ALCORN STATE VS. NO. 20 ARKANSAS

Rocked, rolled: UA days of Little Rock domination a distant memory

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Razorback photo illustration. Shown clockwise from upper left, 2013 loss to Ole Miss, 2015 loss to Toledo, 2013 win over Samford and 2014 loss to Georgia.
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Razorback photo illustration. Shown clockwise from upper left, 2013 loss to Ole Miss, 2015 loss to Toledo, 2013 win over Samford and 2014 loss to Georgia.

The Arkansas Razorbacks will go for their 150th victory at War Memorial Stadium when they play Alcorn State at 11 a.m. today in Little Rock.

Reaching that milestone is taking much longer than expected.

Arkansas was 148-55-4 in War Memorial Stadium going into the 2012 season, but since then the Razorbacks are 1-5 in the facility where they have played at least one game annually since 1948.

It’s a mind-boggling statistic considering Arkansas was 31-2 in Little Rock from 1998-2011 with the only two losses being to LSU when the Tigers were ranked No. 12 in 2004 and No. 9 in 2006.

“A lot of fans probably have it in the backs of their minds that it’s cursed or whatever, but we don’t think about it like that,” Arkansas defensive tackle Bijhon Jackson, a junior from El Dorado, said of the Razorbacks’ recent struggles at War Memorial Stadium. “We’re having SEC preparations, so we can go down there and handle business.”

The Razorbacks insist they look forward to playing in War Memorial Stadium even though it isn’t as big and plush as Reynolds Razorback Stadium and a game in Little Rock requires a 3½-hour bus ride from Fayetteville.

“I like the Little Rock game,” said tight end Jeremy Sprinkle, a fifth-year senior from White Hall. “It’s just a different environment for us.

“It’s obviously a home game for us. Having that little switch up I feel like is good for us to just not be up here all the time.”

Arkansas redshirt junior quarterback Austin Allen won state championships with Fayetteville High School playing at War Memorial Stadium in 2011 and 2012. He also attended numerous Arkansas victories in Little Rock when his father, Bobby, was a Razorbacks assistant coach.

“I’ve always been a big fan of playing in Little Rock,” Allen said. “Just from being around here, I know how much history has happened there.

“It’s always a cool experience playing there.”

Not always.

Little Rock was more cold than cool for the Razorbacks in 2012, when they went 0-2 there with John L. Smith serving as their interim coach after Bobby Petrino’s firing.

It was the first season Arkansas lost all of its Little Rock games since going 0-3 in 1992.

The Razorbacks were ranked No. 8 going into their 2012 game against Louisiana-Monroe at War Memorial Stadium, but they lost 34-31 in overtime when the Warhawks rallied from a 28-7 deficit after Razorbacks quarterback Tyler Wilson was sidelined by a concussion.

It is Arkansas’ only loss in 25 games against teams currently in the Sun Belt Conference.

Ole Miss handed the Razorbacks’ their other Little Rock loss in 2012 when Bryson Rose hit a 31-yard field goal as time expired to give the Rebels a 30-27 victory after Arkansas had jumped out to a 10-0 lead.

Arkansas’ only victory at War Memorial Stadium since 2012 was 31-21 over Samford in 2013.

Beating Samford — a Football Championship Subdivision team as is Alcorn State — didn’t come easily for Arkansas, which trailed the Bulldogs 21-17 going into the fourth quarter.

Mississippi State in 2013 got its first road victory against Arkansas in 10 tries when the Bulldogs beat the Razorbacks 24-17 in overtime in Little Rock on a 25-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Damian Williams.

The Razorbacks also blew a 10-0 lead against Mississippi State, but appeared on their way to winning when they drove to the Bulldogs’ 9-yard line with the game tied 17-17 before tailback Alex Collins lost a fumble.

Arkansas began playing just one game at War Memorial Stadium each season in 2014, when No. 10 Georgia beat the Razorbacks 45-32 after building a 38-6 lead in the first half.

It was Toledo’s turn to beat Arkansas in Little Rock last season when the Rockets won 16-12 despite being outgained 515 to 318 yards by the Razorbacks, who were doomed by scoring on 1 of 5 possessions in the red zone.

“We don’t necessarily try to look back in the past,” Arkansas junior receiver Jared Cornelius said. “But of course it’s in the back of my head that I haven’t won in Little Rock yet.”

Arkansas Coach Bret Bielema said after the Toledo game that he was embarrassed and frustrated the Razorbacks hadn’t been able to play better in Little Rock.

Bielema, in his fourth season at Arkansas, said he’s come to appreciate the historical significance of games at War Memorial Stadium for the Razorbacks.

“We have a game in Little Rock that means a lot to our program and a lot to our players and our state,” Bielema said this week. “These opportunities are fewer and fewer, but I think it’s one our players will take full advantage of.”

Senior defensive end Deatrich Wise said the location isn’t why Arkansas has struggled to win at War Memorial Stadium.

“No, no, no,” Wise said. “It’s got nothing to do with the stadium, nothing to do with the city or the fans.

“We just haven’t done our jobs. That’s really what it boils down to the last couple years. We’re going to try and change that this year with a win.”

It’s difficult to imagine Alcorn State (1-2) — coming off a 43-18 loss at Grambling State — challenging 20th-ranked Arkansas (3-1), but the Razorbacks seem to have a sense of urgency about not only winning today, but playing well to put the recent Little Rock losses behind them.

“We’ve come out kind of slow and then toward the end of the second half we were getting refocused with more energy and playing faster,” said Josh Liddell, a junior safety from Pine Bluff. “So this year we want to come out with extreme focus, play with enthusiasm and play with energy from the start.”

Receivers coach Michael Smith said the field in Little Rock is no different than the one in Fayetteville or anywhere else the Razorbacks play.

“Last time we played there War Memorial was 100 yards long and had two end zones and two goal posts,” Smith said. “We just have to take care of our business.

“There is not a curse on War Memorial. It’s something that we control.”

Arkansas is scheduled to complete its current contract to play in War Memorial Stadium with a game next season against Florida A&M and an SEC opponent in 2018.

Razorbacks Athletic Director Jeff Long said he’s had no discussions with War Memorial Stadium officials about continuing to play in Little Rock beyond 2018, but he didn’t rule out the possibility.

“I’ve never said that we weren’t playing there after 2018,” Long said. “I’ve said it’s a difficult decision we have to make because whether you stay or whether you go, there’s repercussions on both sides.”

Bielema said that as a coach, it’s not his call whether Arkansas continues to play in Little Rock.

“Obviously, the history of Little Rock and what it means is very, very important, so then it’s important to us,” Bielema said. “But we just play the schedule that’s laid in front of us.

“The conversations about whether we play or don’t play there in the future is way above my pay grade and also above our players.”

Bielema said the Razorbacks are excited to play for fans in Little Rock who will come out to support them today despite the early kickoff.

“They’ll be fired up whether we play at 11 a.m. or 11 p.m. and the ones that are there will be jacked and ready to rock and roll,” Bielema said. “Hopefully, we’ll perform at a level deserving.”

Alcorn State at Arkansas

WHEN 11 a.m.

WHERE War Memorial Stadium, Little Rock

RECORDS Alcorn State 1-2, Arkansas 3-1

RANKINGS Arkansas is No. 20

BETTING LINE Arkansas by ???????

COACHES Fred McNair (1-2 in first year at Alcorn State and overall); Bret Bielema (21-21 in fourth year at Arkansas, 89-45 in 11th year overall)

SERIES First meeting

TELEVISION SEC Network Alternate

RADIO Razorbacks Sports Network, including KABZ-FM, 103.7, in Little Rock; KQSM-FM, 92.1, KIGL-FM 93.3, KAKS-FM, 99.5, and KUOA-AM, 1290, in Fayetteville; KERX-FM, 95.3, in Fort Smith, Sirius 108, XM 191

Big problems in Little Rock

• Arkansas is 149-60-4 all-time in War Memorial Stadium since 1948, but 1-5 since the 2012 season. Here's a rundown of the Razorbacks' recent struggles in Little Rock:

SEASON OPPONENT OUTCOME COMMENT

2012 La-Monroe L, 34-31 OT Hogs couldn't hold 28-7 lead

2012 Ole Miss L, 30-27 Rebels won on last-second FG

2013 Samford W, 31-21 Hogs trailed going into 4th quarter

2013 Mississippi State L, 24-17 OT Hogs blew 10-0 lead

2014 Georgia L, 45-32 Hogs trailed 38-6 at halftime

2015 Toledo L, 16-12 Red zone was black hole for UA

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