Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman officially began his fifth season with the Razorbacks on a high note after the team's 70-0 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but now it's time for a much tougher test in the No. 17 Oklahoma State Cowboys on Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
This will mark the 47th meeting between the two teams, and Arkansas leads the series 30-15-1. The last meeting came back on Sept. 20, 1980, when then-No. 17 Arkansas secured a 33-20 win over the Cowboys at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
"We’re excited to go to Stillwater and play Oklahoma State," Pittman said Monday. "I have a ton of respect for Coach (Mike) Gundy, I mean going into 20 years now at Oklahoma State University. He’s just done a phenomenal job. I have a lot of respect for him and the way he handles his program. They have 17 to 18 returning starters, played really well Saturday."
Oklahoma State opened its season with a 44-20 win over reigning FCS national champs South Dakota State. Star running back Ollie Gordon II is the name to know for the Cowboys, as the 6-foot-2, 225-pound junior won the Doak Walker Award last year after rushing for 1,732 and 21 touchdowns.
The Razorbacks and Cowboys are set for an 11:00 a.m. CT kickoff Saturday at Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The game will be televised on ABC.
Here's everything Pittman had to say about Oklahoma State, from the Cowboys' offensive skill positions to the environment at Boone Pickens Stadium:
Cowboys loaded at skill positions
In Oklahoma State's Week 1 victory over South Dakota State, the Cowboys racked up 394 total yards of offense with 23 first downs and zero turnovers. The Razorbacks will likely offer a stiffer defensive test than the Jackrabbits, but defending the skill positions will still be a major chore.
"Offensively, they have a ton of skill, really good at the skill spots, starting with the quarterback (Alan) Bowman," Pittman said. "Then Ollie Gordon (II) is certainly as good as any running back in the country. It starts with Brennan Presley. They love to get the ball to him. He’s a fantastic returner as well.
"And then I like the (De'Zhaun) Stribling kid they got out of Washington State. He’s done a really good job at wideout, and they already had (Rashod) Owens. Then they have their entire offensive line coming back who’s really playing well together. So you know they went to the Big 12 championship game last year and look to be headed north on that as well this year."
Interestingly, Oklahoma State only averaged 3.8 yards per rush against South Dakota State and it took Gordon a whopping 27 carries to eclipse the 100-yard mark. The Cowboys' receivers are fast, though, so Arkansas' secondary will be stressed in this Week 2 matchup.
"If you press them, they’re going to test you," Pittman said. "They have so many things they can do with the RPO, with handing it off to Gordon and then their bubble game, their screen game is a big part of what they do.
"They didn’t do it as much Saturday as what I think they — well, what I know they’ve done in the past, but if you press them, they’re going to go deep on you. If you don’t, you’re going to have the bubble or hand the ball off because normally you’re in a box that’s, number-wise, is going to give them an advantage handing the ball off to Gordon."
Defensive game-changers in the trenches
On the defensive side of the ball, Oklahoma State allowed 388 total yards of offense but was especially exploited in the backend. The Cowboys allowed 264 yards through the air (7.1 yards per attempt) but did force an interception.
The biggest contributors are pass-rusher Collin Oliver and linebacker Nick Martin, who were named to All-Big 12 Teams last season for their efforts. On Saturday, Martin finished with 10 total tackles, a tackle for loss and a sack, while Oliver notched two total tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack.
"Defensively, they have some outstanding players over there as well, starting with Collin Oliver and Nicholas Martin," Pittman said. "Those two guys are game changers. I really like their D-line, Collin Clay, obviously he was here for I think a year. Putnam City I believe, young man. He’s playing extremely well.
"Then I like Kody Walterscheid, just a big, physical defensive end. And they’ve got Kendal Daniels who is their "Sam", who I think was second on their team in tackles last year behind Martin. Then Trey Rucker, he’s a tackling machine. What we saw off of film is that they tackle extremely well. They play hard. They’re sound. Just a well, well-coached football team."
Envrionment will be rocking at Boone Pickens Stadium
Arkansas fared far better on the road during conference play than at home during the 2023 season. Not only did the Razorbacks play each of their true away opponents within a single possession, they picked up their lone SEC win in Gainesville, Florida, against the Gators.
The Hogs will need a little more of that road magic to spring an upset at Boone Pickens Stadium, which is "very, very loud", according to Pittman.
"We went in there and got beat when I was at OU," Pittman said. "Very, very close — as in, they can stand up and look right on top of you. We talked to our players and coaching staff about that as well, because we can’t let their fans be a distraction to us when we’re trying to learn on the sideline or trying to talk about the next series or whatever it may be.
"But it’s extremely close. I think it’s the closest one in the country. Extremely loud. I think they have 55,000, but it’s a loud stadium, so we’ve talked about that. Crowd noise will be a huge part of this week’s preparation and we started that on Saturday."
Physicality to play bigger role than schematics
Games are won and lost in the trenches, and Oklahoma State returns an experienced offensive line that features seven players who made multiple starts in 2023.
With experience comes an extra level of physicality, something Pittman said he believes will play a larger role in the game's outcome than schematics.
“You just don't see mistakes," Pittman said. "But they are a very physical group. Movement doesn't seem to bother them, which it would [with an] inexperienced line or an inexperienced player next to an experienced guy. But these guys have been playing together for a long time, and I think they have a lot of confidence in them.
"So again, I think this game, more than surprising somebody or schematics, I think this is going to be a, ‘You're going to have to go whip somebody,’ and physically, to win. So I don't think there's going to be a whole lot of mistakes. I just think there's going to be a slobber knocker a little bit.”
Cowboys' QB Alan Bowman perfect fit in offense
You don't see a seventh-year signal caller every day in college football, but Oklahoma State has one in Alan Bowman.
The former Texas Tech and Michigan transfer has registered over 9,000 passing yards during his career with 52 touchdowns, 32 interceptions and a 64.7% completion percentage.
Last season, Bowman completed 59.7% of his throws for 3,058 yards, 13 touchdowns and 12 interceptions, but he started his 2024 campaign on a stronger foot. Against South Dakota State, Bowman finished 25-of-34 in the pass game for 267 yards and three scores through the air.
"Their offense fits him perfectly in my opinion," Pittman said. "I mean he can — they don’t run him quite as much. He’s sneaky, they ran him in a draw the other day and he made good yardage on that. But, what they’re asking him to do, he can do it and do it well. Gets the ball out extremely fast, it’s hard to get to him, hard to sack him.
"'A' because they’re good at protection, but 'B' because he gets rid of the ball. But with that bubble, GOs, RPOs, he’s really good at that. I think he probably knows their offense as good as anybody does, as good as the head coach does. So, he’s a really good player and what they do with him is right down his wheelhouse. Really playing well, takes care of the football."
