Texas and Arkansas have a long and storied history dating back to 1894.
The Longhorns and Razorbacks were one of the best rivalry games in the Southwest Conference for numerous years. Darrell Royal and Frank Broyles were in charge of the two programs when the rivalry was at its peak. Three national championships were won in the 1960s between the two coaches.
Once Arkansas left for the SEC back in 1992, Texas has only appeared on their schedule five times. Overall, Texas leads the series 56-22 and have never gone on a longer losing streak than four games.
Although it’s a dated feud, Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman mentioned in 2020 that their fans lead him to believe that Texas is their biggest rival. That seems to stem more from the Razorbacks side than the Longhorns, but nonetheless is an interesting statement.
First-year Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian acknowledges the history and tradition between the two programs, but is hoping to treat it as if it is just another game.
“I appreciate the rivalry and love all that it entails but on the flip side of that, from our preparation standpoint, we just go right in. Quite frankly, every opponent is a faceless opponent,” Sarkisian said to the media on Monday.
On Sept. 11, when Texas travels to Fayetteville for the first time in 17 years, they’ll be facing an up and coming Arkansas team under the lights with a sold out crowd. It’s quite a daunting task, but will serve as a good measuring stick for both head coaches hoping to take their programs to the next level.
Texas last played Arkansas in 2014, where the Razorbacks won in convincing fashion. Although Texas leads the overall series, Arkansas has won three of the last five meetings. Let’s take a look at the most recent matchups between the two programs: