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I think I aged about 20 years on Saturday during the Arkansas and Texas A&M game.
When the Aggies scored a touchdown on Isaiah Spiller’s 67-yard run to cut the Razorbacks lead to seven points in the second half, I got that feeling in my stomach again.
The “here we go again” feeling of another Arkansas lead choked away in Arlington. I kept trying to make myself think this game was different but was struggling to find reasons to believe that.
That changed when my friend I went to the game with (and a die-hard Alabama fan) reminded me why Arkansas was going to be fine.
He reminded me that the Razorbacks defense had completely shut down the Aggies offense the entire game. Also, Texas A&M quarterback Zach Calzada didn’t have the ability to mount a comeback, given the struggles he had so far in the game.
I knew all of that already. But when hearing him say that and seeing Sam Pittman on the sidelines instead of Bret Bielema or Chad Morris, I breathed a sigh of relief.
This isn’t a team that has a “Hogs gonna Hog” mantra on them. This is a team that is physically and mentally tough with not an ounce of quit in them. No matter the score, no matter the situation, no matter the down or distance, this team doesn’t flinch for anybody.
Not even for a team they had lost to nine straight times like Texas A&M.
I trusted Sam Pittman’s team to finish the job and they did exactly that. Beating the Aggies, 20-10, and for the first time since 2011.
Once the final whistle blew, reality had set in for the Razorbacks fans. Emotions poured out with cheers and tears of joy. High-fives were being given to anyone wearing Razorbacks red and other gestures given to anyone wearing maroon.
Arkansas didn’t just beat Texas A&M and end the long losing streak. They showed the college football world that they are a legit contender in the SEC.
It’s no longer a Cinderella story of a cute college football team from little ol’ Arkansas with an “aw, shucks” coach that’s fun to root for. It’s a story of a team that fears no one and will do whatever it takes to win at the highest level.
Sam Pittman has turned around this program faster than anyone could have imagined and Hogs fans don’t really know what to do with all of this excitement.
But what they do know is that Arkansas coming for the rest of the SEC, and Hell is coming with them.