Did Razorbacks Fans Really Expect Sarkisian to Acknowledge Them?

Asked about playing Texas A&M game, Texas coach doesn't get around to mentioning Arkansas, which isn't surprising

Texas coach Steve Sarkisian with the media SEC Media Days at the Omni Hotel in downtown Dallas. / James D. Smith-SEC

DALLAS — Maybe the team drawing the most interest at the SEC's annual media gathering was Texas. Everybody got their wish Wednesday downtown here when Steve Sarkisian took the stage.

Arkansas Razorbacks fans wanting him to hate them as much as the dislike for the Longhorns is didn't happen. He really didn't even acknowledge them unless you want to include it in the respect he has for coming into the conference.

Renewing their longtime rivalry with Texas A&M, though, did get his attention.

"it's a great game," Sarkisian said. "Like I said it divides households. It's interesting, our players, I listen to our players talk sometimes, and they're like, our players are probably way more excited for this game than most fans would probably think because we haven't played the game in a while."

For the Razorback fans that really do hate Texas more than they love the Hogs really has been a curiosity to me for over 60 years. I grew up in this state, went to games at a young age and saw it. All these years later, it's still quite hard to understand.

For there to be a true rivalry, you have to win more than just 30% of the time. That's about the average (24-55 all-time). You know it's bad when about all Arkansas fans have this days is to hope the Longhorns just try and sleepwalk through the game.

The guess is that's one of the things Sarkisian has been addressing for years before landing in the SEC, where he was Nick Saban's offensive coordinator. Razorback fans probably shouldn't expect a repeat of the Longhorns that came into Fayetteville in 2021 or played in the Texas Bowl in 2014. Nobody in orange was pumped about those games and they didn't have a roster nearly as talented top to bottom as this one.

But, just like the old Southwest Conference days, the Razorbacks hold the Longhorns' attention the week they play the game. They simply pat the Hogs' fans on the head while they are keeping eyes on Oklahoma and the Aggies. That annual game with the Sooners is one of the biggest rivalries in the country at the State Fair of Texas.

"This is the most unique game for sure that I've ever been a part of," Sarkisian said. He was also in the Iron Bowl between Alabama and Auburn so he's seen big games before. "When you pull into the State Fair and you start smelling those corn dogs and turkey legs and there's fans from both teams and then you get in those locker rooms and the locker rooms literally are 20 feet apart and you're staring at each team, and one goes first, the next one goes next, and it can get a little contentious in there, but that's okay."

You have to be there to really see it. Newspapers in Dallas run the arrest count from Friday night on the front pages Saturday morning. There have been times they shut downtown completely down with dividing ropes in the middle of the street on Friday night.

It's almost always an early game. It's hard to make it to a usually hot and sweaty afternoon at the Cotton Bowl and crowd from the Fair if you're nursing a hangover.

Arkansas fans might want to embrace this rivalry thing with Missouri. Their fans seem more interested in having a dislike of the Razorbacks than the Longhorns.

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