Nutt Shares How He'd Motivate Hogs to Face Oklahoma State on the Road

Former Arkansas coach shares a bit of rah-rah motivation during interview on how he would motivate Razorbacks in Stillwater

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Houston Nutt celebrates with his team after their 50-48 triple overtime victory over the top ranked LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- One of the more unique aspects of the weekend is former Arkansas player/coach Houston Nutt's connection to both programs. He signed with the Razorbacks out of Little Rock as Frank Broyles' last recruit before his retirement as head coach in 1976.

Nutt transferred to Oklahoma State when Arkansas hired Lou Holtz to replace a retiring Broyles. While a pocket passer, Nutt's skillset didn't mesh well with Holtz' option approach which led to two years spent in Stillwater as a backup quarterback.

He spent many years boomeranging between the Cowboys and Razorbacks as an assistant before a 10-year run in Fayetteville as head coach. Arkansas and Oklahoma State have evaded each other for 40 years after voiding a rivalry in the late 1970s.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt calls to his players from the sidelines against the LSU Tigers during the first half at Tiger Stadium. / John David Mercer-Imagn Images

The Razorbacks hold a healthy series lead over the Cowboys, but both programs have witnessed much different trajectories over time. During the height of the Bobby Petrino and Mike Gundy eras, both teams were competing for BCS bowl bids and national championships.

There was never a better time for the teams to play during he regular season than during those times. Since 2014, Arkansas has only won 54 games with five winning seasons.

On the flipside, Oklahoma State has won 90 games and two Big 12 Championship game appearances. A win for Arkansas would give the team plenty of momentum through the early season road trip.

"These programs are three hours apart and are very similar in a lot of ways," Nutt said in his radio appearance on Halftime with Phil Elson and Matt Jones. "I'm expecting a big time game. I know Oklahoma State has a lot of experience coming back but it looks like Arkansas has upgraded in a lot of areas."

The Razorbacks must slowdown Heisman Trophy candidate Ollie Gordon from ripping apart the defense. Gordon only generated 146 yards of offense against South Dakota State, but the Jackrabbits knew limiting his production would keep them in the game.

Nutt said he would have the same approach selling out on Gordon, but it would start at the very beginning of the week with Gordon's picture on the board.

"You put his picture up early in the week and in the bottom line is they got some returning starters, they've got laps around the track, they've got experience, but we're going to stop this [Gordon]," Nutt said. "And if we got to over-populate the line of scrimmage, we're going to stop it. He's not going to get 100 against us. And you know, he's not a burner. Now, he's big, six-foot-two, and he's 230, he can be elusive.

"But you know a guy, if you put hats on him over and over and over, and that's where your your your linebackers and your your leaders on your defense say, 'Hey, we're getting ready to get this guy. We're gonna hit him over and he we're gonna let him know that we're gonna be there all day long.' And so you just don't want those who missed tackles those long run.

"You know, the one to two missed tackles causes problems. So, hey, let's be fundamentally sound. Let's tackle, let's tackle hard, and let's stop this guy. This guy is a is the guy? You know, he's a Doak Walker Award winner for a reason, but he's not going to scare us this Saturday. So to me, it's one of those kind of attitudes of, let's zero in and let's make them play left handed. And the way we do that is stop their best player."

While at Arkansas, Nutt orchestrated a number of upsets over ranked opponents. A handful come to mind including at No. 6 Texas (2003), at No. 2 Auburn (2006) and at No. 1 LSU (2007). His motivational skill spearheaded a massive turnaround for the Razorbacks in 1998 leading to an 8-0 start to the season.

Arkansas played well away from home last season defeating Florida in Gainesville for the first time ever. Three other road losses at LSU, Alabama and Ole Miss came down to one possession.

The Razorbacks will face a motivated Cowboys team with College Football Playoff hopes inside a rowdy Boone Pickens Stadium atmosphere. If Arkansas keeps the same energy and effort given in road games last year, this game could be a one score game late in the fourth quarter.

HOGS FEED:

• Know your foe: What Hogs need to know about Oklahoma State

• Different motivation could drive Oklahoma State against Hogs

• Hasz looking to have healthy second season with Razorbacks

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