Petrino hopes reset of Razorback schedule ahead of Texas A&M pays dividends

Interim coach adjusted Arkansas’ weekly plan, with Sunday film sessions and conditioning to reset after the Tennessee loss.

Arkansas Razorbacks interim head coach Bobby Petrino during the second half against the Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium. | Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It was pretty clear from the day Bobby Petrino took over Arkansas football he was going to do it his way.

That's exactly the way things started have after a 34-31 loss to Tennessee in his first game as the interim head coach.

The Razorbacks had practice Sunday to start gearing up for a Saturday showdown with No. 4 Texas A&M (6–0, 3–0 SEC). The game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. at Razorback Stadium on ESPN.

Petrino’s shift reverses the prior regime’s approach. Former head coach Sam Pittman had typically allowed Sundays off and delayed film review until Monday.

Under Petrino’s plan, Sunday is now used for a team meeting and immediate film breakdown, followed by conditioning work for primary players and individual practice for backups.

“That’s one of the reasons I like coming in on Sunday,” Petrino said at his Monday media session. “I like to get in and have a good team meeting, go through the special teams and then watch the entire video with our position coaches.

“The guys that played a lot ran and conditioned, mostly to get the soreness out,” he said. “It helps you get better for today.”

Petrino added that parts of the roster that didn’t see much action will practice to work on improvement, and any player who prefers practice over conditioning is welcome.

“That’s what helps you get the game behind you and move forward,” he said. “Today is an off day for them and tomorrow, when we get to grinding, everything’s just on A&M.”

Rivalry context and series trends

Texas A&M has dominated recent meetings, winning nine straight between 2012 and 2020, and 12 of the last 13 overall.

In contrast, Petrino’s won three in a row against A&M from 2009–11, shortly after their rivalry was revived under the “Southwest Classic” banner. That was the first three games in the Southwest Classic.

“I remember being down 18 at halftime one time (in 2011) and being able to come back and find a way to win,” he said. “They’re a school with a lot of resources. They’ve got good players. They’ve got experienced players up front.”

He emphasized that Arkansas will have to execute well in all phases to be competitive deep into the game.

The Razorbacks’ current focus is breaking a four-game losing streak and each defeat came against a ranked opponent.

Losses to Ole Miss (41–35), Memphis (32–31), and Notre Dame (56–13) preceded the recent 34–31 setback at Tennessee. Consistency has been elusive for Hogs, but Petrino’s experience and familiarity with SEC competition is what provides fans hope for a potential stabilizer for a team searching for balance.

Key personnel and injury updates

Texas A&M will be without star running back Le’Veon Moss, who sustained a knee injury in the Aggies’ 34–17 win over Florida.

Moss rushed for 117 yards on 13 carries in last year’s win over Arkansas and ranks 11th in the SEC in rushing with 64.8 yards per game.

In his absence, Rueben Owens II (327 yards on 56 carries, 5.8 yards per carry, 1 touchdown) is expected to assume primary backfield duties.

The Aggies will also turn to redshirt sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed, a player Petrino knows well from his tenure as A&M’s offensive coordinator in 2023.

Reed was redshirting that season behind Max Johnson, Conner Weigman and Jaylen Henderson.

While Petrino complimented the Razorbacks for their competitiveness in Knoxville, he emphasized the need for cleaner execution.

“We had too many errors in some of our fits on defense and some of our support on defense,” he said. “Offensively we had too many errors on taking care of the football and protections. We made a couple of bad errors on protections.”

He praised the players’ energy despite the defeat. “It still showed up that we played extremely hard. We were very, very competitive.

“I liked the way we played with emotion and excitement. But we’ve got to actually play the game of football better to get a win like that.”

Arkansas’s trajectory and Petrino’s message

The Razorbacks’ current stretch includes a ninth consecutive one-score road loss dating to late 2022, despite outscoring opponents 462–425 in those contests.

Petrino’s structural tweaks starting with Sunday film review and conditioning are designed to move forward faster after setbacks.

He said the new approach allows players to process and correct mistakes before the next practice begins.

“Get the game behind you and move forward,” Petrino said. “When we meet Tuesday, everything is Texas A&M.”

Petrino’s focus for the second half of the season centers on eliminating critical mistakes, improving protection schemes and establishing second-half discipline.

“We’ve got to play the game the way it’s supposed to be played,” he said. “If we do that, we’ll have our opportunities in the fourth quarter.”

The former Arkansas head coach’s familiarity with A&M and the SEC West landscape may offer a short-term advantage.

As the Razorbacks enter the home stretch of an unforgiving schedule, their ability to embrace Petrino’s methods could determine whether the season stabilizes or spirals.

Key takeaways

• Bobby Petrino has replaced Sunday off days with immediate team meetings, film review and conditioning to accelerate recovery and focus.
• Arkansas must cut down on defensive alignment errors and offensive protection breakdowns to remain competitive.
• Without Le’Veon Moss, Texas A&M will lean on Rueben Owens II and Marcel Reed to lead the offense against Arkansas.