The Arkansas Razorbacks will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 5 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 5 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 5.
Highlights:
Current Player #5 Raheim Sanders
Not very many running backs could wear the number five and manage to live up to the expectations that the number holds, but Rocket Sanders has done just that during his two seasons in Fayetteville.
As a freshman, Sanders ran the ball 114 times for 578 yards and five touchdowns while averaging 5.1 yards per carry. He followed that up with an explosive sophomore campaign, rushing for an SEC second-best 1,443 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging 6.5 yards per carry.
Picked by the media as Preseason First Team All-SEC, the junior workhorse is expected to have another big year in 2023 to prepare himself for the NFL.
Former Player: #5 Darren McFadden
Speaking of five, you can't talk about the number without including the man who set the standard for anyone wearing it.
From 2005-07, McFadden ran the ball 785 times for 4,590 yards and 41 touchdowns while averaging 5.8 yards per carry. The two-time Doak Walker Award winner, two-time SEC Offensive Player of the Year, two-time All-American, two-time Heisman runner-up and winner of the Jim Brown Trophy and Walter Camp Award broke too many records to list.
Following his collegiate career, McFadden was drafted by the Oakland Raiders No. 4 overall in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft. Injuries and player mismanagement may have halted what could have been a much better NFL career, but the Arkansas legend still totaled 5,421 yards and 28 touchdowns across his seven-year professional career.
1910: Arkansas 5 - Texas A&M 0
The second-ever matchup between two programs that have played 79 times in their history ended in an absolute barn-burner — a 5-0 Arkansas win. The first game between the Aggies and Razorbacks actually came seven years before this one and ended in a 6-0 Texas A&M victory.
Head coach Hugo Bezdek was in his third season leading the Independent League Razorbacks and had his team firing on all cylinders, as they outscored opponents 221 to 19 in eight games. Arkansas finished the 1910 season 7-1 overall with its lone loss coming against Kansas State, 5-0.
Wear Schoonover's five interceptions against Texas A&M in 1929
Schoonover was the first official All-American football player in the Southwest Conference as well as the first Arkansas athlete to be elected to the National Football Foundation's Hall of Fame.
The Pocahontas native was a two-time All-SWC basketball selection while also being a standout player for the Razorbacks football team.
While playing Texas A&M in 1929, Schoonover intercepted a program single-game-best five interceptions. That record still stands today, with the second best mark held by six different players, including current Razorback defensive back Hudson Clark, who had three interceptions against Ole Miss in 2020.
