Louisiana Hogs set for return

FAYETTEVILLE -- Jared Cornelius and Santos Ramirez figured they'd be playing in Tiger Stadium for LSU.

Instead, the close friends from Shreveport will play in Tiger Stadium for the first time Saturday night against LSU as Arkansas Razorbacks.

Cornelius and Ramirez were offered scholarships by LSU the summer before their senior seasons at Shreveport Evangel Christian Academy. Ramirez said his offer was put on hold when he told LSU's coaches he wanted to commit.

"They wanted me to wait to see what somebody else was going to do," Ramirez said. "I'm not a second option for nobody, so that rubbed me the wrong way."

Cornelius and Ramirez decided to sign with Arkansas.

"We stick together," Ramirez said. "That's how we were raised."

Cornelius, a sophomore receiver and return specialist, said there's no way he would have gone to LSU without Ramirez.

"I'm not a fan of the coaching staff or their recruiting process and how they do things down there," Cornelius said. "I'm really looking forward to the game."

So is Ramirez, a redshirt freshman safety.

"I'm very fired up," Ramirez said. "I've got a lot of issues against LSU. I've got a lot of animosity against LSU.

"Going back home and playing against them is really going to be fun."

Cornelius and Ramirez are among seven Razorbacks from Louisiana.

Senior noseguard DeMarcus Hodge is from Monroe Neville. Cornerback Henre Toliver and strongside linebacker Dwayne Eugene, both sophomores, were teammates at Archbishop Rummel in suburban New Orleans. Freshman fullback Kendrick Jackson is from Haynesville. Defensive back Nate Dalton, a freshman from Baton Rouge Cypress Falls, is redshirting.

Hodge has started every game this season while Cornelius, Ramirez, Toliver, Eugene and Jackson have a combined 13 starts.

For all of the Louisiana Hogs except Hodge, Saturday will mark the first time they've played a college game in their home state.

"I've been arguing with them all week trying to see how many family members we've got coming, to see who's going to have the most," Hodge said. "It's going to be a good environment for us."

Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema is making Hodge a team captain for the game.

"I think it's a tremendous honor," Hodge said. "When I found out, it made a big smile come around my face."

Louisiana has become a prime recruiting area for the Razorbacks. Three of their commitments for the 2016 class-- defensive tackle Briston Guidry, linebacker Dejon Harris and quarterback Cole Kelley -- are from Louisiana.

"During our bye week, I think we spent more time in Louisiana than we did in any other state in the country," Bielema said.

Arkansas receivers coach Michael Smith, a New Orleans native, recruits Louisiana.

"For us to go down there and steal some of the guys that we've been able to get, it means a lot," Smith said.

Coaches said they can feel added energy at practice from the Louisiana players.

"Those particular kids from Louisiana, they've been working hard all year," defensive backs Clay Jennings said. "But this week there might be a little more juice in the system."

Arkansas beat LSU 17-0 last season to end the Razorbacks' 17-game SEC losing streak. That started what has become a 5-3 stretch in SEC play for Arkansas, including 3-2 this season.

"Nobody really believed in us at the time," Toliver said. "Then I went home and friends were like, 'Oh, y'all beat LSU.' I'm like, 'Yeah, like I told y'all we could do it.' "

Eugene said Smith is a big reason a lot of Louisiana players sign with Arkansas.

"Coach Smith's a great recruiter," Eugene said. "He just shoots you straight. He's not going to blow smoke up your butt or nothing like that.

"He's going to tell you what's real, and if you like it, you're going to get on board."

If the Razorbacks could get their first victory at LSU since 2007 -- when they upset the No. 1 Tigers 50-48 in triple overtime -- it would give Arkansas' recruiting efforts in Louisiana a boost.

"Oh, it's big and it's always going to be big," Smith said. "If we're able to come out with a victory, like we did last year, there's bragging rights. I've been in this business a long time and the best recruiting tool we have is wins."

When Eugene and Toliver played at Rummel, their biggest high school rival was New Orleans Saint Augustine, where Tigers star tailback Leonard Fournette played.

Eugene and Toliver helped Rummel go 3-2 against Fournette and Saint Augustine and hope to make it 2-0 for Arkansas against Fournette and LSU. Eugene also has a family rivalry with Tigers backup tailback Darrel Williams, who is his cousin.

"We joke about it all the time," Eugene said. "I tell him about the whupping we put on them last year."

The Louisiana Razorbacks will make sure there's a solid contingent of fans at Tiger Stadium rooting for Arkansas.

"We all have a lot of pride," Ramirez said. "When you come from Louisiana and play LSU, you want to make a statement.

"You're in front of your home crowd and you want to play to the best of your ability, because you don't want to go back home and people are going, 'You suck.' "

Bielema has made sure the Razorbacks know LSU is 48-5 in night games at Tiger Stadium under Coach Les Miles.

"It puts a chip on your shoulder and makes you want to go down there and do something nobody really expects you can do," Cornelius said. "I'm ready to play for sure."

Sports on 11/13/2015