College football rivalry games are not just a tradition but are deeply rooted in fans’ emotions and love for their teams. One historic rivalry game that turned many heads was between Arkansas State and the Razorbacks; despite being considered rivals for a long time, it was their first-ever meeting. It’s true that many famous rivalry games have stopped because of conference alignments, such as Texas vs. Texas A&M. But now, after years, they came in together and left a lasting mark on everyone’s heart, including Coach Butch Jones.

Well, the game might not have ended in Arkansas State’s favor, as they lost against the Razorbacks with a tall margin of 56-14. But still, the excitement to bring in the entire state together in the War Memorial Stadium for the very first time gave a sense of fulfillment to Arkansas State’s HC. Speaking about it at the LR Touchdown Club, he made it clear that this game should happen again: “For the entire state of Arkansas to come together in our state capitol in that environment, no other state of the union has ever experienced that, and why would we take that away?”

What makes it more interesting is that it could be the last time this game is played at War Memorial Stadium after a 220-game streak. And the two teams? Their rivalry dates back to the late 1940s. So, it makes sense that the crowd exceeded the seating capacity of 54,120, with 54,224 people cheering for their favorite team. Now you know why Jones doesn’t want it to stop.

Both teams were on their best form as Razorbacks QB Taylen Green made an impact with his exceptional performance, completing 17 of 26 passes for 239 yards with 4 touchdowns. On top of that, he also ran for 151 yards with 1 TD on 9 carries. And one of the game’s best moments came when Green rushed for a 64-yard touchdown, which was his first rushing TD of the season and even gave the Razorbacks a lead of 21-7 before halftime.

But even Arkansas came in strong against them despite having a great offensive line with running backs and receivers to be a reliable target. As their defense put pressure on Green in the first and second quarters, that’s exactly when he threw two interceptions in the game. Yet all in all, it ended on a good note for both the teams, as they became part of history.

Yet winning couldn’t save Sam Pittman’s fate, as he got fired after losing against Notre Dame and ending up with a 2-3 record in the season. But their interim coach is already coming up with a better game plan.

Arkansas interim HC on taking bold step to secure team’s future

After cutting ties with Sam Pittman, the Razorbacks are looking for a fresh start, and interim coach Bobby Petrino is right there to make it happen. As he takes all in-game decisions from now on, fans are hoping for a better result. But why? Because through five games, Arkansas has just tried attempting it three times on fourth down, which is the second lowest in FBS. It’s not like they were in the worst condition in every aspect, as they were in the top 40 in conversion percentage but could never even touch the top 70 in attempts.

And that’s exactly what Petrino needs to work on. Looks like he’s already doubling down on it, as he said, “You understand when you are going to call a timeout. When you want to keep going and when you want to flow, that’s how it goes. So it actually makes the play calling a little bit easier in the two-minute situations and end-of-half situations. Whether you’re going to go for it on fourth down or not, you’re thinking ahead on that and not just hearing it through the headset.” But the real test arrives against Tennessee, as it will be his first time calling plays after his stint at Missouri State in 2022.

For Petrino, taking risks is his top priority, as he calls himself an “aggressive person,” making it clear that Arkansas can come up strong on fourth downs compared to how they were under Pittman. Remember their game against Ole Miss, where they attempted a 51-yard field goal on a 4th-and-2 but ended up losing 41–35? That might not be the case here, as Petrino points to it, saying, “It does matter besides analytics. It matters who their Mike linebacker is, who our right guard is, [it] matters who their left defensive end is, and who our tight end is, and it’s not just a computer game where you punch it in and say, Analytics says, go for it.”

Well, let’s just hope their confidence resonates on the field too.