Simmons Bank Field has been tough on most visiting teams this year, and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Coach Alonzo Hampton is calling on the fans to help keep it that way this week.
“We gonna need the 12th man, which is our fans, to come out and show out and be nasty like them fans were at Jackson State, man,” Hampton said. “Them some nasty people down there, but I love it. … That’s what we want our program to be consistently every game, have that fan support. They were talking trash, so I like it.”
The Golden Lions will host Alabama A&M, at 2 p.m. Saturday on the SWAC Digital Network, looking to maintain their winning record in Pine Bluff.
UAPB (3-6, 2-3 SWAC) is 3-1 at home, 2-0 in SWAC games. The Golden Lions outscored Prairie View A&M and Mississippi Valley State by a combined 56-38 at home.
Hampton said playing in front of the home crowd has been great for UAPB so far this year.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
“This place has been pretty good for the home games,” Hampton said. “Simmons Bank Field, it’s kind of been a 12th man for us, so we’re looking forward to that. We’re going to need it this week, because like I said, (Alabama A&M coach Connell) Maynor, man, I think he’s one of the best offensive (coaches) in college football, not just the SWAC.”
Alabama A&M (3-5, 1-3) enters this week winless away from home. The Bulldogs lost true road games to Auburn and Austin Peay and neutral site games against Jackson State and Alabama State.
This will be Alabama A&M’s first true road game of SWAC play and first overall since Sept. 21. The Bulldogs were scheduled to play at Florida A&M on Sept. 28, but that game was rescheduled for Nov. 29 due to Hurricane Helene.
Maynor said winning in Pine Bluff will be a challenge for his team.
“It’s the SWAC, man,” Maynor said. “It’s always tough. It’s tough to get wins. It’s even tougher to get wins on the road. Coach Hampton is doing a great job with those guys. He got those guys believing in Lion football, man. They flying around on defense. They got explosive offense with the quarterback and the wide receiver that’s leading the league, so we got our hands full.”
Two of UAPB’s remaining three games will be at home, while three of Alabama A&M’s final four will be on the road.
UAPB schedules practice around Election Day
Most weeks, UAPB gives the players Monday off from practice.
This week, the Golden Lions reworked their schedule. UAPB held practice Monday so the players could have Tuesday off, giving them time to vote in Tuesday’s general election.
Hampton said though the election caused the schedule change, he was glad to have practice earlier than usual following last weekend’s 41-3 loss at Jackson State.
“We want to promote citizenship and give them the opportunity to voice their vote, but we needed to get on the practice field today, man, because that whooping we took, I don’t like it,” Hampton said. “Our players don’t like it; coaches don’t like it. It’s time to get back to the drawing board. As a competitor, you want to get back on that field as fast as possible.”
The loss to JSU was the first in conference play by more than 10 points this season.
Headset issues
UAPB faced some technical issues in Saturday’s game at Jackson State.
The headsets the coaches in the press box use to communicate with the coaches on the sideline didn’t work. Hampton, offensive coordinator Tony Hull and defensive coordinator David Calloway all coach from the sideline, but they didn’t have input from the assistants in the booth who can see the entire field.
The press box assistants left at halftime and spent the second half on the sideline. Since UAPB didn’t have working headsets, Jackson State also had to abandon the technology.
Hampton said he doesn’t know why the headsets didn’t work, but the Golden Lions won’t use it as an excuse for what happened on the field.
“They were more physical than we were, but obviously, you’d like to be able to talk to the guys in the booth,” Hampton said. “That’s what we practiced, right? And to be able to get the adjustments, but at the end of the day, that game is gone. … We need to take care of business this week. Hopefully, now we’re at home our headsets will work.”