Editor’s Note: This is the first installment in a series previewing UAPB’s opponents.
The first college football game of the 2024 season in Arkansas will be an in-state showdown in the state capital.
The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff will head to Little Rock to face the Arkansas Razorbacks at War Memorial Stadium for a Thursday night battle, which will be the second-ever meeting between the schools. The game is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 29 and will air on ESPNU.
While UAPB features a head coach in Alonzo Hampton who is working on rebuilding a program early in his tenure, Arkansas’ head man is entering his fifth year in charge facing questions about his future.
Since hiring Sam Pittman in 2020, the Razorbacks have gone 23-25 with an 11-23 SEC record. Arkansas won nine games in Pittman’s second season but has fallen in the standings each year since. Last year, the Hogs went 4-8 and won just one SEC contest.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
With a road trip to Oklahoma State, last year’s Big 12 runner-up, awaiting the Razorbacks the following week, Pittman can’t afford anything other than a strong showing in the opener against UAPB.
For all their troubles in SEC play last season, the Razorbacks had little problem in last year’s Little Rock game against FCS foe Western Carolina. Arkansas won 56-13 after scoring three first-quarter touchdowns. The Hogs led 35-3 at halftime.
The Hogs went 3-0 against non-Power Five opponents, though Kent State hung with Arkansas for a half. The Razorbacks led 14-6 at halftime before pulling away for a 28-6 win.
The Hogs had several close calls, with five of their losses coming by one possession. They finished the year ranked 10th out of 14 SEC schools in scoring offense with 26.6 points per game and 12th in scoring defense, allowing 27.9 points per game.
Arkansas will be led by a new starting quarterback this season after KJ Jefferson transferred to the University of Central Florida. Jefferson’s backup last season, Jacolby Criswell, transferred to North Carolina.
Boise State transfer Taylen Green took the first team reps in spring practice. Green, a redshirt junior, completed 57% of his passes last season with the Broncos, throwing 11 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Every other quarterback on the Arkansas roster is a freshman.
Green will have plenty of weapons to work with as Arkansas’ top eight receivers from last year all return. Senior wide receiver Andrew Armstrong led the way with 56 catches for 764 yards and five touchdowns.
Pittman and offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino have had to rebuild the running back group. Rashod Dubinion, a junior, is the only returning running back with more than one carry last season. He was the Razorbacks’ third-leading rusher with 260 yards and one touchdown on 82 carries.
Arkansas signed three transfers to fill the void. Utah transfer Ja’Quinden Jackson rushed for 797 yards and four touchdowns last season, while Florida State transfer Rodney Hill rushed for 334 yards and two touchdowns. The Hogs also brought in a junior college running back, Tyrell Reed from Hutchinson (Kan.) Community College, who rushed for 833 yards and 13 touchdowns as a freshman last year.
Defensively, Arkansas is led by its only returning All-SEC selection, defensive end Landon Jackson. He led the team with 13.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks. He made 44 total tackles and will be a challenge for the UAPB offensive line.
The only prior meeting between UAPB and Arkansas came on Oct. 23, 2021. The Razorbacks won 45-3 in Little Rock.