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2020 Opponent Preview: Arkansas’ Climb From Below The Ground Floor

Note: A version of this story will appear in the Blue & Gold Illustrated 2020 Football Preview magazine in June. This is the fifth installment of the 2020 Notre Dame opponent previews. Prior ones are listed at the bottom of this story.

Arkansas Quick Facts

Date, location: Sept. 12, Notre Dame Stadium

All-time series: First meeting

Head coach: Sam Pittman, first season

2019 results: 2-10, 0-8 SEC

Returning starters: 14 (8 offense, 6 defense)

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Arkansas sophomore wide receiver Treylon Burks
Former four-star recruit Treylon Burks was a freshman standout for Arkansas in 2019. (USA TODAY © Tim Heitman | 2019 Sep 28)

Whatever Sam Pittman becomes as a head coach, he has one direction where he cannot take Arkansas.

Backward.

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Pittman, a first-time NCAA head coach in his second stint at Arkansas, is a gamble more than most coaching hires. He has never been a coordinator and is on a steeper curve. But it will be hard to outdo the prior two years’ mess. Arkansas was 4-20, lost every SEC game and dropped four games against Group of Five teams. Chad Morris departed as the only coach in school history not to win a conference game.

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