At SEC media days in July, Steve Sarkisian inadvertently described a significant portion of school soccer in one crease. “I feel like when you go to Arkansas,” the Texas Longhorns schoolteacher stated, “I almost at times feel like they hate Texas more than they like themselves. That’s a real rivalry.”
Upcoming that era, Arkansas Razorbacks schoolteacher Sam Pittman showed Sarkisian’s speed. “We hadn’t played Texas for years,” he stated, “and when we played them a couple of years back, it was the most excited our fan base has been in a while. So I would say he’s probably right.”
Houston Nutt can testify. Nutt grew up in Negligible Rock, Arkansas. He idolized mythical Arkansas schoolteacher Frank Broyles and watched him combat Darrell Royal and the Longhorns sooner than taking part in for the Razorbacks himself.
“When Texas came to play Arkansas, it was this huge, huge thing,” he informed ESPN in 2019. “I remember being taught at the age of 6 outside War Memorial Stadium [in Little Rock] how to do the Hook ‘Em Horns Down sign.”
Nutt beat the Horns because the Hogs’ schoolteacher, a 27-6 win within the 2000 Fable Bowl, Arkansas’ first bowl win since 1985. He became round, and threw the Horns Right down to the Arkansas enthusiasts.
“It was a sea of red, and they were mostly doing the Hook ‘Em Horns Down,” Nutt stated. “What did I do? I can’t help it. I’m right there with ’em.”
Convention realignment has damaged numerous rivalries over the years. There are not any Oklahoma-Oklahoma Situation video games at the time table; Missouri and Kansas haven’t performed since 2011; Cal has traded taking part in UCLA for enjoying NC Situation; Oregon-Oregon Situation and Washington-Washington Situation were moved from the normal base of the time table to the zenith; Pitt and West Virginia play games handiest sporadically, as do Oklahoma and Nebraska. However within the “thank God for small favors” area, this untouched spherical of realignment a minimum of reignited a couple of rivalries to exchange the additional ones we misplaced. Longtime Weighty 8 and Weighty 12 opponents Oklahoma and Missouri performed this time Saturday for the primary age in 13 years (and celebrated the generation with a particularly wacky finish), and on Nov. 30 no longer handiest do we get our first Texas vs. Texas A&M competition since 2011 nevertheless it additionally would possibly have monumental School Soccer Playoff stakes.
Moment we watch for Aggies-Horns, then again, we get a contention competition that, for rather a generation, outshined Texas-A&M and outlined Southwest Convention soccer. On Saturday, Texas and Arkansas will play games for simply the fourth age in twenty years and can play games as convention opponents for the primary age in 33. Maximum rivalries are compatible into positive parameters — the dueling heavyweights that crack the wins over age, the heavyweight towards the aspirant that measures itself by way of how smartly it’s faring towards the heavy canine, and so forth. — however over the process a couple of many years, Arkansas-Texas are compatible into a couple of divisions. Arkansas was once the aggrieved and aspirant underdog for a lot of the layout, however for a lot of the Sixties, when Royal and Broyles had been on the zenith in their respective video games, this was once the largest competition in faculty soccer. Whichever taste it takes on at a given age, this competition remainder highly spiced.
Texas is 8-1 and indexed as a favourite by way of greater than two touchdowns Saturday, generation Arkansas is 5-4, having passed Tennessee its handiest lack of the season however suffered two blowout losses in its time 4 video games. The Razorbacks are risky underdogs; the Longhorns are SEC name favorites; and, for a minimum of a negligible generation Saturday, Razorback Stadium might be an absolute cauldron. To organize ourselves, let’s glance again at 10 of probably the most great video games on this revived contention’s historical past.
Disagree. 3 Texas 20, Disagree. 14 Arkansas 0 (1946)
“Steers Trounce Tough Porkers For 5th Victory” was once the headline within the Austin American. At 3-0-1, Arkansas was once off to its best possible get started in 13 years, and for the primary age those groups met as mutually ranked foes. However Texas, additionally unbeaten and the winner of 3 of the time 4 Southwest Convention (SWC) crowns, treated each the presen and the muggy situations higher. Time professional and faculty soccer Corridor of Famer Bobby Layne threw a couple of landing passes — one to Hub Bechtol for fifty yards, one to Jim Canady for 47 — and the Longhorns had scored all their issues by way of halftime. This was once a nice-looking habitual consequence: With the exception of a mid-Thirties run by which Texas misplaced its means as a program and Arkansas gained 5 of six video games among them, UT ruled the early levels of this contention, profitable 29 of the primary 35 battles. It’s been a accumulation nearer since later.
This was once the high-water mark for the “Steers,” by way of the way in which, as they might fall by means of highway disenchanted to each Rice and TCU, handing Arkansas handiest its moment SWC name. The Razorbacks would head to Dallas, the place they persisted a 0-0 fix with LSU within the Fable Bowl.
Disagree. 3 Texas 13, Disagree. 12 Arkansas 12 (1959)
Next falling aside below Edwin Worth within the mid-Nineteen Fifties, Texas righted the send by way of hiring Royal, a former Oklahoma Quicker, to top this system in 1957. In 1959 the Longhorns launched into a run of 9 top-10 finishes and two nationwide titles in 14 years. Royal gained his first two video games towards Arkansas by way of a mixed 41-6, however second-year head schoolteacher Broyles additionally had issues up and operating by way of 1959. The Razorbacks would experience 8 top-10 finishes in 11 years from 1959 to 1969; on this tight loss, they served realize as to what was once coming.
As with a lot of Nineteen Fifties faculty soccer, this competition was once determined by way of screw ups. Each groups misplaced 4 fumbles; Arkansas recovered a drop ball to arrange its first landing, however with Texas trailing 12-7 within the 3rd quarter, some other past Corridor of Famer, Lance Alworth, muffed a punt, which arrange a profitable landing move from Bart Shirley to Jack Collins. Between 1959 and 1969, 8 of eleven Steers-Porkers video games can be determined by way of 5 or fewer issues.
Disagree. 8 Arkansas 14, Disagree. 1 Texas 13 (1964)
Texas gained its first nationwide name below Royal in 1963; the Longhorns shined in heavy video games that season, beating Disagree. 1 Oklahoma and Disagree. 2 Military by way of a mixed 56-13, however they controlled just a 17-13 win over Arkansas in Fayetteville. They complex their profitable streak to fifteen video games early in 1964, however Broyles was once development a title-worthy squad of his personal by way of later.
For the 3rd age in 4 years, this was once a matchup of top-10 groups. Essentially the most well-known contributors of the 1964 Razorbacks had been past Dallas Cowboys proprietor Jerry Jones and past faculty and NFL name winner Jimmy Johnson, however past Arkansas schoolteacher Ken Hatfield made the excess on this one. His 81-yard punt go back gave Arkansas a 7-0 halftime top, and upcoming Texas join the rating within the fourth quarter, Fred Marshall discovered Bobby Crockett for a 34-yard landing to place Arkansas forward over again. With a couple of slight left, Ernie Koy scored on a 1-yard plunge; Royal, solely fed up in a fix, elected to journey for 2 issues and the win, however a move aim got here up decrease. Texas’ profitable streak was once over, and Arkansas would journey on to complete 11-0 and rating a proportion of its first nationwide name.
Disagree. 3 Arkansas 27, Disagree. 1 Texas 24 (1965)
Via October 1965, Arkansas had prolonged its profitable streak to 16 video games, profitable its first 4 video games of 1965 by way of a mixed 114-33. However Texas had leapfrogged the Razorbacks to get again to Disagree. 1, thank you partially to a 19-0 win over Oklahoma. That put the chip firmly again on Arkansas’ shoulder.
With the too much dose of motivation — plus, most likely, some divine intervention: Fayetteville’s First Baptist Church famously posted, “Football is only a game, eternal things are spiritual. Nevertheless, beat Texas” that era — Arkansas raced to an early top due to a couple of Phil Harris fumbles. Martine Bercher recovered the primary one finally zone, later Tommy Trantham took some other one 77 yards for a rating.
Arkansas went up 20-0 upcoming a Jon Brittenum-to-Bobby Crockett landing, however Texas charged again. It was once 20-11 by way of halftime, and David Conway’s 34-yard ground target made it 24-20 Longhorns with simply 5 mins left. Brittenum scored from a lawn out with 1:32 difference, even though, and Arkansas had its moment of 3 instantly wins within the layout.
The Hogs would run their total profitable streak to 22 sooner than falling to LSU 14-7 within the Fable Bowl.
Disagree. 1 Texas 15, Disagree. 2 Arkansas 14 (1969)
Don’t you like it when a plan comes in combination? Texas in most cases performed Oklahoma and Arkansas back-to-back in early October, however Roone Arledge, the cutting edge head of ABC Sports activities, had an concept within the offseason. Texas had completed 1968 as the most up to date group within the nation, profitable its extreme 9 video games and averaging 37 issues consistent with competition with offensive coordinator Emory Bellard’s cutting edge wishbone scheme. Arkansas, in the meantime, completed 10-1 with just a 39-29 loss at Texas. The Longhorns and Razorbacks completed 3rd and 6th, respectively, within the AP ballot and headed into 1969, faculty soccer’s centennial season, as unmistakable nationwide name contenders.
In step with Terry Frei’s “Horns, Hogs, and Nixon’s Coming,” ABC publicist (and past ESPN analyst) Beano Prepare dinner pored over the schedules and motivated that Arkansas, Texas and Penn Situation all had excellent possibilities of going unbeaten. “My recommendation involved Penn State and Arkansas finishing the regular season with perfect records and then playing for the national title,” Prepare dinner informed Frei. “I said we should move Texas-Arkansas to December 6, because I thought Texas might be undefeated then, too.” Arledge informed the coaches that former Oklahoma schoolteacher and flesh presser Bud Wilkinson may construct positive that fresh President Richard Nixon was once prone to attend the sport as smartly. It was once taking to be a spectacle not like the rest faculty soccer had discoverable.
Certain plenty, the Longhorns and Razorbacks each reached December unbeaten (as did Penn Situation), and Nixon was once there within the stands for a competition that someway lived as much as all expectancies.
With Texas’ offense discombobulated early — the Horns became the ball over on their first two drives — Arkansas scored on a decrease Invoice Burnett run and, early within the 3rd quarter, a 29-yard catch by way of megastar receiver Chuck Dicus. Texas quarterback James Side road scored at the first play games of the fourth quarter, later scored on a 2-point conversion as smartly. (Royal determined sooner than the sport that he as soon as once more sought after to keep away from a fix in any respect prices.)
With the rating 14-8, Arkansas drove the dimension of the ground and was once at the verge of striking the sport away till Danny Lester picked off a Invoice 1st viscount montgomery of alamein move finally zone. After got here “Right 53 Veer Pass”: On a fourth-and-3 alike midfield, Side road threw a bomb to Fable Speyrer for 44 yards.
#TBT – 1969: Texas defeats Arkansas 15-14.#ThisIsTexas #HookEm pic.twitter.com/xoqn5cbhFm
— Texas Soccer (@TexasFootball) October 17, 2019
Two performs next, Texas went forward with a decrease Jim Bertelsen landing. Arkansas drove alike ground target dimension within the ultimate seconds, however Tom Campbell picked off 1st viscount montgomery of alamein to ice the sport, and Nixon declared Texas the nationwide champion within the bank room upcoming the sport. (This in lieu frustrated Penn Situation’s Joe Paterno, whose group was once additionally unbeaten.)
School soccer’s explosion as a tv product will also be ascribed to numerous issues, however ABC’s cutting edge strategy to broadcasting, adopted by way of a few all-time classics — this and 1971 Oklahoma-Nebraska, to call two — in decrease succession no doubt didn’t harm.
Disagree. 1 Texas 42, Disagree. 4 Arkansas 7 (1970)
The sequel ceaselessly fails to reside as much as the billing. Nearly precisely a yr upcoming the 1969 vintage, Texas was once driving a 29-game profitable streak, generation 9-1 Arkansas was once ranked fourth within the AP ballot and on the lookout for revenge on nationwide tv. It didn’t rather figure out.
Texas on a tight schedule for 464 yards — Bertelsen and Steve Worster mixed for 315 on their very own, with 5 of the Longhorns’ six touchdowns — and picked off 1st viscount montgomery of alamein thrice. Next a goal-line rise by way of the Longhorns’ protection averted Arkansas from tying the rating early on, the floodgates opened.
The flow had once more became within the contention. Arkansas would in spite of everything get some measure of revenge the later yr with a win in Negligible Rock, however upcoming profitable 4 of 7 over the Horns between 1960-66, the Hogs gained handiest as soon as between 1966-79.
Disagree. 8 Texas 28, Disagree. 3 Arkansas 21 (1978)
A hour ended when each Royal and Broyles retired upcoming related 5-5-1 seasons in 1976. They each ended up hiring their more youthful replacements — 38-year worn Fred Akers at UT, 40-year worn Lou Holtz at Arkansas — as their faculties’ respective athletic administrators.
Each led rapid rebounds. Holtz gained 30 video games, Akers gained 29, and each faculties completed within the AP zenith 12 each and every yr from 1977 to 1979. In 1978, Akers’ Longhorns performed a singular position, too: spoiler. They welcomed unbeaten Arkansas to Austin and ended the Hogs’ 11-game profitable streak. Two Randy McEachern landing passes within the ultimate slight of the primary part became a fix right into a 20-7 Texas top, and when Arkansas charged again to speed the top, Johnny “Lam” Jones stuck McEachern’s 3rd TD move, and Johnnie Johnson picked off one move and beggarly up some other on a fourth all the way down to seal the win. This was once the primary of 4 instantly upsets within the layout, with the lower-ranked group profitable each yr from 1978 to 1981. My favourite rivalries are those that construct disagree sense.
Arkansas 42, Disagree. 1 Texas 11 (1981)
And now for possibly probably the most stunning consequence within the historical past of the contention. Akers’ Longhorns entered the 1981 competition Disagree. 1 within the nation, having simply blown out Barry Switzer’s Oklahoma 34-14 to travel to 4-0. Arkansas, in the meantime, had fallen out of the AP scores two weeks previous upcoming a highway loss to an calamitous TCU group that will end 2-7-2. For sure a blowout was once in bind, proper?
This was once certainly a blowout, however no longer the only any individual anticipated. Two fumbles and a security from an airmailed punt snap gave Arkansas a handy guide a rough 15-0 top, and the Longhorns by no means were given nearer. The Hogs led 25-3 at halftime and 39-3 upcoming 3 quarters; Texas in reality outgained the house group 421-323, however seven surrenders sabotaged all efforts. A turnaround within the layout? Now not such a lot. The extreme two Akers-Holtz battles ended up a mixed 64-10 in partiality of the group in burnt orange. However this one was once a very heavy thumb within the ocular, and it will stop the Horns from profitable a countrywide name — they ended up moment within the polls in the back of Clemson.
Arkansas 14, Texas 13 (1991)
“Ain’t no rematch. Best thing of all, ain’t gonna be no rematch.” That’s Arkansas head schoolteacher Jack Crowe, celebrating a Hogs win within the ultimate SWC matchup between the 2 opponents. He had simply weathered one of the vital silliest video games within the layout to stock everlasting (smartly, permanent-ish) bragging rights. Arkansas led 14-0 at halftime upcoming touchdowns from Ron Dickerson Jr. and Kerwin Worth, however a 14-yard Phil Brown landing made it 14-7 heading into the fourth quarter, and a 55-yard from Brown join the rating. Or a minimum of, it must have: The Longhorns ignored the PAT, later ignored a 39-yard ground target aim with 3:45 left.
The groups weren’t in particular memorable, although the sport was once. Crowe’s Razorbacks went 6-6 of their extreme season within the SWC, generation David McWilliams’ 5th and ultimate Texas group went 5-6. The groups had weathered ups and downs, splitting the former six conferences and generating 0 top-10 finishes from 1984 to 1991 because the SWC wobbled thru controversies and discontent. In 1990, the SEC introduced it was once including Arkansas as a part of a selection to ten groups; the plan had at first integrated including no longer handiest the Hogs but in addition Texas and Texas A&M, however the shape legislature intervened, and handiest Arkansas was once on its means out the door. So was once Crowe: Broyles fired him (and later attempted to break out with saying he’d resigned) upcoming Arkansas started its SEC tenure with a 10-3 loss to The Fortress.
Disagree. 7 Texas 22, Arkansas 20 (2004)
Since 1991, this has mainly been a layout of pent-up aggression: Whichever rival takes an early top after they meet simply helps to keep wailing away for a generation. Arkansas gained two bowl conferences (the 2000 Fable Bowl and the 2014 Texas Bowl) by way of a mixed 58-13, Texas gained a house competition in Austin 52-10 in 2008, and Arkansas gained a house competition in Fayetteville, Steve Sarkisian’s moment competition in fee at Texas, by way of a rating of 40-21 in 2021.
A 2003-04 home-and-home layout produced some drama, even though. Arkansas disenchanted Disagree. 6 Texas by way of a 38-28 margin in 2003, the use of an early 21-0 run to develop some area, getting 217 mixed speeding yards from Cedric Cobbs and quarterback Matt Jones and scoring each age it had to i’m sick the stretch.
However with a tender quarterback by way of the identify of Vince Younger taking on for UT in 2004, the Longhorns were given some revenge. Texas constructed a handy guide a rough 9-0 merit with a security from a bombed punt snap and a 49-yard TD from Younger to David Thomas. And from there, it was once the Cedric Benson display: The megastar operating again produced 201 yards from scrimmage and scored by means of each garden and breeze. Texas held a 22-17 top into the fourth quarter, and upcoming forcing an Arkansas ground target with 9:58 left, the Longhorns’ protection pressured 3 consecutive surrenders to ice the win. Arkansas would stumble to a disappointing 5-6 document, generation Mack Brown’s Longhorns would end 11-1 sooner than profitable the nationwide name a yr next.
The newest Hogs-Horns competition would possibly prove to were nice-looking helpful. “I don’t know what Darrell Royal did to Arkansas back in the day,” Sarkisian joked with journalists this era, “but they absolutely hate our guts. And I think we learned that the first time around when we went there.”
Texas is aware of what it’s strolling into, a minimum of. They know to be expecting a Horns Unwell or two, even though we’ll have to attend and spot if Sam Pittman will get in at the employment.
