FAYETTEVILLE -- The University of Arkansas began full-scale work on its game plan for Georgia on Friday, eight days away from the season opener against the Bulldogs on Sept. 26 at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
First-year Coach Sam Pittman said Friday's work was strong, coming on the heels of what he described as the best practice of camp in Tuesday's workout.
"I was proud of the assignment football that occurred in practice and the physicality of it," Pittman said of Tuesday's practice No. 18 out of the 25 allowed by the NCAA. "I thought it was a physical practice on both sides of the ball. Not a lot of mistakes. No balls on the ground. We were not throwing interceptions. I thought it was a nice, crisp practice."
Pittman said he was also pleased with Friday's work on another mild afternoon with the Razorbacks in shells.
"It was just base, first- and second-down starting situations that we have in today, the base run game, base protections, the base defense against what we think they're going to do on first and second down, but it went really well," Pittman said.
"The excitement was high today. The music at stretch was the best it's ever been, so the guys were all excited and they were revved up to go."
Scholarship awards
Coach Sam Pittman said on Friday that he had awarded scholarships to two walk-on players, Luke Jones and Simeon Blair.
Jones is a redshirt sophomore from Pulaski Academy who transferred prior to last season from Notre Dame. The 6-5, 294-pounder has been in the mix for a starting job at left guard and is one of six players who could play center if needed.
Blair is a redshirt sophomore defensive back from Pine Bluff High School who has gotten some time on the top couple of defensive units and is a special-teams staple.
SEC mandates
SEC football games can be rescheduled or declared a no-contest this season if one team does not meet benchmark roster requirements.
A game could be rescheduled or called off if a team does not have at least 53 scholarship players available, including 1 scholarship quarterback; 7 scholarship offensive linemen, including at least 1 scholarship center; or 4 scholarship defensive linemen available at the time of kickoff, according to SEC protocols announced Friday.
Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said those requirements had been discussed in a coaches meeting and the Razorbacks could meet them.
"Those will all be minimal requirements to play," he said. "I feel very, very, very confident that we'll be able to do that. We have three more tests, but I feel very confident that our kids will be able to quarantine themselves and stay in this bubble that we've been staying in and get to the game."
The roster minimums are not required to play a game, meaning a team could elect to play if it falls under one or more benchmarks. According to the SEC, a team can request a game be rescheduled for "compelling reasons," regardless of roster minimums. In the event a game cannot be rescheduled it will be declared a no-contest. SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey will have the final say on which games are rescheduled or called off.
Teams typically have 85 players on scholarship, plus several walk-ons to create a 120-man eligible roster. However, rosters are expected to be limited at times this season due to covid-19-related protocols.
The Razorbacks have started testing three times per week.
Equality patch
Some athletes at the University of Arkansas will wear jerseys that include the word "equality" stitched into the uniform top this season.
UA Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek told the school's board of trustees on Thursday that representatives from the Razorbacks' Student-Athlete Advisory Committee and African-American Athlete Leadership Council requested to wear the patches. The patches also will include the Razorback logo and the outline of the state of Arkansas.
The NCAA passed legislation earlier this year that allows players to express viewpoints on the front or back of their jerseys, similar to the NBA.
"What I asked our student leadership groups to do was to come forward to me with something that was not divisive, not controversial, and I think they nailed it," Yurachek told the trustees. "How they defined equality: Equality is about ensuring every individual -- regardless of race, gender, religious beliefs or sexual orientation -- has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives or talents."
According to the NCAA, patches on the front of a jersey cannot exceed 2 ¼ square inches. Athletes are not required to wear the patches, but patches that are worn must be identical throughout a team.
Yurachek said the patches will first appear on the Razorbacks' men's and women's cross country uniforms during today's meet at LSU, and on the soccer team's uniforms for today's home game against LSU.