FAYETTEVILLE — Throughout his coaching career, Sam Pittman has been a part of some huge games with massive implications.
Despite coaching in three SEC Championship Games and a national championship while at Georgia and two Red River Rivalry games while at Oklahoma, the lone bowl game during his first stint at Arkansas left a big impression on him.
Pittman was blown away by an “electric” atmosphere at the 2014 Texas Bowl in Houston, when the Razorbacks dominated Texas to the tune of a 31-7 win that felt like it was an even bigger blowout.
“I remember getting off the bus before the game and it felt like you were at the Cotton Bowl,” Pittman said. “It felt like you were at the Sugar Bowl.
“As a matter of fact, a few years later (at) Georgia, we went to the Sugar Bowl and I didn't feel like the atmosphere was as good that day as it was when we played Texas in the Texas Bowl. It was a dynamic atmosphere.”
Growing up in northeast Oklahoma, Pittman witnessed the Arkansas-Texas rivalry as a fan and all these years later - despite them not being in the same conference since 1992 - still believes the Longhorns are the Razorbacks’ biggest rival.
In various media obligations leading up to the game, he hasn’t shied away from that angle of Saturday’s matchup between Arkansas and No. 15 Texas. Pittman has repeatedly brought up his and the team’s excitement level for the game.
Most of the players, though, don’t know much about the rivalry. They were all born well after the Razorbacks left the Southwest Conference for the SEC, so Pittman said he would educate them on the history.
Wide receiver Tyson Morris told reporters that his coach showed the team clips from “way, way back in the day” when the picture on the screen was “blurry.” The top highlight, of course, was Ken Hatfield’s legendary 81-yard punt return that helped Arkansas beat Texas 14-13 en route to a 1964 national championship.
Pittman emphasized just how important the rivalry was - and still is - to fans over a certain age.
“I always knew that Arkansas vs. Texas was a huge deal, but it’s way different once you’re about to play in it,” Morris said. “You get that feeling yourself about how actually big the rivalry is. I feel like it’s one of the biggest rivalries we’ve ever had, so it should be a big game.”
It seems like Pittman’s efforts aren’t going unnoticed. At Monday’s practice, team captain and senior safety Joe Foucha - a New Orleans native - gave his teammates a hype speech that touched on it before the broke into position groups for individual drills.
“Joe Foucha was talking about, ‘We need to perform well and do a good job for the state of Arkansas,’ and he’s not from here,” Pittman said. “So I think they understand what it means to our fans.”
Those who grew up in the Natural State - about one-third of the roster - probably already had a good idea of the Arkansas-Texas rivalry.
Defensive tackle Isaiah Nichols, a Springdale native, said he remembers seeing the hype around the game and that he’s not taking his first chance to experienced it first hand for granted.
Perhaps no one on the team understands the rivalry as well as the Henry brothers - linebacker Hayden and tight end Hudson. Their father, Mark, was an All-SWC center for the Razorbacks in the early 1990s and their grandfather, Skip Coffman, played basketball at Arkansas from 1957-62.
“My dad and my grandfather, who played basketball here, they both played in the Southwest Conference, so this is a game that’s not unfamiliar to my family,” Henry said. “I remember growing up, my dad did not like Texas very much. That was their big rivalry. They did not like Texas.”
The Henrys’ older brother, Hunter, also played for the Razorbacks as an All-American tight end. He was on the 2014 team that limited the Longhorns to 2 rushing yards on 18 carries and just 59 total yards of offense.
Arkansas put up just 351 yards itself, but held the ball for 41 minutes, 10 seconds compared to Texas’ 18 minutes, 50 seconds.
“I just remember that the Arkansas defense played really well,” Henry said. “I remember that, and then I remember just that old Bret Bielema style offense just wearing those guys down. Hoping for the same thing here this weekend.”
Pittman got a dose of Texas hatred as the offensive line coach at Oklahoma from 1997-98, when he lost back-to-back games to the Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl, as well as a youngster - although Nebraska was just as big of a game for the Sooners back then.
Of course, he also had a love for the Razorbacks growing up, even attending Lou Holtz camps.
“(I’ve heard) all the old wives tales and all those things about you couldn’t get gas if you had an Arkansas license plate and the game was in Austin and all those things,” Pittman said. “It’s really exciting. To be honest with you, it’s what college football’s all about. If there weren’t any rivalries, it wouldn’t be any fun.”
This game has been circled on many fans’ calendars since it was first agreed upon in 2006 and continually pushed back until finally landing on the 2021 slate.
However, it picked up even more significance this summer with the announcement that Texas and Oklahoma will leave the Big 12 and join the SEC no later than the 2025 season. The renewed rivalry is now a preview of a future conference showdown.
Arkansas trails the all-time series between the schools 56-22, but has won three of the five matchups since they became non-conference foes - a trend the Razorbacks would like to continue Saturday and into the SEC era.
“I’ll be long gone by then, but pretty soon they’re stepping into this conference,” Henry said. “So this will be a little taste of what fans will get to see for years and years to come.”
Kickoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. CT Saturday inside Reynolds Razorback Stadium. The game will be televised nationally on ESPN.
