The past decade of college football has brought a lot of bad memories for Razorback fans . But, there were still moments of elation within this tumultuous time period. This piece will go over five of the best moments Razorbacks football has had within the past ten years.
5. 2014: Razorbacks defeat LSU
Coming off a season where they won zero SEC games, the 2014 Razorbacks were determined to improve their record in conference. But the Hogs still struggled, losing their first four games in SEC play. Although they lost, the games were close. The Razorbacks lost by one to Alabama and by seven points to then No. 1 Mississippi State. With Arkansas coming so close to defeating superior opponents, the LSU game felt like the perfect time for the Razorbacks to come through with a win.
And the Hogs did not disappoint in this game. The defense was once again stout, giving up just 123 total yards to the Tigers. While Arkansas’ offense wasn’t electrifying, it did enough to capitalize on the defense’s play. In the end, the Hogs won 17-0, and once again reclaimed the Golden Boot.
4. 2014: Texas Bowl Victory
It’s always a great day in Arkansas when the Hogs defeat Texas. But instead of merely beating Texas in the 2014 Texas Bowl, the Razorbacks dominated them. The Hogs jumped out to an early 17-0 in the second quarter and never looked back.
Texas’ offense only accumulated 59 total yards in the game. Playing off the defense, Arkansas’ offense limited large mistakes and ran the ball effectively. RB Johnathan Williams gained 105 yards, while RB Alex Collins chipped in with 76 yards. The Razorbacks also controlled the ball for more than 2/3 of the game. This gave the Texas offense little time to make up the early deficit. In the end, the Razorbacks defeated the Longhorns by a score of 31-7.
3. 2021: Victory over Texas A&M
It had been nine long years since the Razorbacks had defeated the Aggies. Certainly, there were several close games during that time period. The games in 2014, 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2019 were all decided by a TD or less. But it wasn’t enough for Sam Pittman and the Hogs to come close. They wanted to win this game.
The Razorbacks got off to a quick start, putting up a pair of TDs and a field goal by the early second quarter. The defense shut down the Aggies offense up to that point, holding them to zero points. But, the game became more uncertain as the second quarter ended.
The Aggies were able to tack on a field goal before halftime. Then, in the third quarter, RB Isaiah Spiller took a run to the house to make it a 17-10 game. On top of this, Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson left the game due to injury, which put the ball in the hands of backup Malik Hornsby.
Even through all this turmoil, Arkansas found a way to never relinquish the lead. Hornsby was able to lead Arkansas to a field goal, capitalizing on a Buster Brown pick. This made it a two possession game for the Hogs. The Arkansas defense was able to prevent the Aggies from scoring any more points, and the Hogs scraped by with a 20-10 win, which ended their losing drought to the Aggies.
2. 2021: Razorbacks defeat Texas
After going 3-7 in Sam Pittman’s first year, the Hogs wanted to prove they were a team to be reckoned with. After a shaky start against Rice in the opening game, many doubted whether the Razorbacks could defeat the Longhorns.
But these concerns were soon put to rest early in the game. The Texas offensive line was manhandled by Arkansas’ 3-man front. The Hogs’ offense was able to move the ball into Longhorn territory consistently, and helped the Razorbacks build a slow but steady lead going into halftime. At the break, the Hogs led 16-0.
In the second half, Arkansas’ running game began to wear out the Longhorns defense. Even when Texas knew the run was coming, they could do nothing to stop it. The Razorbacks scored three rushing touchdowns, which helped them pull away.
By the end of the game, the Razorbacks accumulated 333 yards rushing. Five different Razorbacks had over 40 yards rushing, and four different players scored rushing touchdowns.
Eventually, the Razorbacks won 40-21 and Arkansas fans rushed the field for the first time since 2014.
Arkansas beat No. 15 Texas 40-21 😳@SECNetwork pic.twitter.com/6mb0uPHDGL
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 12, 2021
1. 2015: 4th & 25 Ole Miss
The Hogs looked dead in the water in the overtime period. The Razorbacks had fought valiantly to get the game into overtime on the road in Oxford, but it seems their luck had ran out. With the ball on the 40-yard line, the Razorbacks needed 25 yards to keep the game alive after Ole Miss scored on the first possession of OT.
After the ball was snapped, star TE Hunter Henry ran a 15 yard crossing route. QB Brandon Allen threw the ball to Henry, who was immediately wrapped up by an Ole Miss defender. Then, on his way down, Henry heaved the ball back to the line of scrimmage. 6’10 OT Dan Skipper tipped the ball, and on the ricochet, RB Alex Collins got possession. With much of the Ole Miss defense to the right of Collins, Collins ran through the left side of the field. With the help of his blockers, Collins was able to pick up a first down and keep Arkansas’ chances alive.
Six years ago today … 4th & 25. pic.twitter.com/io3rB3cPNS
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) November 7, 2021
Soon after this play, Allen threw a TD pass to WR Grant Morgan on an out route. Then, Arkansas HC Bret Bielema elected to go for two to win the game.
On their first attempt, Arkansas ran a bootleg play which was quickly snuffed out by Ole Miss DE Marquise Haynes. However, Haynes got ahold of Allen’s facemask, which gave the Hogs another chance to win. Then, on their second attempt, Arkansas’ ran a jet sweep option, and Allen stumbled into the endzone to give Arkansas a 53-52 win.
To read more about Arkansas this upcoming season, click here.