Sam Pittman breaks down meaning of Texas A&M rivalry, trophy game

On3 imageby:Justin Rudolph09/21/22

As Arkansas prepares to take on Texas A&M and one of the biggest matchups of week four in college football, head coach Sam Pittman broke down what this rivalry game means to the program. The Razorbacks and Aggies face off in the Southwest Classic, a rivalry that dates back to 1903. And with Arkansas heading into the matchup as the current owners of the Southwest Classic Trophy, Pittman explains the significance of keeping the trophy in Fayetteville, AR.

“Well, I think it’s a big rivalry for us,” said Pittman. “I think anytime you’ve lost nine of the last ten games; it means a lot to Arkansas because we haven’t been on the winning end of it. Certainly, nine out of ten, they beat us, but it’s a trophy game you as well know. It’s a big deal for us to win any of those trophy games; it’s a huge deal. We’ve got the trophy out this week and things of that nature, and obviously, we gotta take it down there. We certainly want to bring it back, but it means something to us. It certainly does.”

Since the Aggies joined the SEC in 2012, reigniting the rivalry, they have owned the Razorbacks. Before Arkansas beat Texas A&M last season, they had rattled off nine straight wins against the program, including a 58-10 victory in 2012. Last year, the Razorbacks’ defense kept the Aggies’ offense in check, limiting them to just 10 points for a 20-10 victory. But if Arkansas wants to leave Cowboys Stadium victorious on Saturday, they will have to rely on their star quarterback KJ Jefferson to lead the offense and dominate the Aggies.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

Pittman weighs in on the uniqueness of preparing for Saturday’s game vs. Texas A&M

Pittman also recently weighed in on the uniqueness of the atmosphere playing in the game and playing it in the home of the Dallas Cowboys.

“Those games are electric. It’s neat. You don’t normally walk into a stadium and it’s even-steven fans. The hotels have a similar number of occupants from different both teams. It’s really cool,” said Pittman.

“Being in Mr. (Jerry) Jones’ stadium is really neat… When I walked in, I went, holy cow. I mean, that thing is huge and nice… But there’s really something neat about that. It really is where both fans meet in a town.”