Ghosts, Scoreless Streaks, Amazing Beginnings of Hogs-Horns

There is good news for Arkansas fans when digging deep into the series record with Texas

Texas Longhorns mascot, Bevo XV, poses for the camera before UT's football game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium earlier this season. / Daniel Dunn-Imagn Images

Call it the ghost of Darrell Royal. Call it circumstance. Call it coincidence. Call it luck.

But the most amazing stat I heard all week was ... well, it got updated Saturday when Arkansas lost to Texas.

When Arkansas lost to Texas again, I should say. The 20-10 defeat at the hands of the hated 'Horns was nothing new to Fayetteville fans. In games played in beautiful Northwest Arkansas, Texas owns a baffling 18-4 advantage.

How does a team lose all but four of 22 home games against a hated rival? Well, you can't really pin it on Royal, or his ghost.

Royal, of course, is the legendary Longhorns coach who won three national titles. Texas named their stadium after Royal, an All American in 1949 for Oklahoma.

University of Texas athletic director and former head coach Darrell Royal relaxes with a guitar at the offices of Tree Publishing Co. on Feb. 23, 1979. Royal was in Music City for a visit to the Nashville Songwriters Award banquet. / Dale Ernsberger / The Tennessean

Royal took over Texas' program in 1957 and Arkansas was already 1-7 at home against the 'Horns. Not all the damage has been done in Fayetteville. In Little Rock, Texas leads the series 10-6.

The most infamous — or famous, depending on your point of view — Texas triumph was in 1969, of course, when the No. 1 Horns nipped the No. 2 Hogs 15-14 in "The Game of the Century," a showcase to celebrate college football's 100th season. The country was treated to a battle of unbeatens in the season's final game.

So, when did Arkansas top Texas in Fayetteville? Glad you asked. Back in 1951, the Razorbacks claimed their first win on campus by a 17-14 score. It was just their sixth victory in 33 games against the 'Horns.

Next came the monumental tussle of 1965 as No. 3 Arkansas edged No. 1 Texas 27-24. That was the Hogs' 17th consecutive win, dating back to the final game of 1963. It was on the heels of beating No. 1 Texas 14-13 in Austin the season before on their way to Arkansas' only national championship.

Texas was ranked No. 1 again in 1981 when Lou Holtz's Hogs, unranked but 4-1, ambushed the Longhorns for a 42-11 victory. That's the first time the goalposts came down following a win in Razorback Stadium, and they were carried all the way to Dickson Street during a prolonged celebration.

The fourth win on The Hill was just three years ago when coach Sam Pittman's Pigs routed No. 15 Texas 40-21. Saturday's showdown didn't turn out so well for Pittman and his players, much like the series' other 17 games in Fayetteville.

There is good news for Hog fans, though. Much is made of the 'Horns' 57-23 lead in the series. The first matchup was in 1894 and Texas romped to a 54-0 win in Austin. That's not the good news.

The Cardinals -- that was the original nickname for Arkansas' team -- stiffened on defense the next six seasons, allowing just under 15 points a game.

At the end of the 1909 season, after beating the Tigers of Louisiana in a game played in Memphis, Arkansas Coach Hugo Bezdek told a crowd gathered at the Fayetteville train depot his team played "like a wild band of Razorback hogs.” Here’s my short film: https://t.co/s7I0lyRGoG pic.twitter.com/tgKUnIKXnX

— Larry Foley (@documentaryprof) October 18, 2024

Problem is, Arkansas didn't score a point in the first 14 games against Texas. And lost all 14 matchups.

The Razorbacks won four of the next five but then lost 12 in a row. So, toss out the first 31 games -- that's every encounter before 1951 -- and Texas owns a 30-19 edge in the series.

Doesn't sound nearly as bad, huh?

HOGS FEED:

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• Texas Flirts With Fire, Takes Care of Arkansas on the Road

• Arkansas highway sign shows how little Hogs fans think things out sometimes

• Believe it! Arkansas-Texas is truly a rivalry for the ages

• Pittman Hushes Critics of Longhorns 'Fine Team'

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