there. Arkansas has played at War Memorial two of the last five years, and the program has a long history of playing in Little Rock.
Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman spoke to the media Monday and gave his thoughts on the Hogs' home away from home in the center of the state.
"I believe it has a lot to do with the passion of the state from a long time ago," Pittman said. "I know it originally started when there was no televised games, or many, one or two on a weekend. I think that had part of the reason to go over there. War Memorial, their stadium was better than (Razorback Stadium) in the past. And they had lights, we did not. There was a lot of reasons to go over there. But I think the passion overall, from the years of Arkansas football, had to do with something about our willingness to go play games in Little Rock."
The Razorbacks have performed well in their past two games played at War Memorial Stadium. The team’s last loss there came in 2018, when the Hogs — led by then-head coach Chad Morris — lost to Ole Miss, 37-33.
It's probably worth noting, however, the level of competition played in Little Rock since that game hasn't been great. Arkansas' wins at War Memorial since have only come against Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) opponents UAPB (2021) and Western Carolina (2023).
Still, playing in Little Rock has its drawbacks. For one, Arkansas coaches can't have contact with recruits because the game is not on campus, and the NCAA is in a dead period through the end of August.
In years past, coaches couldn't even provide tickets for recruits to attend games in Little Rock, but the SEC granted Arkansas a waiver for Thursday's game to allow coaches to give tickets to recruits. The staff still can't have direct contact with them, though, according to a report from Danny West of 247Sports and HawgSports.com.
With the coaching staff already behind the eight ball in recruiting due to last year's 4-8 (1-7 SEC) performance, the Hogs need all the help they can get, and they're not getting it with one less weekend to host recruits.
On top of that, it's another game away from Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, and while it's listed as a home game, it still requires a bus ride, which Pittman said the team will do this week instead of flying.
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"To be honest with you, I just don’t know that it’s fair to the fans," Pittman said of playing at War Memorial Stadium. "I mean, they know where the University of Arkansas is. They can plan it, they can get here for games. I think they want to be here for games. There are problems with that, including the one for five here. I don’t know the answer to be honest with you in the future."
That “one for five” that Pittman referenced is the fact that Arkansas will play just one of their first five games of the season in Fayetteville this year.
As for the fans, the War Memorial Stadium staff has made some changes to the gameday experience, according to a report from THV11 in Little Rock. Last year, there were issues ranging from a lack of water (in extremely high temperatures) to mobile ticket scanner issues forcing delays for fans to get into the stadium.
THV11's report said this year officials are working to change that by increasing the amount of ticket scanners at entrances, as well as allowing empty water bottles for fans to fill at what they call "water monster" stations.
Officials also installed 18-foot-diameter fans on each side of the stadium to push air through the inside of the stadium, and concessions stands will have fans and water available to those in attendance.
Right now, the only scheduled game in the future that will be played at War Memorial Stadium is against Arkansas State in 2025, the first time the two in-state schools have teed off. Outside of that game, Pittman said there needs to be more conversation about the Hogs' future in Little Rock.
"I think the only concerning thing is that we’re going to play in our stadium once in the first five games," Pittman said. "One of them’s in Little Rock and one of them’s in Dallas ... There are problems with that, including the one for five here. I don’t know the answer to be honest with you in the future. Obviously we’re going to go play Arkansas State a year from now over there in Little Rock. But I think there’s a lot of conversation that probably needs to be had between now and 2026."
The Arkansas Razorbacks' season officially kicks off in two days. Be sure to stay tuned to HawgBeat for the latest in Arkansas football.
