Tag: Houston Nutt

Arkansas’ one previous meeting with FIU was a rout

Arkansas has played Florida International one time previously, on Homecoming 2007 and won 58-10.

During the craziness that was the 2007 college football season, Arkansas’ late October meeting with Florida International was par for the course.

The Razorbacks drubbed FIU on Homecoming, 58-10, in front of 60,750 fans on a beautiful fall afternoon.

Arkansas led 31-10 at halftime and then shut out the visiting Panthers in the second half while forcing seven turnovers.

Nathan Emert actually got the majority of snaps at quarterback in this game in relief of Casey Dick, and threw a touchdown to Marcus Monk right before halftime.

Felix Jones had 17 carries for 89 yards and a touchdown, as Darren McFadden wasn’t asked to carry as much of a load with it being a nonconference game in preparation for the November run.

The Razorbacks ultimately went 3-1 that November, only losing on the road to eventual SEC East champion Tennessee in Neyland Stadium.

Houston Nutt’s final game would come on Black Friday in the upset of No. 1 LSU in three overtimes, 50-48.

Nutt was polarizing but deserves his spot in UA Hall of Honor

Houston Nutt was polarizing, but is worthy of his place in the UA’s Hall of Honor.

During an end of first quarter break on Saturday during the Kent State game, the nine recent inductees to the University of Arkansas’ Hall of Honor were honored on the field.

Felix Jones received the loudest ovation as a record-setting tailback behind Darren McFadden during some of the Razorbacks’ most memorable SEC moments of the last 25 years.

The second loudest ovation went to Houston Nutt. Ten or 15 years ago, it would’ve been a chorus of boos.

Nutt, of course, was the Arkansas coach from 1998-2007, winning 75 games and three SEC Western Division titles, with two trips to the SEC Championship game.

By the end of his tenure, however, his welcome had worn thin. Quite thin with a sizeable portion of the fan base.

It was pretty much split down the middle in 2007. You had ‘Nutt-huggers’ or you were a ‘darksider.’

Once that season went south, with three SEC losses by early October, the noise around the program became toxic.

I was a freshman at UARK that year, and remembered covering practices—full practices, mind you—and reporters would ask Nutt almost every day about his job status or if he thought his job was safe.

That regular season ultimately ended with the upset of No. 1 LSU in Baton Rouge in triple overtime, which was Nutt’s virtuoso coaching performance.

The ‘golden handcuffs’ were then removed a few days later and he high-tailed it to Ole Miss, where he spent four tumultuous seasons before being fired after going 2-10.

Obviously Nutt did and said things here that were controversial. His dalliances with Nebraska and LSU. ‘I called that play, brotha.’ How he handled the Mitch Mustain saga.

No coach is perfect, though. No coach is going to spend a tenure of more than a few years and not say and do some things that he regrets or that he wishes he could’ve taken back.

I also get why Nutt was so polarizing. He had a massive ego, and he didn’t have a problem letting people know how he felt or tooting his own horn.

That being said, his coaching and recruiting allowed Arkansas to gain relevance in the SEC, allowed the stadium in Fayetteville to be expanded and is still the only coach to take the Razorbacks to Atlanta.

Those accomplishments, and the players that he helped mold, have benefited Arkansas tremendously. And are worthy of honor.

Jones, Nutt highlight UA Hall of Honor inductees

Former coach Houston Nutt and running back Felix Jones are among the nine being inducted into the UA Hall of Honor this weekend.

Friday evening at the Walton Arts Center will be a chance to see nine former Razorback athletes be honored as they are enshrined in the University of Arkansas’ Hall of Honor.

Former football coach Houston Nutt and running back Felix Jones, who played for Nutt from 2005-07, are among the inductees.

BATON ROUGE, LA – NOVEMBER 23: Felix Jones #25 of the Arkansas Razorbacks avoids a tackle by Craig Steltz #16 of the Louisiana State University Tigers in the second overtime at Tiger Stadium November 23, 2007 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The Razorbacks defeated the Tigers 50-48 in triple overtime. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

As part of the on-campus football opener with Kent State, this event will surely bring memories flooding back for fans.

“The University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor embodies the rich and storied history of our program,” Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Hunter Yurachek said. “This year’s talented class features outstanding Razorbacks from a cross section of our sport programs, including national champions, Olympians and trailblazing individuals who helped lay the foundation for our continued success. We look forward to celebrating these men and women and their many accomplishments during our Hall of Honor weekend.”

Other inductees include Marc Brumble (baseball), Lenzie Howell (men’s basketball), Taylor Ellis-Watson (women’s track and field), Kimberly Wilson Jenkins (women’s basketball), Oskar Johansson (men’s tennis), Honey Marsh (soccer) and David Swain (men’s track and field).

Hawgs Club should have some dynamic speakers

The Hawgs Club, Northwest Arkansas’ version of the Little Rock Touchdown Club, will feature a number of big names and former Razorback connections.

The NWA Hawgs Club isn’t quite the Little Rock Touchdown Club, but it’s not too shabby itself either.

A number of big names and people who are very familiar to Razorback fans will be speaking this fall.

Sam Pittman led off things on Wednesday a day after he spoke to the Little Rock club.

There will not be a luncheon next Wednesday, but things will resume in September after Labor Day.

Here is a list of the confirmed speakers.

Former Hogs coach Houston Nutt leaving CBS analyst role

Nutt spent the last 11 years at CBS. Only Frank Broyles has more wins as the Arkansas football coach.

At age 65, Houston Nutt decided it was time to hang up the microphone.

As it were.

Nutt, the second winningest coach in Arkansas football history, had spent the last decade-plus as a college football analyst at CBS.

“After 11 incredible years, I have decided to say goodbye to my CBS Sports team to spend more time being grandpa (“Pappy”) and with family. I sincerely appreciate the opportunity to work along such a talented team,” Nutt wrote on X, formerly Twitter, in his announcement.

Nutt coached Arkansas for 10 years between 1998 and 2007. He won 75 games in that period and led the Razorbacks to eight bowls. After leaving Fayetteville, Nutt spent four seasons at Ole Miss before leaving the sidelines for his job with CBS.

Nutt had been an in-studio analyst on Saturdays during the college football season. CBS announced Danny Kanell and Kevin Carter would hold such roles for the 2023 season.

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Arkansas Football: The Razorbacks All-90s Team

The 1990s were a tumultuous decade for Arkansas football, with joining a new league and having coaching upheaval.

Arkansas joined the Southeastern Conference in time for the 1992 season and promptly got its coach fired after one game that year.

Eventually, Danny Ford was hired and the former Clemson coach who helped the Tigers win the 1981 national championship helped steer the Razorbacks in the right direction, winning a SEC Western Division crown in 1995.

Houston Nutt was brought in at the end of the decade after things bottomed out with Ford, and closed out the century on a high note.

Today we will look at some of the best players from that decade across all positions.

Jon Gruden, Kirk Herbstreit highlight Touchdown Club speakers

Former NFLers, college football stars and Arkansas icons highlight the list of speakers.

The Little Rock Touchdown Club has long been known to bring in big-time speakers.

It appears 2022 will be no different.

David Bazzel, president of the club, and George Makris Jr., CEO of Simmons First National Corporation, announced the lineup this week. It features a number of current and former Razorbacks, plus national media analysts and college football greats from previous generations.

The club started in 2004 and has more than 500 members. Meetings are at the Doubletree Hotel in downtown Little Rock where lunches begin at 11 a.m.

You can see the full slate of speakers below and get more information about the club here.

Arkansas football head coach salaries for past decade

Razorbacks Wire revisits the earnings of Arkansas football head coaches dating back to 2011.

Arkansas Razorbacks football is back on the right path under head coach Sam Pittman.

The Hogs went 8-4 in the 2021 regular season with wins over rivals Texas, Texas A&M, LSU and Missouri. Pittman is a relative bargain for the Razorbacks with a payout of less than $3 million this year. He will get a raise next season based on an incentive clause in his contract that was triggered when the Hogs beat Mizzou for their eighth win of the season.

All this got us thinking about how Pittman’s salary compares to his predecessors at the helm of the Razorbacks football program.

Below, we list the annual salary for Arkansas football head coaches for each season dating to 2011.

[Source: USA TODAY coaching salary database]

Also see:
• Top 10 passing leaders in Arkansas history
• Top 10 rushing leaders in Arkansas history
• Top 10 receiving leaders in Arkansas history

Arkansas needs to win Saturday to avoid a repeat of 2003

Another Razorback team once got off to a 4-0 start and a top 10 national ranking before derailing in the month of October.

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When Arkansas defeated Texas A&M on September 25 in Arlington, Texas, to start 4-0 for the first time in 18 years, I was reminded of that 2003 team and how eerily similar it was.

That team started out that year by beating a Group of 5 opponent in Tulsa, whereas this year’s team beat Rice, then both teams manhandled Texas in Week 2.

Another nonconference win for both in Week 3, and then a win over a division rival in Week 4 (Alabama in double OT in ’03, A&M to end a 9-game losing streak in ’21).

The pollsters awarded a No. 7 ranking for the ’03 Hogs, while this year’s team rose to No. 8.

In 2003, the Razorbacks subsequently went ‘0-for-October,’ meaning they didn’t win a game the entire month as they had a bye week built in the first week of October and then played Auburn, Florida and Ole Miss in succession and lost all three games.

There were already a number of fans who did not hold Houston Nutt in high regard even then, but that just bolstered their displeasure.

The 2021 team obviously gets to play UA-Pine Bluff next week in Little Rock, but then a bye week is built in before November begins.

Momentum that was created during that four-game winning streak in September will be all but extinguished if Arkansas doesn’t find a way to edge Auburn on Saturday.

Editor’s Note: I will not mention the holding penalties incurred on touchdown runs from Cedric Cobbs and Matt Jones in the 2003 Auburn game.

 

Nabors: ‘Member’ berries from the Arkansas/Auburn series

Whenever the Razorbacks take on the Tigers, it’s always a wild one. Here’s looking back on some memorable games between Arkansas and Auburn.

It may not be as crazy as the Arkansas and Ole Miss series, but there are plenty of memorable moments in the history of Arkansas versus Auburn.

So to borrow a phrase from the hit show South Park, let’s eat some “member” berries and look back on some of the best moments from when the Razorbacks took on the Tigers.

2001 – Arkansas 42 Auburn 17

I ‘member in 2001 when Auburn came to Fayetteville with a 4-0 record in the SEC that had them in the driver’s seat for a Western Division Title.

Arkansas had been struggling to figure out their quarterback situation and had a pretty disappointing 0-3 start in SEC play.

Both teams started off slow offensively in the first quarter as the Hogs held a 7-3 lead. Houston Nutt felt the offense needed a spark at quarterback so he decided to throw in a freshman kid out of Fort Smith named Matt Jones to replace Zak Clark.

First play with Matt Jones as quarterback? A 21-yard touchdown pass to Richard Smith. Arkansas never looked back the rest of the way.

Jones led the team in rushing with 99 yards including a 37-yard touchdown run. Razorback fans felt the offense finally had the explosiveness it desperately needed and Jones was named the starter for Ole Miss the next week.

The rest was history as that game began the legend of Matt Jones.

2006 – Arkansas 24 Auburn 10

I ‘member in 2006 when Arkansas went down to Auburn, Alabama to face the No. 2 team in the country at 11 a.m.

The Razorbacks didn’t look very impressive up to that point. They got blown out by USC to start the year, barely beat Vanderbilt on the road, and needed Leigh Tiffin to miss all the kicks to beat Alabama. So no one felt that good about Arkansas’ chances to beat a high caliber team like Auburn on the road.

But that was before Hog fans really knew how good a sophomore by the name of Darren McFadden was.

Arkansas held on to a 10-7 lead midway through the second quarter, but then McFadden exploded through the offensive line for a 67-yard touchdown run. People knew that D-Mac was good, but most considered this game his coming out party.

The Razorback defense kept Auburn from scoring anymore touchdowns the rest of the way and McFadden finished with 145 yards on 28 carries.

The Heisman Trophy campaign for McFadden began that October day in Auburn as the Hogs knocked off the second-ranked team in the country.

2015 – Arkansas 54 Auburn 46

I ‘member in 2015 when the Hogs went to four overtimes with Auburn in Fayetteville to beat Gus Malzahn for the very first time.

Arkansas had a weird start to the season where they lost to Toledo and Texas Tech in the non-conference. It really put them behind the 8-ball and they knew they had to get back on track early in SEC play.

While having a 24-21 lead with roughly five minutes in the fourth quarter, the Hogs let the Tigers drive down the field and kick a game tying field goal with only four seconds left on the clock.

Auburn got the ball first in overtime and scored a touchdown right away. The Hogs then found themselves in a 4th and 3 situation with the game on the line.

Razorback fans had seen this movie before.

Only this time, Brandon Allen connects to Drew Morgan for a six-yard touchdown pass to force a second overtime. Fans then felt like this game may actually be different. The Hogs may actually be able to overcome a comeback and find a way to win.

Arkansas and Auburn traded touchdowns for another two overtime periods. Hogs scored on the first play of the fourth overtime on another touchdown pass from Allen to Morgan. Then the Razorback defense stopped the Tiger offense on fourth down to secure their first (and only) win over Gus Malzahn and Auburn.

That was the last time Arkansas beat Auburn in football. Can the Hogs end the losing streak in Fayetteville this Saturday?