The Arkansas Razorbacks will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 18 days when Western Carolina visits War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Saturday, September 2 for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff.
Here at HawgBeat, we will count down the days until head coach Sam Pittman and his team run through the “A” for the first time.
With 18 days remaining, we will take a look at a current player, former player, some interesting scores, highlights and other miscellaneous things in Razorback history tied to the number 18.
Highlights:
Current Player: #18 Chris Rhodes
Rhodes transferred to Arkansas as a walk-on from Butler Community College, where he registered eight tackles, one tackle for loss and one interception in four games. Before that, he redshirted as a freshman at South Dakota State.
The 6-foot-0 Missouri native switched to the wide receiver position when he made it to Fayetteville and he can be a solid depth piece and contributor on special teams.
Former Player: #18 David Barrett
A Waterloo, Iowa, native, Barrett played as a defensive back from 1997-99 for the Razorbacks. In that time, he totaled 176 tackles, seven interceptions, three forced fumbles and five sacks.
The 5-foot-10 cornerback was drafted in the fourth round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, where he spent his first four seasons. Barrett finished his NFL career as a member of the New York Jets.
In nine seasons in the NFL, Barrett recorded 479 tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 18 interceptions.
1985: Arkansas 18 - Arizona State 17
The 1985 Holiday Bowl featured a matchup between the 9-2 Razorbacks and 8-3 Sun Devils. Arkansas running back Bobby Joe Edmonds was named offensive MVP after a stellar performance that included a fourth-quarter 17-yard rushing touchdown to take the lead, 15-14.
With 28 seconds to go, Arizona State kicker Kent Bostrom knocked in a field go to take back the lead, 17-15. Needing a miracle, Arkansas signal-caller Ron Calcagni rifled a pass from the Razorbacks' 41-yard-line to the Sun Devils' 41-yard-line.
A couple of plays later, Arkansas kicker Kendall Trainor kicked a game-winning 37-yard field goal with 23 seconds left to give the Razorbacks an 18-17 win.
Trey Flowers' 18 career sacks
From 2011-14, Flowers was a dominant defensive end for the Razorbacks. The 6-foot-4 pass rusher compiled 190 tackles, 47.5 tackles for loss and 18 sacks in his collegiate career.
In 2014, Flowers registered sacks against Northern Illinois, Alabama, LSU, Ole Miss, Missouri and Texas.
The New England Patriots selected Flowers in the fourth round of the 2015 NFL Draft. In 79 games as a professional, he's totaled 265 tackles, 104 tackles for loss and 31.5 sacks.
