Tag: Arkansas Missouri

Missouri is a permanent football rival for Arkansas: GET PUMPED!

Arkansas vs. Mizzou isn’t exciting. But it is good news for the Razorbacks in the long term.

Well, the BattleLine Rivalry folks are going to be right, after all.

Missouri was named Arkansas’ permanent (for what that’s worth) rival earlier in the week as the SEC football schedule for 2024 is being hashed out. The reason for the fervor more than normal? Texas and Oklahoma are scheduled to join that year, creating a need for a new setup.

Yes, Arkansas and Missouri, how exciting.

The Hogs may not get Texas A&M on a yearly basis anymore. They may not get Texas or Oklahoma or either of the Mississippi schools. They’ll get Missouri, a school with which the only history is a largely manufactured one after the Tigers joined the SEC just last decade.

And, no, it isn’t the most appealing rivalry. But it actually may be the best outcome for Arkansas.

Missouri has largely owned the series since joining the conference. The Tigers are 8-4 against the Hogs since 2014. About half of those Mizzou wins are considered upsets, though, meaning Arkansas’ odds of beating Missouri year-in and year-out are relatively high.

Higher than they would be against perennial powerhouse Oklahoma or almost-always-good Texas and Texas A&M. That doesn’t mean that Arkansas won’t get any of those teams year after year – the league powers-that-be are still figuring out how to sort everything – but it does mean historical rivalries may be taking a break.

And, really, that might not be bad for the Hogs.

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Missouri walks off Arkansas to even series

Another Mizzou win on Sunday could mean Arkansas falls out of the top four in the SEC. The top four finishers get two-round byes.

On the surface, Arkansas’ loss to Missouri in Game 2 on Saturday is not much of a big deal.

But the Tigers’ 4-3 rally and walk-off win put the Razorbacks in a tight spot on Sunday ahead of the teams’ rubber match. Arkansas is tied for third in the SEC with Auburn and Alabama, all of whom are 14-9 in league play. The top four finishers receive two-round byes for next week’s SEC Tournament.

Missouri trailed by a run entering the seventh and final inning. But Maddie Snyder, the Tigers’ 9-hole hitter, took Chenise Delce over the wall to tie things to lead off the inning. Delce retired the next two hitters before Kara Daly homered on the first pitch of her at-bat to end things.

They were the only two hits Delce allowed in her three innings. Arkansas had taken the lead in the top of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Rylin Hedgecock. The Hogs had scored the first two runs of the game on back-to-back homers from Cylie Halvorson and Kristina Foreman in the second.

An Arkansas win Sunday would ensure the Razorbacks finish in the top four. They own the tiebreaker over Alabama, meaning even if the Crimson Tide win they can’t leapfrog Arkansas with a Hogs win.

First pitch in Game 3 from Colubmia is scheduled for 2 p.m.

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Arkansas’ win moves Hogs closer to two-round bye for SEC Tournament

Missouri never had a chance against Arkansas on Friday in a five-inning blowout for the Razorbacks.

The Arkansas softball team started the final weekend of the regular season on a high note Friday.

The Razorbacks had no trouble with last-place Missouri, taking the opener of the three-game set to close the SEC season, 9-0, in five innings.

Arkansas’ win kept the Hogs pace and tied for third in the league standings alongside Auburn and one game ahead of fifth-place Alabama. The top four teams in the final standings earn a two-round bye in next week’s SEC Tournament, which will be held at Bogle Park in Fayetteville.

Against Mizzou, the No. 12 Hogs jumped early and often.

Arkansas scored runs in every inning but the fourth. Lauren Camenzind had the best day at the plate, going 3 for 3 with a double, two RBI and two runs. Second baseman Kristina Foreman went 2 for 2 with a walk, a double, three RBI and two runs, as well.

Chenise Delce never had trouble pithing, either. She won her 20th game of the season by limiting Missouri to two hits and two walks while striking out five.

Arkansas will look to take the series in Columbia at 4 p.m. Saturday.

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Bottom line: Arkansas women must beat Missouri in SEC Tourney to have shot at NCAAs

Arkansas must beat Missouri on Thursday to have a shot at the NCAA Tournament. Even that may not be enough.

As much hand-wringing and clutching of pearls that has taken place over the Arkansas men’s basketball team this season, Eric Musselman’s team still stands in a solid position to make the NCAA Tournament.

The Arkansas women are a different story.

A 4-1 start in SEC play turned sour as the Razorbacks went 3-8 the rest of the way and they finished eighth in conference play. That slotting earned them a first-round date with Missouri, the 9-seed, in the first round of the SEC Tournament, which begins with the Hogs and Tigers on Thursday at 11 a.m.

Arkansas had no trouble with Mizzou during the regular season, winning 77-55. That victory came way back on January 8, however, during the Razorbacks’ hot start to kick off league play.

Whether beating the Tigers again would be enough to earn a berth in the Big Dance is the main question. As of Tuesday, ESPN women’s bracketlogist Charlie Creme had Arkansas on his “First Four Out” line, suggesting a win keeps the conversation open, but a loss from the teams ahead may be required, too.

Fairly or not, it’s probably the only chance the Hogs will get. If they were to beat Missouri on Thursday, a game against the defending national champions and the nation’s No. 1 team, South Carolina, awaits on Friday.

The game against Missouri can be seen on SEC Network at 11 a.m. CT from Greenville, South Carolina.

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Report: Arkansas football fires strength and conditioning coach

Reports indicate Arkansas has fired strength and conditoning coach Jamil Walker.

Arkansas football strength and conditioning coach Jamil Walker was fired on Saturday, according to a report by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Walker joined Arkansas from Georgia about the same time as head coach Sam Pittman did the same. Walker was the associate strength and conditioning coach with the Bulldogs before arriving in Fayetteville in 2019.

The personnel move came less than 24 hours after Pittman said Arkansas was out-physicaled by Missouri in a 29-27 Tigers win.

“It’s unfortunate,” Pittman said after the game “We had several chances to win the game and we couldn’t convert on offense and couldn’t stop them on defense. They had the more physical team tonight.”

Arkansas’ offensive line was supposed to be the biggest unit of strength on the team. At times they were. The Razorbacks entered Saturday 11th in FBS and second in the SEC in rushing yards per game. But the team also gave up 31 sacks in 12 games.

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Photo gallery: Arkansas football falls at Mizzou

Arkansas finished its regular season in a tough way at Missouri on Friday.

The regular season is finished for the Arkansas football team. To some it ended too fast, before the Razorbacks could get fully into their style. To others, the end couldn’t come fast enough.

More lately have been on the latter boat. Arkansas lost, 29-27 on Friday, for the sixth time in the last seven tries against Missouri a school that – supposedly – has an inferior football program to the one in Fayetteville.

But recent history hasn’t show that to be the case, leading to questions, yet again, for the Razorbacks.

Sam Pittman, in his third year, finished with a 6-6 record. It’s better than the opening season’s 3-7, but not quite last year’s 8-4. The difference in 2022 was measureable.

Arkansas lost four of its six games by one possession.

Everything Sam Pittman said after Arkansas fell to Missouri

Sam Pittman: “We didn’t tackle well. We didn’t cover well. We didn’t protect well. We didn’t run-block well.”

One thing Sam Pittman has tried to be in his three years as Arkansas football coach is honest in his post-game press conferences.

When Pittman is asked a tough question, he tackles it. When he’s asked about something he doesn’t want to talk about, it appears he tries not to stretch the truth, but instead just change the subject and say, quite literally sometimes, that he doesn’t want to talk about it.

Pittman had to do both on Friday after Arkansas lost its regular-season finale to Missouri, 29-27, to fall to 6-6 on the year.

Arkansas lost on both sides of the ball, almost completely. The running game was well under its usual status. The Missouri offense was well above its usual status. Turnovers hurt. Sacks hurt. As Pittman said, Arkansas lost the physicality game just about the entire time.

Here’s what he had to say after the game from Columbia.

Report card: Arkansas’ offensive line, defensive lines stumble in season-ending loss

Arkansas offensive line – and defense, less so – lost that game for the Razorbacks.

Arkansas’ offensive line was supposed to be one of the best in the country. And at times, it was. Just not often enough.

Arkansas defensive coordinator Barry Odom was supposed to lead one of the better defenses in the country. And at times, it…

OK, that one doesn’t work.

The Arkansas defense gave up 468 yards of total offense to Missouri, more 100 beyond what the Tigers normally get in a 29-27 loss on Friday. The Tigers’ win ensured the two teams finished the regular season equal, both at 6-6.

The defense struggled all year, so in ways, it was expected. The offensive line’s serious issues were not. Quarterback KJ Jefferson was sacked six times and the Arkansas ground game had just 113 yards on 38 carries, one of the worst outputs of the season.

Blame was aplenty after the game. Let’s take a look at how each unit did in our estimation with a report card.

Arkansas finishes season with a stinker, falls to Missouri

Arkansas stumbles badly against Missouri in regular-season finale.

Arkansas had plenty of chances.

But Friday night, the Razorbacks left Memorial Stadium still winless against Missouri in Columbia. The Tigers re-took the Battle Line Rivalry trophy with a 29-27 victory to reach bowl eligibility.

Arkansas allowed Missouri to score on six of its first season drives. By the time the Hogs defense stiffened, giving up just 55 yards on Missouri’s final four series, it was too late.

The Razorbacks struggled against the SEC’s fourth-ranked defense. Arkansas trailed by just one at halftime after scoring three touchdowns, but fewer than 100 yards of total offense in the second half never really gave the Hogs a chance.

Cam Little was forced to kick field goals late in the third quarter and early in the fourth after Arkansas drives stalled out upon going 47 and 51 yards, leaving the Razorbacks two points short.

Brady Cook threw for 242 yards for Missouri with a touchdown. He ran for another 138 yards on 18 carries with a score.

KJ Jefferson went 19 of 26 for Arkansas, throwing for 205 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Rocket Sanders ran for 47 yards on 10 carries.

Arkansas is bowl eligible, but likely won’t find out their destination for more than a week. Liberty Bowl representatives were in the building Friday.

Opinion: Myles Slusher owes Arkansas, you, nothing

No one but Myles Slusher knows why he’s no longer on the Arkansas football team. Good for him.

Myles Slusher owes Arkansas nothing.

He isn’t from Arkansas. And even if he, were state borders are abritrary.

Myles Slusher owes coaches nothing.

He can stop “working for his bosses” the same way you can. No one expects you to stay if you don’t like where you are for whatever reason.

Myles Slusher owes teammates nothing.

He has countless friends on the Arkansas football team, friends who mean more than any of us (or any of you) to him. If your automatic assumption is that he didn’t talk to them about what he was doing, that says more about you than them.

Myles Slusher owes the university nothing.

He chose Arkansas as much as Arkansas chose him. The school itself didn’t give him anything he wouldn’t have received at another place of higher learning.

Myles Slusher owes fans nothing.

He played football because he likes football. He doesn’t play football for fans.

Myles Slusher owes you nothing.

Myles Slusher is a grown man who can make his own decisions for any reason – any reason – he wants to.

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