Saturday’s home opener gives the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff a chance to move past last week’s lopsided defeat.
UAPB will host Arkansas Baptist at 7 p.m. at Simmons Bank Field with the SWAC Digital Network livestreaming the game.
Arkansas dominated UAPB (0-1) last Thursday in Little Rock, 70-0. UAPB coach Alonzo Hampton said this home game gives the Golden Lions a chance to get that “bad taste” out of their mouths.
“We need to impose our will on (Arkansas Baptist),” Hampton said. “We need to run the football. We need to throw the football. We need to play good all the way around. For us, obviously, you want to get back on the field when you get whooped the way we got whooped.”
Arkansas Baptist (1-0) is coming off a 26-6 home win against John Melvin University from Crowley, La., but UAPB should provide a much tougher test for the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics program.
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Buffaloes are four years removed from playing in the junior college ranks. Last year, they lost 66-0 at Houston Christian in their first game against a Football Championship Subdivision opponent.
Hampton said despite playing at different levels, the fact Baptist is coming off a win will mean the Buffaloes will bring confidence with them to Pine Bluff.
“They gonna come in here thinking they can win the game,” Hampton said. “We’re the bigger team. We expect to win this game, but our guys gotta also go out there and put the work in. … When you get an opportunity to go out there and play against an opponent, you need to step up to the challenge, and our guys have a challenge in front of them.”
UAPB needs improvement in every phase of the game from last week. Arkansas scored a touchdown on every possession while racking up 687 yards of offense. UAPB finished with 123 passing yards and 7 rushing yards. The silver lining was a lack of turnovers and relatively few penalties.
Hampton said the Golden Lions missed a few opportunities, but the bulk of the result came from Arkansas being an SEC program. He said UAPB won’t change any of its systems or plays after one game against a Power Four opponent.
“We had guys in position,” Hampton said. “We didn’t have busted coverages. You may have had a guy (who) stuck his head inside and he couldn’t get back outside and do what he was supposed to do. We had guys that were supposed to fit. They just didn’t make the plays. That’s why those guys are in the SEC.”
UAPB won’t have to worry about facing SEC talent this week. The strength of UAPB’s first two opponents is about as far apart as possible.
According to the SP+ ranking system, Arkansas ranks as the 27th best team in the nation entering this week’s action. Arkansas Baptist ranks 698th out of 764 teams which play in the NCAA or NAIA.
For context, that ranking system places UAPB at 358th. Miles College, an NCAA Division II program which was UAPB’s lower-level opponent last season, ranks 357th. The Golden Lions beat Miles 21-20 in last year’s home opener.