FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- — Texas hasn't considered Arkansas a rival for a long time. Looking at the goal posts coming down Saturday night and the Longhorns set to join the Southeastern Conference soon, that won't be around for long.
Arkansas ran for 333 yards, put Texas on 256 yards of total offense and the Razorbacks beat their former Southwest Conference nemesis 40-21 on Saturday night. The ninth-largest crowd in Arkansas history, 74,531 strong, was gleeful all night and many of them stormed the field afterward, celebrating their team's first win over Texas at Fayetteville since 1981.
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman was the Razorbacks' offensive line coach when they last played Texas at the 2014 Texas Bowl. He attributed the big night to his former unit. Last year, Arkansas was ranked 120th on the FBS.
"Nothing like that? (Offensive line coach Cody Kennedy) Come in June and we run for 333 yards," Pittman said. "He's got some really hard-working kids. He's taken a lot of heat in the past and I'm sure, some in the future. But the way he played, he had a great run of 333 against a good Texas team.
The Razorbacks took a 16-0 lead at halftime as Texas dominated from the start. The Longhorns (1-1) punched on six of their first seven drives. His seventh result was a missed field goal.
"It was not the performance I expected," said first-year coach Steve Sarkeesian. "But we'll find out about ourselves and what we're made of, because I really believe this one game won't define us. But we have work to do, that's for sure."
Arkansas (2-0) had no such trouble. The Razorbacks punt twice throughout the game on their first two drives. Every other series resulted in a score except one, which resulted in an interception that resulted in Texas' first touchdown.
The five minutes following that score were the only quiet time of the night as Texas reduced Arkansas' lead to 16-7. When Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson hit 46 yards on the oncoming drive with Tyson Morris, the volume returned. Arkansas would cap that series with a 1-yard touchdown from Trelan Smith.
"It was a great answer and I was hoping he would do what he did," Pittman said. "We could have tanked in that series as well. We didn't. We went right down and scored a touchdown."
After an Arkansas field goal, the Longhorns' next offensive play resulted in a strip-sack of quarterback Hudson's card, razorback Texas 26 recovered and Raheem Sanders walked that distance on the next play, practically eliminating the visitors' chances. done.
The card was drawn on the final drive of the third quarter with Texas trailing 33–7. Casey Thompson led Longhorn's two scoring drives in the fourth quarter, both of which were capped by her speedy touchdowns.
The two Texas quarterbacks combined 13 of 23 for 118 yards without a touchdown. Star running back Bijan Robinson, like most Longhorns, bottled up all night and finished with a touchdown on 69 yards and 19 carries.
The Longhorns' 256 yards of total offense is their lowest level since 2015. When asked about his quarterback position, Sarkeesian said, "We'll have to look at it."
"Could we have blocked better? No question. Could Hudson have played better? Surely he might have. Could we have run a better route? Yes," Sarkeesian said. "So everyone takes part in this thing, including the coaches."
Henry's time
Arkansas linebacker Hayden Henry started in place of Bumper Poole, who suffered a first-half suspension after targeting in last week's win over Rice. Henry led a career-high 15 tackles, which included a 2 1/2 for-loss. Henry's father played center for the Razorbacks in the late 1980s when the two teams were facing each season. He said this week that when he was a kid, he was taught that Texas was the enemy.
Prolific hog
Arkansas' 333-yard rush was the most since 2016, the last time the Razorbacks had a winning season. Jefferson was 14 of 19 for 138 yards and running 78 more on 10 carries.
Arkansas' touchdowns all came from different players. Dominic Johnson scored the first goal of the game from five yards at the start of the second quarter. Trelane Smith made his score from a yard. Sanders' came in third and running back AJ Green went to fellow freshman 30 yards with 8:27 to provide the Razorbacks the final points of the night.
None of the Arkansas offensive players took a 100-yard run, but the four scorers and Jefferson all had at least 44. Smith, the starter, scored 75 runs in 12 carries.
Old enemy
The two teams may soon meet again annually. Texas accepted an invitation to join the SEC over the summer. It is expected to begin play in the conference in 2025.
However, Henry considered this to be the initiation of the Longhorns.
"Welcome to the SEC, I guess," he said.
Arkansas and Texas were rivals in the now-defunct Southwest Conference, but have only played six times since the Razorbacks left the conference after the 1991 season. Texas leads the all-time series 56-23, but Arkansas has won four of the six meetings since leaving the SWC.
Takeaway
Arkansas could move closer to the top 25 rankings after beating Rice and Texas to start the season. Defeating a ranked one team is likely to boost the team's confidence when SEC games begin in two weeks.
Another early-season loss continues Texas' trend in recent seasons. The Longhorns have lost at least one of their first three matches every year since 2014.
Next
Arkansas hosts Sun Belt foe Georgia Southern next Saturday.
Texas will host Rice next Saturday.