What Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said ahead of his team's clash with Penn State football

Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman met the media on Wednesday alongside Penn State head coach James Franklin to preview the Outback Bowl.

The topics Pittman touched on included replacing a key playmaker, playing a bowl game in the current climate, and his impressions of the Penn State program.

Let’s take a look at what he said.

The absence of Treylon Burks

Penn State isn’t the only team without its primary threat on the offensive side of the ball.

Like Jahan Dotson, Arkansas wideout Treylon Burks elected to opt out of the bowl game as he prepares to make the jump to the NFL.

Burks finished the 2021 regular season with 1,123 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games. Understandably, that makes him a big miss for the Razorbacks.

“He’s our go-to guy,” Pittman said. “He was our big-play guy. Any time we got zero coverage or man coverage, everybody in the place knew we were going to throw him the ball. A lot of times he’d go make the play and a lot of times he’d score on it.”

Pittman said Arkansas plans to adopt a group approach to replace Burks. The staff knew since before the beginning of bowl practices that Burks wouldn’t play against Penn State.

“The ones getting ready to play are looking forward to the opportunity,” he said. “They’re young. But we recruited them for a reason. Hopefully they can make plays like Burks did.”

Playing a bowl game in the current climate

College football, and bowl season especially, has been rocked by a recent wave of positive COVID-19 tests as the Omicron variant spreads through the United States.

Five bowl games have already been canceled due to the pandemic.

Between COVID-related absences and opt-outs, a reporter asked Pittman if it crossed his mind not to play a bowl game this season.

“Once you wrap your mind around that the teams are different, you’re going to field a different football team. You’re probably going to find some surprises both ways from who’s out there,” Pittman said.

“But we have 120 on our team. The other 115 or 110 that are left right now, they deserve the opportunity to play. I don’t think either one of us — I don’t want to speak for [Coach Franklin] — are looking for a way out, we’re looking for a way in.”

As for the ongoing threat of positive COVID tests, Pittman said his players are aware of the precautions they should take ahead of the Penn State contest.

“I mean, the kids see it. They see this bowl locked out, this bowl locked out,” Pittman said. “There’s not a lot you have to say other than what we’re doing, wearing our masks in the building, all that kind of stuff.

“We’ve got to this far without losing guys to COVID — I know there’s new variants and all that right now. I think anytime you have a coaching staff and a team that wants to play the game, it’s not always that way, but it makes it easier to get the game going.

“I think Penn State wants to play, and we want to play.”

Pittman complimentary of Penn State

The Arkansas head coach offered a positive review of Penn State’s program in his opening statement. He noted that the Razorbacks are excited to take on the Nittany Lions and play in the Outback Bowl.

“I want everybody to know I have such great respect for Coach Franklin,” he said. “He and I have had some really good conversations over the last two times we were able to get together. I have great respect for Penn State University.”