FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. (AP) — Arkansas coach Sam Pittman is keen to go after constructive COVID-19 assessments induced him to overlook final week’s sport at Florida.

The primary-year coach watched his Razorbacks lose 63-35 to the Gators from his poolhouse in Fayetteville together with his canine, Lucy.

“It was troublesome,” Pittman mentioned. “You’re not there and you’re feeling like in case you have been you would possibly impression the sport. I missed being across the guys. It was arduous. Lucy don’t say a lot and he or she wasn’t an excessive amount of into the sport. I needed to be on my own.”

Pittman was anticipated to be cleared to rejoin the crew for Saturday’s house sport towards LSU as Arkansas (3-4) tries to get its finest season in a number of years again on observe.

LSU has struggled with COVID-19 points for a lot of the season.

The Tigers (2-3) have been compelled to cancel final week’s sport towards No. 1 Alabama. Coach Ed Orgeron remained hopeful the sport might be performed, however acknowledged that the window of alternative for the competition was a small one.

“We stay up for rescheduling Alabama each time they inform us to play,” Orgeron mentioned. “We need to play. We needed to play final week. We weren’t capable of play due to the protection of our gamers.”

Orgeron mentioned the sport towards Alabama was canceled due to a excessive variety of his gamers in quarantine because of contact-tracing, not due to a excessive variety of constructive COVID-19 assessments.

“Among the gamers who have been quarantined had already had COVID prior to now,” he mentioned. “That was protocol. I’m not a health care provider. I don’t make the foundations.”

Orgeron mentioned he anticipated most of these gamers to rejoin the crew this week.

LSU has not performed since Oct. 31, a 48-11 loss to Auburn. Due to the excessive variety of gamers in quarantine, the Tigers have been restricted in observe final week, Orgeron mentioned.

“We weren’t capable of scrimmage,” he mentioned. “We didn’t have sufficient to scrimmage.”

THE ORGERON TRAIL

Orgeron had by no means been a coordinator when he was employed at Ole Miss and wound up at LSU, the place the Tigers gained the nationwide championship final season. Pittman had no coordinator expertise when he was employed at Arkansas final December.

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Pittman praised the LSU coach for blazing the path for different non-coordinators to land head teaching jobs within the school ranks.

“I informed him that I imagine he gave us non-coordinators a possibility and perhaps it makes it simpler for athletic administrators to rent non-coordinators,” Pittman mentioned. “He was a D-line coach the vast majority of his life. There have been three, 4 others, however he actually began it for us to be head coaches.”

FINDING BURKS

Pittman mentioned the Razorbacks must proceed to search out methods to get sophomore Treylon Burks extra concerned within the offense. The sophomore, whom Orgeron mentioned he closely recruited as properly, has 34 catches for 508 yards and 5 touchdowns — all crew highs for the season.

“We do have to focus on him extra,” Pittman mentioned. “He has to turn out to be a greater observe participant. There are issues he can do … run higher routes. It’s not being adverse towards him. It goes hand-in-hand. It’s important to name performs to get him the ball and he’s set to work to get open.”

IT TAKES TWO

Orgeron indicated that freshman quarterbacks T.J. Finley and Max Johnson will take snaps Saturday. Myles Brennan, who was the starter earlier within the season, has not performed since early October after an harm. Finley is 30 of 45 for 408 yards and two touchdowns with three interceptions. Johnson is 15-of-24 passing for 172 yards with one landing and no interceptions.

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