Arkansas’ Sam Pittman impressed with Spencer Rattler’s debut, USC special teams
For the second week in a row, Shane Beamer will coach against one of his former colleagues.
Sam Pittman, Arkansas’ head coach, was Georgia’s offensive line coach while Beamer coached special teams and tight ends with the Bulldogs. The two worked together from 2016-17 before Beamer left for Oklahoma.
Arkansas is also 1-0, defeating No. 23 Cincinnati 31-24 at home on Saturday.
Ahead of USC’s matchup against the Razorbacks, Pittman cited Beamer’s knack for special teams that he inherited from his father, Frank. The Gamecocks scored its last two touchdowns against Georgia State on blocked punt returns.
South Carolina also faked a field goal in the first half — which led to a touchdown — and even attempted an onside kick during the game.
“It’s like anything. You emphasize it, you have a passion for it,” Pittman said. “Hopefully your team’s a little bit better at it, and they certainly are.”
Pittman also commented on the team’s new quarterback, Spencer Rattler.
He said he had a chance to watch some of the Gamecocks’ game live and felt that Rattler delivered a good performance. Rattler threw two interceptions to his one touchdown, but he did chip in 227 passing yards in his first game with the team.
“He plays like a guy that’s played before,” Pittman said. “Experienced, got a lot of poise. You can feel his confidence through the film.
“The whole team reacts, to me, a lot about what your quarterback does. You can kind of see that a little bit with South Carolina. They believe in him and he runs the show well.”
Like South Carolina, Arkansas experienced a noticeable regular season improvement from 2020 to 2021.
Pittman won just three games in his first season as the Razorbacks’ head coach, but won nine last year and finished the season in the AP Top 25. Beamer won seven games in his first season last year after the program won just two games in 2020.
Saturday’s game is an opportunity for both teams to continue their upward trajectory against an SEC opponent.
“I think they’re a really good SEC football team,” Pittman said. “But we’ve had time to get better as well, but I respect the job that they’ve done.”
Next USC football game
Who: USC at Arkansas
When: Noon Saturday
Where: Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark.
Watch: ESPN
Line: Arkansas by 8.5
This story was originally published September 6, 2022 at 11:47 AM with the headline "Arkansas’ Sam Pittman impressed with Spencer Rattler’s debut, USC special teams."
