Tag: Bobby Petrino

Down not out: Social media reacts to Rocket Sanders saving Arkansas’ bacon with touchdown run

The scored pulled Arkansas within three points in the fourth quarter.

Rocket Sanders is angling toward first-team All-SEC honors.

Even before his touchdown with 11:38 left in the fourth quarter, Sanders had eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the third straight game.

But after his 73-yard scamper, he was two yards shy of 200. And Arkansas was just three points down to Missouri State.

The Bears had kicked a field goal three plays before to take a 27-24 lead. Sanders then took the handoff up the gut and was barely touched, outrunning the entire Missouri State secondary and completing the rallying score with a change-of-direction before hitting pay dirt. It was his second touchdown of the game.

Given the closeness of the game, the social media world is paying plenty of attention.

Serious trouble? Arkansas has to figure it out against Missouri State

Arkansas rallied in the first half, but Missouri State’s lead was not overtaken.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario in which things could have gone worse for Arkansas than they did in the first half against Missouri State.

The visiting Bears, an FCS team, owned every facet of the game through the first two quarters. Making matters worse, the Razorbacks, ranked No. 11 in the USA TODAY Sports Coaches Poll and No. 10 in the Associated Press Poll, were playing against former coach Bobby Petrino.

The game, which, on paper, should have been a rather easy Arkansas win, completely turned sideways. Missouri State took a 17-14 lead into the break.

Arkansas put together its first sustained drive after the Bears made it a 17-0 game midway through the second quarter. Rocket Sanders just off-tackle with 8:25 to give the Hogs a glimmer of hope.

Jadon Haselwood’s touchdown catch from KJ Jefferson the next drive provided even more.

Still, things are dicey inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium at the break.

WATCH: Rocket Sanders breathes life into Arkansas against Missouri State

It’s a start for Arkansas, anyway, although things will have to get better.

Finally.

For more than an hour inside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Saturday, the air was suffocating. Breaths were held. Missouri State, coached by Bobby Petrino, had come into Fayetteville and taken 17-0 lead midway through the third quarter on the No. 11 team in the country.

Finally, after that latest Bears touchdown, Arkansas put together a drive. Sanders had runs of 27, 8, 15, 3 and 2, his last into the end zone just off left tackle.

The crowd exhaled and the chances of upset, although, they remained a red threat, were modestly lessened, as Arkansas moved to down 10, 17-7.

Things will have to change for the Hogs in the second half, though, to avoid one of the biggest upsets in the sport this year.

Funniest tweets about Bobby Petrino return to Arkansas

A little fun before Bobby Petrino’s return game against Arkansas.

The college football world is excited to see what can happen when Bobby Petrino walks the sidelines again in Razorback Stadium for the first time in over a decade.

Petrino’s departure was one of the most controversial stories in sports when the head coach’s motorcycle accident exposed his alleged affair with a former Arkansas volleyball player 10 years ago.

The scandal led to Petrino being fired and sent shockwaves through college football.

Petrino has coached at Western Kentucky and Louisville before his current job at Missouri State and has had success in between this time. He coached the Hilltoppers to a conference championship, then turned Lamar Jackson into a Heisman Trophy winner.

This isn’t going to be a family reunion, and Arkansas fans are ready to welcome Petrino with some fun and antics.

Here are some pre-game tweets that should make you chuckle before tonight’s game.

Five predictions for Arkansas and Missouri State on Saturday night

All Razorbacks Wire writers think Arkansas wins, but one thinks even if Missouri State does, Bobby Petrino will continue his usual sour conduct.

Saturday night’s game between Arkansas and Missouri State could go down in legend.

As much as some locally have attempted to cast the game in a standard “Arkansas plays against former coach” light, anyone who lived through The Great Motorcycle Crash Saga of the early 2010s and is honest with themselves knows that the Week 3 meeting between the Hogs and Bears isn’t just another game like that.

It’s Bobby Petrino, the man who took the Razorbacks to heights not seen in 30 years, practically, then sent the program into a death spiral from which they’re only just now on the other side of the hill.

Toss in the fact that Petrino’s Missouri State is actually good – sixth-ranked in FCS – and the Razorbacks are in the midst of a potential darkhorse College Football Playoff kind of season and the layers of intrigue on Saturday are many.

That said, the game is Arkansas’. Well, as long as coach Sam Pittman and the players don’t let any of that other stuff get in the way.

Razorbacks Wire editor E. Wayne gives two predictions plus his score prediction and writers Kendall Hilton and Taylor Jones toss in theirs below.

Arkansas football vs. Missouri State: How to watch, stream, listen for Saturday

Things will be testy on Saturday night when Bobby Petrino returns to Arkansas.

Arkansas and Missouri State kickoff their Week 3 matchup at 7 p.m. from Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium with an interesting storyline.

The return of Bobby Petrino.

For the first time in a decade, Petrino returns to Razorbacks Stadium with the 5th ranked team in the FCS. The Bears enter with an offense full of power five transfers led by quarterback Jason Shelley. Shelley threw five touchdowns last week against Tennessee-Martin, three of which went to Tyrone Scott.

The Hogs continue the quest of navigating through the toughest schedule in the country. They’ve handled it well, with two very convincing wins. Because of the Hogs’ performances, the coaches and media ranked them within near or in the Top 10

With a 99% chance of winning, the Hogs shouldn’t have trouble with the Bears. I would expect Missouri State to play “inspired football” for their head coach, but the Hogs look poised and focused.

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Behind Enemy Lines: Missouri State preview with Wyatt Wheeler of News-Leader

Missouri State beat writer says he thinks Petrino has thought about game with Hogs harder than the coach has let on.

Arkansas and Missouri State, after a couple years of anticipation, will finally meet on the football in the return of Bobby Petrino to Fayetteville.

Some fans think the media has talked about it too much. Some think not enough. Thankfully, all of us get to shut up Saturday about what the day will bring. It will actually be here.

Petrino’s Missouri State is a top-six team in the FCS. He has the Bears about to the heights he had the Razorbacks in the early 2010s, just only, you know, in a subdivision lower. Missouri State’s offense is accordingly dynamic, but the defense has been the team’s bell-cow for a bulk of Petrino’s tenure.

We talked with Bears beat writer Wyatt Wheeler of the Springfield News-Leader to get his thoughts on five burning questions we had about Petrino, the game and Bears as a whole.

Arkansas looking to extend win streak against Missouri State to four

It’ll be the first time the two schools have met in over a decade.

The Razorbacks are currently on a 16-game win streak against FCS schools, and Missouri State was victim three times during the streak.

The last time the two schools battled on the field was in 2011. The Razorbacks opened the season with a 51-7 victory over the Bears. Joe Adams took two punt returns to the crib, 61 yards, and 78 yards.

Tyler Wilson also threw for two touchdowns.

Two years prior, the Razorbacks opened the season with a 41-10 victory over the Bears. Ryan Mallet and Tyler Wilson combined for 447 passing yards and three touchdowns. The special teams contributed a kick return thanks to running back Dennis Johnson’s 91-yard scamper.

The 2005 game resulted in the smallest margin of victory for the Razorbacks, 49-17. The Bears had to face the three-headed running back monster of Felix Jones, Peyton Hills, and Darren McFadden.

Jones led the rushing attack with 137 yards on eight carries. Hillis found the endzone three times, and McFadden had a mild day with one touchdown.

If you’re looking for a trend, the special teams seem to be a problem for the Bears, and Arkansas’s passing attack hasn’t been “historical.” Of course, with 10 years separating the last time they’ve played, we can’t expect the same results, but it should be fun.

Pittman expects his team to be geared up for FCS opponent

Sam Pittman expects his team to be ready for the FCS showdown against Missouri State.

There have only been five FCS teams to beat ranked FBS opponents, but none of those ranked opponents were a part of the SEC. 

And Sam Pittman doesn’t expect his Hogs to go against tradition.

“These weeks are about trying to get better,” Pittman said about getting his team pumped up for an FCS opponent.

“Trying to see who can help us win ball games. These kinds of weeks, like last week, we took the approach we have to get better ourselves. We certainly have enough things to work on before we worry about who we’re playing. I’ve been proud of our team ever since we’ve been here by putting the game before away. I’m confident we’ll get them focused and ready to play.”

The Hogs are currently on a 16-game win streak against FCS schools, facing Missouri State three times during that span, outscoring the Bears 148-34.

But these games can be trap games and in a historical fashion. This matchup brings a little bit more drama, with Bobby Petrino making his return to Fayetteville, and they are No. 5 in the FCS coaches poll.

Bobby Petrino Makes his first trip back to Arkansas with Missouri State

Bobby Petrino makes his return to Arkansas after a decade!

It was a decade ago, but who can forget the controversy created by former Arkansas head coach Bobby Petrino?

Arkansas and Petrino have moved on from the situation, so this weekend’s game against Missouri State should be a good way for all parties to reunite and bury the hatchet.

Except this is college football, where head coaching returns can be very personal and nasty, and I think this will be that kind of game.

Missouri State sits at No. 5 in the FCS coaches poll, and Petrino is credited for the surging bears. Petrino was hired as the Bears’ head coach in 2020 and has a 15-9 record. The Bears are undefeated, already defeating an Arkansas school team to open the college football season. They’ll be entering Fayetteville with some momentum, defeating Tennessee-Martin, 35-30, thanks to a 14-point fourth quarter.

Jason Shelley was named national player of the week after his performance. The senior quarterback out of Frisco, Texas, threw five touchdowns, including the go-ahead touchdown in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter.

Petrino’s success with quarterbacks isn’t something new. In his previous job, he helped a game name Lamar Jackson become the first Heisman winner in Louisville history. That guy Jackson went on to do some good things.

“I’m focused on helping the players and developing them,” Petrino said about his goals at Missouri State. “I’m focused on developing the coaches and helping them get better. Not worrying so much about just winning games every day. It’s the process we are going through that has helped us win games.”

For the Razorbacks, this is not a game to overlook. While they are not an FBS school, Missouri State is the second-ranked team the Hogs will play so far this season.

Saturday’s matchup has all the ingredients to be a trap game for the Razorbacks.

And not as a pit stop before College Station.

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