Pittman should be concerned as Razorbacks enter third week

Arkansas players battling themselves while preparing for season opener in 13 days

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman watching preseason practices outdoors in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-allHOGS Images

Sam Pittman's team is about to enter its most difficult week of preseason practice. That means it's also one of the most important weeks for the Razorbacks.

It's the always dreaded week three of workouts, when the best teams find a way to excel against the odds -- and the mediocre teams flounder and don't improve.

The obvious obstacles are:
• Fatigue
• Extreme heat
• Body aches
• Boredom

Did we say heat? Temperatures in Fayetteville will approach triple digits early in the week before plummeting to the low 90s through Saturday.

Aches and pains come with the game. Put on pads and expect to hurt a little. Guys are accustomed to that but it can be tougher to suffer with game day nowhere in sight and the humidity nearly as suffocating as the temperature.

Fatigue is the enemy of us all, including young and spry 20-year-old athletes.

Arkansas Razorbacks defensive back Caleb Wooden taking a break during preseason practices on the outdoor fields in Fayetteville, Ark. | Andy Hodges-allHOGS Images

Thing is, fatigue can be as much mental as physical. Learning new plays, sitting through meetings, processing the overall scheme -- it can wear a guy down as much as physical contact.

All of this can lead to a lack of concentration and sometimes effort that's less than 100%.

Factor in boredom — hard to imagine, right? — and any coach could find himself in charge of a football team that's coasting through week three.

What's that lead to, you might ask? How about missed assignments, penalties, sloppy technique and lack of execution.

Boredom can stem from repetition. Running the same plays over and over and over, but also hearing position coaches repeat themselves over and over — in the meetings, on the practice field, in the meetings, whenever someone makes a mistake.

Arkansas Razorbacks co-defensive coordinator Marcus Woodson points out instructions during preseason practice. | Andy Hodges-Hogs On SI Images

Boredom can also creep in from players being just plain tired of lining up against teammates in the dog days of August.

The Hogs are well aware their opening game is still 13 days away, on August 30 at Razorback Stadium against Alabama A&M.

The SEC Network will televise the 3:15 p.m. thriller. The Bulldogs finished fourth in the SWAC East a year ago, so appear to be little more than a season-opening warmup for the Hogs.

Don't forget this story is a cautionary tale, however. Pittman's Pigs will surely show up with a serious attitude in 13 days and likely romp to victory as an SEC team should against that "other" A&M.

But it's the journey to that opening kickoff that concerns Pittman and his hard-working staff. They know this better than the players but are surely preaching it:

Every day lost is one you don't get back, a day you failed to improve as a person, as a player, and as a team.

That's why this is one of the Hogs' most important weeks of practice this season. What they do on any day this week will make them better for the following day.

And each day of improvement means the fruit of their labor can show up down the road, like in the season's third game at Ole Miss, or in the featured home game against Notre Dame.