The Horns and Hogs renew their old Southwest Conference rivalry.
Three years after the No. 3 Texas Longhorns suffered an embarrassing 40-21 loss to the Arkansas Razorbacks in Fayetteville in Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian’s second game in burnt orange and white, the two programs are heading in different directions with the Horns 8-1 and the Hogs 5-4 and fighting for bowl eligibility under fifth-year head coach Sam Pittman.
The result? Texas is a 16.5-point favorite over Arkansas on Sunday, according to FanDuel.
The all-time series between the Longhorns and Razorbacks dates back to 1894 when Texas smacked Arkansas in a 54-0 victory and reached its pinnacle in the 1960s when Frank Broyles and the Hawgs beats the Horns in Austin on the way to the 1964 title and Darrell K Royal and Texas were winners in the “Game of the Century” in 1969 when the Longhorns brought the national championship back to the Forty Acres. Texas holds a 56-23 advantage in the series, which hasn’t been played regularly since Arkansas left the Southwest Conference for the SEC in 1991.
The last meeting between the two teams was arguably the low point of the Sarkisian era in the initial 5-7 season for the fourth-year head coach that included six straight losses. The worst defeat that year after the Arkansas game was the infamous 30-7 loss to Iowa State that sparked former defensive line coach Bo Davis’ profane rant.
Since then, Sarkisian’s team have been able to keep games close, even in losses.
Kickoff at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday is at 11 a.m. Central on ABC.