Sam Pittman addresses decision to move 2024 season opener to Thursday

The Arkansas Razorbacks 2024 season opener has been shifted to a Thursday night matchup just before the Labor Day weekend. A change like this would possibly get underneath the skin of some head coaches. But that cannot be said for the Razorbacks’ headman, Sam Pittman.

Following Arkansas’s spring game midway through April, the Razorbacks head coach addressed the shift to a Thursday night showdown. And surprisingly enough, he is a big fan of the change.

“You look at a few things when you go to Little Rock and No. 1 you really don’t want to take away from great football,” said Pittman. “So you don’t to take away from the Friday nights… if you play in September then what time do you want to play the game?”

In the South, football is practically its own religion. And what Pitman is referring to when it comes to not taking away from Fridays is how states like Arkansas rally around their high school football games. The Razorbacks are indeed loved, but something they don’t want to do is take away the spotlight from potential University of Arkansas stars of the future.

However, the biggest benefit to the Razorbacks hosting a night game is the opportunity to avoid the southern heat, which can be a nightmare to deal with in August.

“So everybody in Little Rock probably wants to play the game at night because it’s so dang hot,” he stated. “Well, if you play at night, then [if it’s not] a home game, we get home at 3:00 in the morning. It’s always early in the year. No.1, it’s a night game. So folks will be able to tailgate, and it won’t be as hot; it won’t be as hot on our guys. And you gain two days on your next opponent.

“I believe that was the best decision and really the only decision we could make other than saying; we’re going to go over there and play at night on our first game. That just didn’t give us any type of advantage at all. And I believe that will get people to come out and see us on the Thursday night over there.”

Arkansas will kick off the 2024 season on August 29 against the University of Arkansas Pine Bluff. That showdown with the Golden Lions, as Pittman pointed out, gives the Razorbacks a few days of extra rest before they head out West to take on the Big 12’s Oklahoma State Cowboys. The time for that matchup between the two progress of southern neighboring states has yet to be set. However, their matchup is scheduled to take place on Saturday, September 7. If Pittman has his way, the Arkansas head coach would likely prefer to keep that date which allows him his two extra days of preparation for the huge Big 12 SEC tilt.