Sam Pittman on Mississippi State game: 'We have to win'

2-5 is not the record that Arkansas was expecting to have to this point this season. That’s why, with a chance to end their losing streak on Saturday, Sam Pittman is making it plain and simple to his program.

Pittman’s answer was very clear when it comes to the importance of this weekend’s game during his press conference on Monday. He stated that their matchup with Mississippi State is clearly a must-win for the Razorbacks and left no questions about it.

“We’ve got to win,” said Pittman as he shrugged at the podium. “We have to win, we have to win on Saturday.”

Besides the obvious, Pittman said a win over the Bulldogs is vital for the ‘Hogs to still accomplish some of their goals. He expects Arkansas to respond too as he almost feels as if they’re due because of the position that they’ve put themselves in.

“When the season starts, you have all these goals,” Pittman explained. “There are still some on that we had. They may have been down here to get up here but there are still some attainable goals that we have.

“Our kids know – I’m going to talk to them today about it. But this game on Saturday is a big, big game for us,” said Pittman. “They all are but when you keep backing yourself up into a corner? At some point, you’ve got to go forward.”

If nothing else, Arkansas’ next game is about proving a point. Pittman knows that he has a quality team in Fayetteville. Now, in order to show that to everyone else, both he and his players understand that a win against the Bulldogs is required.

“We’ve proven that we’ve got a pretty good football team. We haven’t proven we can win,” Pittman admitted. “So we’ve got to do that on Saturday. I think our kids understand that.”

Pittman confirms Sanders won’t play vs. Mississippi State, uncertain on remainder of the season

Arkansas RB Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders will not play on Saturday against Mississippi State. Sam Pittman revealed as much on Monday.

It will be the fifth game that Sanders has missed this season as he struggles to overcome a knee injury he suffered in the season opener. Additionally, it is the second straight contest Sanders will sit out after he did not travel with the team to Tuscaloosa to play Alabama last weekend. When asked if Sanders will return at all this season, Pittman admitted that he was unsure.

“I don’t know. I really don’t,” he said. “He’s not gonna play on Saturday. But I really don’t know. It just depends on how he feels and the progression of his rehab.”