‘I’ll never forget that game’ — Texas football returns to Arkansas but these aren't the same Longhorns from 2021 disaster
The overwhelmed group that showed up in Fayetteville in 2021 is a far cry from who the fifth-ranked Longhorns are now
Time heals all wounds, allegedly. Now that three years have gone by, most Texas fans probably don’t remember much that 40-21 disaster at Arkansas in September 2021.
Oh, but Alfred Collins remembers.
“I for sure got a chip on my shoulder. I’ll never forget. I’ll never forget that game,” the Texas senior said Saturday.
The head coach remembers. It was Steve Sarkisian’s second game at Texas. He remembers how fans rushed the field wearing their “Beat Texas” and “Tuck Fexas” hats and T-shirts.
“I know I got a lot of guys in that locker room and on our coaching staff that remember that game as well,” Sarkisian said, “so we want to make sure we put our best foot forward when we get there.”
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The Razorbacks need to be aware that times have changed. The overwhelmed and overmatched Texas squad that went to Fayetteville in 2021 is a far cry from the turbo-charged group that will sprint into Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium this Saturday.
These Longhorns are 8-1 overall, ranked in the top five of the Associated Press poll and College Football Playoff rankings and, unlike in 2021, have no quarterback questions. Quinn Ewers is coming off a five-touchdown performance in a blowout win over Florida.
“I'm excited to go back down there and you know, handle business,” Collins said.
It’s wild to reminisce about that night. The Longhorns had no clue they were walking headfirst into a buzzsaw. The Hogs simply overwhelmed the Horns’ offensive line and a young Hudson Card was rattled all night. Texas was 2-for-10 on third down. Sarkisian tried to change it up by inserting mobile Casey Thompson in the second half, but it was too late.
“We did our plays, and they just made better plays than the ones called for us,” defensive tackle Keondre Coburn said after the game. “That’s all I have to say.”
At least Sarkisian knew what he was getting into. “There’s a physical brand that you know when you cross over to play them, you have to be ready to play that style of football, or you get your ass knocked off,” the coach said prior to the game in September 2021.
Since that night, Texas has played Alabama twice, beat Nick Saban’s club by 10 in Tuscaloosa, won the Big 12 title, played in the College Football Playoff semifinals and hammered Michigan in the Big House. The Longhorns are the ones smacking opponents around nowadays. Just ask the Florida Gators.
Still, it’s hard to overstate how much longtime Arkansas fans hate Texas. Not a strong dislike. We're talking HATE. H-A-T-E.
Sarkisian even joked about that feeling at 2024 SEC media days when he said, “I almost at times feel like they hate Texas more than they like themselves. That’s a real rivalry.”
Arkansas coach Sam Pittman replied, “I would say he’s probably right.”
Texas senior linebacker David Gbenda, who like Collins was on the sideline that night, couldn’t believe the environment. “The environment in Arkansas, I was never really, like, scared. I was looking around, like, wow! Yeah, it was fun. It was just all so amazing to be a part of, like, what you want to be in like college football.”
This time, Texas isn’t a team looking to build a new identity. It’s a team that has serious national championship aspirations with one of the best defensive units in college football.
The Razorbacks (5-4, 3-3 SEC) are coming off a bye week with only two league games remaining. Arkansas hosts Texas, then plays Louisiana Tech and finishes the regular season with a road trip to Missouri. Pittman’s crew is simply looking to get bowl eligible at this point — and wreck Texas’ SEC title hopes.
Just don’t expect Texas to be overwhelmed this time.
