Arkansas coach Sam Pittman knows the weight of this weekend’s matchup with Notre Dame. Meeting with reporters Monday, Pittman broke down what he has seen from Marcus Freeman’s squad on both sides of the ball and reflected on the challenge ahead.
While acknowledging the talent and tradition of the Irish, he also pointed out the pressure his team faces in trying to flip outside perception. With Arkansas sitting at 2-2, Pittman stressed that winning games is the only way to change narratives.
From praise of Notre Dame’s offense and defense to his thoughts on matchups and even a personal memory tied to Lou Holtz, Pittman made clear that this game could be a defining moment for his program.
Pittman breaks down Notre Dame ahead of pivotal matchup
Pittman opened by recognizing Notre Dame’s offensive versatility.
“Excited to get the opportunity to play Notre Dame. It’s good to be home, glad to be back home. Really good football team, outstanding running backs, quarterback, tight end, wide outs. Really good offensively. O-line is good, running the ball more, now than what they did earlier in the year and it’s really working out. Having a lot of success,” he said.
On defense, Pittman highlighted Notre Dame’s pressure packages.
“Defensively, they’ve got some really good playmakers over there. Want to run man coverage, bring singles, disruptive on the defensive line with their movements. Really good team, they played good last week against Purdue, and really played well against (Texas) A&M, Miami, just came up short, a point and a field goal. Coach Freeman has done a wonderful job there. We’re looking forward to having a storied program like Notre Dame in our stadium.”
Asked if facing Notre Dame brings added weight, Pittman pointed to the internal pressure he already carries.
“It’d be kind of hard to have more pressure. I think the pressure you put on yourself is a lot because you want to do well, for a lot of reasons… We have an opportunity, the only way we can win people that don’t believe in us or win some more positive thoughts about our program is to win ball games.”
Pittman also addressed strategy, noting the importance of matchups. He singled out linebacker Drayk Bowen:
“I really like their Mike linebacker (Drayk) Bowen, he can run side to side. We have to get him wide, we just have to because he can run and he’s physical.”
Pittman added that his offense will prepare for multiple coverages while exploring whether to attack outside, inside, or with quarterback Taylen Green.
In a lighter moment, Pittman recalled crossing paths with former Arkansas and Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz.
“I was at his camp when I was a junior or sophomore in high school, still no relationship because he sure didn’t know who I was, nor should he have but I knew who he was.”
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