The Arkansas Razorbacks will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 9 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 9 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 9.
Highlights:
Current Player #9 Luke Hasz
A standout through fall camp with the Razorbacks, this should come as no surprise as Hasz was a highly-touted four-star tight end prospect coming out of Bixby High School.
The Bixby, Oklahoma, native caught 35 passes for 597 yards and nine touchdowns as a senior. He chose Arkansas over programs like Alabama, Florida State, LSU, Michigan, Ohio State and others.
Hasz will be a big part of the Razorback offense during the 2023 season under new offensive coordinator Dan Enos. Don't be surprised if the freshman has a breakout season during his first year in the SEC.
Former Player: #9 Matt Jones
A player ahead of his time, Jones was a threat to run and pass during his time in Fayetteville from 2001-04. In that time, he completed 417 passes for 5,857 yards and 53 touchdowns. Jones added another 2,535 yards and 24 touchdowns on the ground.
Following his collegiate career, Jones was drafted by the Jacksonville Jaguars as a wide receiver in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft following an electric combine performance in which he ran a 4.37 forty-yard dash.
From 2005-08, Jones played in 54 games and totaled 2,153 yards and 15 touchdowns.
1941: Arkansas 9 - Detroit Mercy 6
This 1941 matchup between the Razorbacks and Titans wasn't exactly a barn burner. Head coach Fred Thomsen had led his team to a 1-3 record before taking on Detroit Mercy and needed a win to get things back on track.
The undefeated Titans were a tough defensive squad. Tied 6-6 late in the game, Arkansas kicker and halfback David Scarborough booted a field goal from the 25-yard line with only seven seconds remaining to win the ballgame 9-6.
Ryan Mallet's nine 300+ yard SEC games
It shouldn't come as a surprise that the best quarterback in Arkansas history also leads the program in 300+ yard SEC games with nine total.
In 2009, Mallett started off hot with a 408-yard game against Georgia before hitting the 300+ mark versus South Carolina (329 yards) and Mississippi State (313 yards).
Mallett had six more 300+ yard SEC games during his final season in 2010, coming against Georgia (380 yards), Alabama (357 yards), Vanderbilt (409 yards), South Carolina (303 yards), Mississippi State (305 yards) and LSU (320 yards).
