SEC coach not fan of Petrino's comments about Neyland Stadium atmosphere

Razorbacks' interim coach believes 'it'll be louder' against Tennessee than Vaught-Hemingway

Arkansas Razorbacks offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino before game with Tennessee Vols at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Michael Morrison-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — It didn't take Arkansas Razorbacks interim coach Bobby Petrino long to ruffle feathers of another SEC coach this weekend, letting a stray bullet fly Monday as his team prepares for its first game without fired coach Sam Pittman.

While this certainly isn't the first road environment his team has experienced this season, Petrino mentioned that this weekend's game in front of what should be filled to the brim with 101,915 checkered fans for Champions Weekend.

"You always want to go into a hostile environment and have fun with it," Petrino said during Monday's press conference. "I felt like at Ole Miss, we did a really nice job by handling the noise, the communication. Knock on wood, didn't have pre-snap penalties. I thought the experience for Taylen and those guys were right on."

While Petrino was impressed by his offense's ability to play up to his standards, mostly in the first half, the Razorbacks were only able to score a single touchdown in the second half.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green scrambling against the Ole Miss Rebels at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

A fumble in the closing two minutes was one of the first of three nails that did Pittman's tenure in, but it was Petrino's next comments that caught a humorous post from Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin that mocked his comments.

"I feel like, we'll go in there and handle it well, I'm optimistic," Petrino said. "It is different. It'll be louder, it'll be more hostile than Ole Miss was, but we've got to do a good job preparing for it. What that says is that you come off the practice field with a headache every day because that noise you play out there is awful. Now you don't play that, but just the noise that you have to make, you know, between plays and all that, so you can call the play and it's it makes for a stressful time and but it's fun."

'It'll be louder' - Arkansas HC Bobby Petrino hits Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss with a stray while discussing road matchup against Tennessee - A to Z Sports ⁦@OleMissFB⁩ shots fired https://t.co/BfatrSjUxM

— Lane Kiffin (@Lane_Kiffin) October 6, 2025

Sure, Neyland Stadium doubles Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in size, but the Rebels' fanbase continue to make Oxford a premier place to play in the SEC since Kiffin took over in 2020.

Round 2 in Neyland

When Petrino returned to the sideline following his ouster from the Razorbacks, he found a landing spot at Western Kentucky for the 2013 season, taking over for Willie Taggart.

The Hilltoppers finished No. 31 in total offense, recording 486 yards and 31 points per game, which brought the program relevance for powerful offense.

This was one of craziest sequences I’ve ever seen in a college football game. Western Kentucky turned the ball over 5 times in 6 plays against Tennessee in 2013 pic.twitter.com/ByPsso8sqe

— zach ragan (@zachTNT) February 21, 2023

Petrino's lone game in Knoxville is likely a forgetful experience as he watched his team commit five turnovers in a matter of six plays. Tennessee went onto squeeze out a 20-13 victory.

Tennessee's defense hasn't been as stout when compared to recent years under fifth-year coach Josh Heupel. The Volunteers' currently rank No. 76 nationally yielding more than 373 yards and are No. 103 giving up over 29 points per game this fall.

While the Volunteers are just a mere (-1) in turnover margin this season, its defense has forced eight turnovers over the first five games.

The Razorbacks have been prone to the turnover bug over the first quarter of the season, committing eight turnovers of their own, which ranks No. 98 among FBS teams. Petrino knows his offense must get its mental edge back to pull off a potential upset this weekend.

"We got to get back to our mental state, making sure that we're getting out on the field and we're tough and believe in each other and expect to go score every time we touch the ball," Petrino said on the Chuck and Bo Show Monday. "I felt like those first four games, our guys did that. They played with great speed and effort. We were able to protect the quarterback and not turn the ball over, except for twice. But we got to get that back."