Razorbacks Can't Beat Longhorns Without Some Texas Help

With resurgence the ’Horns, old-timers will remember how Hogs usually were dominated in mid-October game

Arkansas Razorbacks Landon Jackson and Xavian Sorey after the Ole Miss Rebels scored during 63-31 win at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. / Ted McClenning-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — If you're under the age of 35, you really have no idea why Arkansas' game with Texas on Saturday is the cause for not getting too excited. If you're over the age of 50, though, you know exactly why.

The first Razorbacks-Longhorns game I remember was 1962 when Texas had a goalline stand late in a 7-3 win down in Austin. Two years later there, the Hogs got a 14-13 win to clear the path to an undefeated season.

That was the first of three straight wins in the series for the Razorbacks. One of the most memorable was the 1965 game in Fayetteville. Arkansas blew a 20-0 lead in the first half and it was 24-20 running late in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Jon Brittenum got hot, finding wide receiver Bobby Crockett on a late drive that was rallied by Jim Lindsey. Brittenum snuck in the final yard in the south end zone and had plans to just continue running out of the stadium if he was stopped. At the time, there wasn't anything except a few temporary bleachers dragged in from the baseball field for games.

Some folks remember the 1979 game that I've heard a lot about this week. That one was in Little Rock and memorable because they hadn't beaten Texas since 1971. That game, too, was played in Little Rock in the rain and the Longhorns were down to their third-string quarterback because Oklahoma just beat them to a pulp the week before.

Of course, there was the 1969 game and that 1977 game in Fayetteville that featured three Hall of Famers on the field at the same time. The Hogs had Dan Hampton while Texas had Earl Campbell and Steve McMichael.

Arkansas should have won the game except the officials somehow missed a face mask against Ron Calcagni everybody else in the stadium clearly saw and Campbell broke free on a little screen pass late to set up the winning touchdown.

The Razorbacks have only won 23 times in the previous 79 games. The Hogs have won four of those since leaving for the SEC in 1992.

Fans remember the wins more than most of the losses. They were few and far between during the Frank Broyles Era (1958-76), He only beat Texas five times in his 19 years as the coach.

The simple math is the Hogs win over 3 of every 10 games they play. In the six games they've played since the annual series stopped in 1992, Arkansas was fortunate to get Texas in a meaningless bowl game or during the season when not much really mattered.

In Bobby Petrino's first season, he lost to the Longhorns 52-10 down in Austin. He's seen what happens Texas is playing well and is focused.

Considering they are trying to set up a run for a national championship, they'll be focused for this one. The Razorbacks are just trying to angle for a bowl game better than Birmingham or Memphis.

HOGS FEED:

• Razorbacks ready to face 'simple' Longhorns defense

• Arkansas' defense has four tasks it must accomplish to win

• Rivalry between Texas, Arkansas highly questionable

• Why John Nabors hates Longhorns so much | Locked on Razorbacks

• Former Longhorn Has Strange Recollection of Mistake Against Arkansas

• Sarkisian taking lessons from rest of SEC on Arkansas

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