Watch: Hogs Coach Sam Pittman with Media on Wednesday

Bye week chance to get some players healthy before going to Auburn

Author:
Andy Hodges
Publish date:
Oct 19, 2022 8:44 PM EDT

In this story:

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — All the walking wounded may be back for Arkansas against Auburn, but Sam Pittman isn't taking chances.

With a bye week, the Razorbacks are going to have just walk-through practices this week.

"We won't have enough," Pittman said Wednesday in his only media availability this week. "

He's not talking about just the starters or backups expected to see considerable playing time. He would rather just have one or two walk-throughs.

"Going into this bye week, if we did (normal practics), I'd be really concerned about not only our one's and two's, but the scout team getting us prepared for the rest of the year," he said.

What he's hoping is basically taking a week off on the field has them refreshed physically when they get to Auburn.

"We basically go through five segments and they’re situational," he said about the walk-through practices. "It’s all situational, team run, things of that. It’s just to slow down pace."

It also gives quarterback KJ Jefferson a chance to work out some of the bumps and bruises he's had just over halfway through the season. No throwing for him, nursing a sore shoulder, so no throwing probably means the soreness is in that right shoulder.

"We've kind of been cornered into what we're doing now," Pittman said.

That's probably normal with a bye week at this point, but this team has been hit with some injuries to key players and it's caused problems, particularly on defense.

"We’ll come back and have a regular work week starting on Monday," Pittman said on the SEC Teleconference earlier in the day. "Our biggest concern is mentally getting prepared. We’re watching a lot of film on Auburn and getting healthy. Those are our two biggest concerns."