The introductory phase of the season is over. Now, the real work begins for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
UAPB finished non-conference play 1-3 and now has its bye week. The Golden Lions will return to action on Oct. 5 at Alcorn State to begin SWAC play.
Head Coach Alonzo Hampton said this week is all about the Golden Lions.
“We need to focus on us,” Hampton said. “We’re missing way too many tackles. We’ve still got guys that were here not playing up to the standard, the gold standard. It’s all about blocking and tackling, and we’re not doing a good job of tackling. We’re fitting it up right, and at times, some guys are not pulling the trigger when they’re seeing it on defense. That’s frustrating.”
The UAPB defense has struggled. Although the Golden Lions shut out NAIA opponent Arkansas Baptist, they have given up 55.7 points per game against Division I competition. Arkansas scored on every possession, and Central Arkansas’ starters only punted once.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Golden Lions have had the worst red zone defense in the SWAC so far, allowing 16 touchdowns on 18 red zone possessions. UAPB has also been the second-most penalized team in the SWAC, committing 37 infractions for 316 yards.
Hampton said UAPB must cut down on the penalties and other mistakes, which he partially attributed to youth.
“When you play a lot of young guys, their eyes kinda get big,” Hampton said. “They’re kind of hesitant, but again, I think we got like three or four freshmen, true freshmen that are playing that are making a lot of plays, but then they’re making some mistakes, and we just gotta cut down on those.”
The good news for the Golden Lions is the fact nothing which happened the past four weeks impacts their standing in the SWAC. They have the next two weeks of practice to address their issues and get ready for conference play, where they will attempt to improve from last year’s 1-7 performance.
Hampton said the bye week is an opportunity for the players to take a moment to refresh themselves mentally, but it is not a week off.
“Ain’t no resting around here,” Hampton said. “We’re going to go to work on Tuesday like a normal work week. So, we gotta get better but keep pushing our young guys. They need to grow up. It’s time. It’s football time. You only get so many opportunities, and we don’t want to waste it, especially the way our quarterback is playing right now and with the receivers that we got.”
UAPB won’t get a chance to ease into SWAC play. The Golden Lions’ first opponent, Alcorn State, was picked as the preseason favorite in the West Division.
After a road game against the Braves, UAPB will host Prairie View A&M on a Friday night, then travel to Grambling State. Those teams were picked to finish second and third, respectively, in the division, though the Panthers are off to a somewhat surprising 0-2 start to SWAC play with losses to Texas Southern and Southern.