Top Ten Most Memorable Razorback Football Games

Since I was born on April 13, 1994, I have only missed a couple Razorback home football games in Fayetteville. Obviously, I don't remember anything about the games I was at as a baby, but as I started getting older, the games meant more to me and I remember more and more details. The other day, I was thinking about some of the crazy games I've been to, so with football just around the corner (less than 42 days! But who's counting?) I decided to make a list of the top ten Razorback football games that I attended. This little stipulation eliminates great games such as both of our seven overtime games, the triple overtime thriller over LSU, and the upset at #2 Auburn a few years ago, but it includes several big upsets, memorable events, and overall great games. I got excited just writing this, so I hope you do to, while also remember the good ol' days.

10. The Streaker- October 26, 2002: Arkansas- 48, Ole Miss- 28

• At first I was confused. However, my confusion soon turned to absolute hysteria as I realized what was going on. About halfway through the third quarter, UofA student Brenton Poole ran onto the field wearing only shoes, socks, a Hog hat, and a g-string with a doll attached to it. I couldn’t believe I was witnessing a streaker! The eight year old me thought it was the funniest thing I’d ever seen and couldn’t stop laughing. Being the second oldest game on my list, I don’t remember much about the actual game. A quick look back, though, and I learned that a junior quarterback for Ole Miss named Eli Manning threw for 414 yards and two touchdowns on 42-for-56 passing.

9. Joe Adams is Houdini- November 12, 2011: #8 Arkansas- 49, Tennessee- 7

• With the outcome of the game never in question, as Arkansas led from start to finish, the only question I had during the game was “When will the next highlight happen?” Jarius Wright had an amazing catch where he juggled the ball several times before finally hauling it in. The most spectacular play of the night was made by Joe Adams. He fielded a punt at his own 40-yard line, ran backward (which caused me to scream “Just go forward!!” and “STOP!”), broke a few tackles (which caused me to scream “Oh my gosh!” and “Go! Go! Go!”), before scoring on a 60-yard punt return. Both plays made ESPN’s Top 25 College Football Plays of 2011 and Adams’ punt return earned an ESPYs nomination for “Best Play of the Year.”

8. Southwest Classic- October 9, 2010: #11 Arkansas- 24, Texas A&M- 17 (Dallas, TX)

• When the “Jerrydome” opened in Dallas, TX as the new home of the Dallas Cowboys, my favorite NFL team, I wanted to go see what all of the hoopla was about. Then, in 2009, the Razorbacks started a non-conference (well, non-conference at the time) series with old SWC rival, Texas A&M, and they would play in new Cowboys Stadium. I wasn’t able to go the first year, but my nana and papa got my brothers and I tickets to go in 2010. The stadium is MASSIVE. Pictures and stories don’t do it justice, you just need to go and see it for yourself. The actual game was a little too close for my liking. Arkansas was already #11 in the country and had BCS hopes. Luckily, Ryan Mallett contributed 310 yards and three touchdowns on 27-for-38 passing, leading the Hogs to a victory in Dallas.

7. Homecoming Upset- November 1, 2008: Arkansas- 30, #19 Tulsa- 23

• This game had so many headlines leading up to it. It was the homecoming game and Arkansas was playing the undefeated Tulsa Golden Hurricane. More importantly, it was the return of Arkansas’ former offensive coordinator, Gus Malzahn (who was the head coach of the 2005 Springdale High School Bulldogs). Tulsa, led by Malzahn, had one of the best offenses in the country, averaging 55.6 points per game leading up to the Arkansas game. Somehow, the Hogs kept them in check and stopped their last second drive at the eight yard line to seal the victory.

6. College Gameday- November 11, 2006: #11 Arkansas- 31, #13 Tennessee- 14

• The 2006 Razorback football season is really the first season I have vivid memories of nearly every game. When week 11 rolled around, Arkansas was sitting at #11 in the polls with an 8-1 record and no losses since week one (against #6 Southern Cal) and had #13 Tennessee up next. ESPN selected this game as the best game of the week, meaning College Gameday would visit Fayetteville. I was stoked. My hatred toward Ohio St.-loving Kirk Herbstreit hadn’t begun yet, and I wanted nothing more than to see him pick Arkansas and Lee Corso put on a Razorback mascot head. I also wanted to come up with a sign that got on ESPN. All of these things happened, as Arkansas rolled to their ninth consecutive victory, while Darren McFadden ran for 181 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. He also threw a 12-yard touchdown out of the famous “Wildcat formation.”

5. 2012 Cotton Bowl- January 6, 2012: #7 Arkansas- 29, #11 Kansas St.- 16 (Dallas, TX)

• The Cotton Bowl wasn’t the bowl I wanted at the end of the 2011 football season, but it’s still a huge bowl game. When I heard my parents, brothers, Nana, Papa, and I were going, I was excited. I sat in the upper deck, watching Arkansas pick apart Kansas St. Joe Adams had another spectacular punt return and the Hogs celebrated their first Cotton Bowl victory since they beat the Texas Longhorns in the 2000 Cotton Bowl.

4. Double Overtime- September 23, 2006: Arkansas- 24, #22 Alabama- 23 (2OT)

• There weren’t too many expectations for the Razorbacks heading into the 2006 season, especially after being throttled by #6 USC in the first game 50-14, struggling in the second game against Utah St. before winning 20-0, and barely getting a 21-19 win at Vanderbilt. Going into the Alabama game, the Hogs were only 2-1, and were starting a highly touted freshman named Mitch Mustain. I have lived in Springdale my whole life and remember watching in awe as Mustain led the 2005 Springdale High School Bulldogs to an undefeated state championship and #2 national ranking. So when Mustain threw a touchdown to Ben Cleveland (also a member of the 2005 Springdale Bulldogs) to win in double overtime, I wasn’t surprised. Nonetheless, I went crazy. I was soaking in the moment, all while seeing visions of the future. The future was HERE. Mustain, Cleveland, Damian Williams, and Offensive Coordinator Gus Malzahn were going to win a national championship for the Hogs…so I thought then.

3. Miracle on Markham II- November 29, 2008: Arkansas- 31, LSU- 30 (Little Rock)

• I never give up on the Razorbacks, but sometimes I get really close. The 2008 season really tested me. The Hogs were only 4-7 in Bobby Petrino’s first season, and trailed rival and defending national champion LSU by 16 in the last game of the year. I was feeling pretty down, but it was my first LSU game and I was NOT going to leave early. Good thing I didn’t, because senior Casey Dick came in to play quarterback and led a rally that Arkansas fans will remember for years. Dick capped the rally with a 24-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-one with 21 seconds left. I was on edge the entire drive as Arkansas had to convert a third-and-four and fourth-and-six, but it was all good in the end and I witnessed my greatest LSU win yet (key word: yet).

2. Storming the Field- November 13, 1999: Arkansas- 28, #3 Tennessee- 24

• My earliest memory of Razorback football came in 1999. I was only five years old, so I didn’t know much about football yet, but I knew that the Tennessee game that year was a big deal. Again, I don’t remember much about the game or the fact that we took away Tennessee’s chance at back-to-back national championships. All I remember is after the game; the fans stormed the field, tearing down the goalposts in the process. I begged and begged my parents to let me go down and join in on the fun, despite our seats in Hog Heaven (the upper deck). I was ready to jump down there and party with all of the students!

1. Sugar Bowl Bound- November 27, 2010: #12 Arkansas- 31, #6 LSU- 23 (Little Rock)

• I have never been so nervous before. The stakes were simple: the winner of the game would almost certainly earn a berth to the Sugar Bowl. Arkansas had never been to a BCS game, and I wanted this year to be the year. I blew up twitter, sending well over 100 tweets in the hours leading up to the game; I have never wanted a win so bad. The game definitely lived up to the hype. Just before halftime, it appeared that Arkansas would run out the final six seconds and go into the locker room with the game tied at 14. However, I wasn’t thinking that; I saw six seconds as an opportunity to score six points, and I even told my papa and the fans around us that I expected the Hogs to take a shot. Sure enough, Mallett connected with Cobi Hamilton on an 80-yard touchdown. Arkansas carried this momentum through the second half and won the game. War Memorial (and I) went NUTS. The Sugar Bowl was ours! Def Leppard’s “Pour Some Sugar On Me” blasted over the PA and sugar cubes flew through the air. I was glassy-eyed as the scene unfolded in front of me. It was truly the greatest Razorback football game I had ever been to.