FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Fans who traveled from all over to watch the Hogs take on Missouri State had mixed feelings as Bobby Petrino took the field on Saturday, Sept. 17.
"I'm glad he's back, we had a good run with him here and haven't been very good up until the last year or two but I'm glad he got a chance to come back and I think the fans will genuinely be happy that he's here," said Razorback fan John Bechtel.
Coach Petrino was Arkansas's head coach from 2008-2011 until he left. Ten years later most fans say there are no hard feelings.
“It was a bad deal the way he left but it was probably the right thing to do at the time. He made a big mistake, but I think he’s been forgiven, and he’s moved on so that’s good," Bechtel said.
After Petrino left, the Razorbacks went through three different head coaches and never found the success they had under Petrino's legacy.
“I think it’s a good thing for Arkansas. It really is because he took us to a place where he’s supposed to be all the time and I really think it’s a good thing for us,” said Razorback fan Rodney Dugal.
One fan said that under Petrino’s program, they had one of the best teams in history and now he hopes Pittman can rebuild the program.
“We’re supposed to be on top, we’re winners. Arkansas is a winner, we’re number one period,” Dugal said.
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