By the Numbers: 29 days until Arkansas football
The Arkansas Razorbacks will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 29 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 29 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 29.
Highlights:
Current Player: #29 AJ Brathwaite Jr.
A native of Miami, Brathwaite is going into his sixth year of college football in 2023. He spent his first five seasons at Western Kentucky, where he totaled 99 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and two interceptions.
Brathwaite was named a Conference USA Honorable Mention in 2021 after starting all 12 games for the Hilltoppers. That season, the 6-foot-0 defensive back recorded 64 tackles, three tackles for loss and one interception.
Brathwaite elected to take his talents to Fayetteville after dealing with numerous injuries during the 2022 season. He should add solid, experienced depth for the Razorbacks secondary.
Former Player: #29 Kenoy Kennedy
Kennedy began his career with Arkansas in 1996 after graduating from Terrell High School in Terrell, Texas. After being a backup in 1996, then-head coach Danny Ford moved Kennedy to a starting role in 1997.
The 6-foot-1 defensive back was a mainstay for the secondary in 1998 and helped the Razorbacks win a share of the SEC West Division championship that season. Kennedy earned Second Team All-SEC honors for his efforts before being named First Team All-SEC by the coaches in 1999.
Following his collegiate career, Kennedy was drafted in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. After five years in Denver, he was then signed by the Detroit Lions, who he played three seasons with before being released in 2008.
Kennedy totaled 550 tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 10 interceptions in 115 games played.
2012: Arkansas 29 - Kansas State 16
The 2012 Cotton Bowl Classic featured a matchup between the No. 6 Razorbacks and No. 8 Wildcats in AT&T Stadium. This was the fifth time both programs had played each other, but the first since 1967.
Quarterback Tyler Wilson led the Razorbacks to the top-ranked passing offense (307.8 yards per game) and best offense overall (445.8 yards per game) in the SEC that year. Wilson continued his dynamic play against Kansas State, totaling 216 passing yards and two touchdowns from 20 completions.
Running backs Broderick Green and Dennis Johnson added a combined 93 yards on the ground, while wide receiver Jarius Wright added 88 yards through the air.
After getting out to a 13-0, the Razorbacks scored a touchdown off a 45-yard heave from Wilson. The extra point was blocked and returned by Kansas State for two points and the Wildcats then scored 14 straight points to cut the Arkansas lead to 19-16.
The Razorbacks scored the final 10 points and capped the game with an interception from Jerico Nelson.
This was head coach Bobby Petrino’s final game with the Razorbacks, as he was let go following his infamous motorcycle wreck in April 2012
1968: Texas 39 - Arkansas 29
The 1968 matchup between the Razorbacks and Longhorns had a lot at stake. Arkansas was looking to hold steady in the national title race, and the winner would likely go on to win the Southwest Conference.
After going down 25-15 at halftime, the Razorbacks gave up another 14 points to the Longhorns in the third quarter. Down 39-15, Arkansas had too big a hole to dig out of and it lost the game, 39-29.
This game took place a year prior to the "Game of the Century" between No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Arkansas in 1969.
Ronnie Caveness' 29 tackles against Texas
Caveness was a First Team All-American selection by Football News in 1963, the same year in which he totaled a program single-game record 29 tackles against the Texas Longhorns. Caveness still holds this record, and is also second (25 tackles), fourth (23 tackles) and eighth (21 tackles) on the list.
Following his All-American career, Caveness was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1965, who he spent one year with before spending the remainder of his five-year career with the Oilers and Patriots.