Pat Green has a song called Texas on My Mind. Well Texas has been on the mind of most Hog fans all summer.
Texas. Just the mention of the word makes most Razorback fans who are 40 plus years old blood boil. Heck. Let’s be honest just seeing burnt orange does the same thing. That color is not allowed to be used in my kids drawings. Just kidding…kinda.
My real first introduction to Texas was December 6, 1969. The "Big Shoot Out" in Fayetteville. #1 Horns vs. #2 Hogs. Richard Nixon flew in for in for the game on a helicopter. Mom and Dad went and said it was cold and sleeting. Mom was 6 months pregnant with me and said I kicked her when Texas scored to win 15-14 after Hogs had a 14-0 lead. She and Dad knew that was where my obsession with the Hogs truly began. :)
My first introduction to Texas after I was born was October 17, 1981 when #1 Texas came into Fayetteville. They had just blasted Oklahoma 34-14 the week before in Dallas in the Red River shootout. They came to the hill riding high and a 6 point favorite.
The Hogs were coming off a loss to TCU and Lou Holtz was not excited about going back home to play Texas. I’ll never forget the quote he had in the Arkansas Democrat.
“Coming home to play Texas is like coming home to your wife with lipstick on your collar,” Holtz was quoted as saying. “Sometimes, you might be better off not coming home.”
My memory of this game was being at Lowe’s in Pine Bluff picking up some things with my dad. I remember the store being a buzz about how the Hogs had jumped out to a lead quick after Texas fumbled the first snap of the game and Billy Ray Smith recovered. The Hogs scored quick and often. I remember listening to it on the radio as dad and I drove home and could not get home quick enough to watch. The turnovers just kept coming from the Longhorns and the Hogs scoring never stopped as they rolled to a 42-11 legendary victory over the Horns. And the field goal posts and party went to Dickson.
My first in-person introduction to second ranked Texas was October 15, 1983 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. This was Holtz’s last season as the Head Hog. I remember our tickets were in the southeast corner corner of the stadium. We were right next to the Texas band. I was 13 and remember how annoying their band was as they talked trash across the chain link fence between us and them. It was the first time I remember having a hate towards another team. After hearing the “Texas Fight” all day, after they rolled us 31-3 ,there is no doubt this is the game where my passion to hate the Horns began.
October 17, 1987 at War Memorial. The one that hurt the most. Arkansas came in 4-1 and ranked #15. Texas unranked, 2-3, and not very good. We had seats on the 25 yard line on the east side. Hogs were up 14-10 with 1:48 to go. Texas had 56 yards to go for the win. I remember Steve Atwater put a Steve Atwater hit on a Texas receiver early in the drive and the ball came loose. Four Hogs jumped for it and a Longhorn. All the Hogs were pointing we had the ball and the center for Texas came out with it. Somehow he was down field to get in the scrum. Texas used their last timeout in the middle of the drive and I’ll never forget this with :4 left and the clock stopped on a incompletion Coach Hatfield called a timeout. It gave the Texas time to draw up a play instead of hurrying against the play clock. They used Eric Metcalf as a decoy and Texas QB Brett Stafford found Tony Jones over the middle between Atwater and two other Hogs as he threaded a needle for a 16-14 win. In :4 seconds the ear splitting deafening crowd went to stunned silence. I’ll never forget standing there in shock with the other fans and then walking out in dead silence with my dad and neighbor. Hatfield opened his coach’s show the next day with scripture. “Jesus wept.”
October 21, 1989 in Fayetteville. It was homecoming on the hill my sophomore year. I had a date with a Razorback soccer player for the game. Don’t remember her name or anything else just the game. Hogs came into the game ranked #7 and undefeated. We led 14-13 and then the Horns scored 11 straight to go up 24-14. We scored on a Barry Foster run to make it 24-20 in the third quarter and that’s how it ended. I think my biggest memory from that week was we went down to Little Rock the next week and beat Houston in one of the best games and shootouts I’ve ever seen in person 45-39. Game was not on tv because the Andre Ware led Cougars were on probation. One of the loudest atmospheres in WMS history.
October 19, 1991 - WMS
The game was dubbed the last shootout with the Hogs leaving the SWC for the SEC the following year. The Jack Crowe led Hogs were not very good but the crowd was. I was sitting in the north end zone. Gardnere was the QB for the Horns and had #10 on just like Stafford did in 1987 for Texas. But there would be no magic this time as the Hogs held on 4th and 10 from the 50 with :30 left for a 14-13 win.
Quick recaps of later years in games I attended:
January 1, 2000 - Cotton Bowl - Dallas
Insane alumni party at the Adams Mark the night before with my brother and his wife. The next morning came early and hangovers were everywhere but the thumping the Hogs put on Texas was the best cure 27-6.
September 13, 2003
Ambush in Austin is what KATV dubbed it on vhs tape they sold of this game. I was there with some friends and sitting in the corner with our fellow Hog fans. It was an early afternoon game with a heat index well over 105 degrees. Texas came in ranked #5. Hogs got down 7-0 early and then went up 21-7 and never looked back on their way to a 38-28 upset. We partied on the famous 6th Street til the wee hours Sunday morning. There was not a lot of Texas fans out that night. But Matthew McConaughey was. I saw him leaving as we were walking into a bar. Hog fans that were there said he was rude and pissed off. Awesome.
October 11, 2004
#8 Texas vs. unranked Hogs. Nutt vs. Mack Brown. Vince Young vs. Matt Jones
Sitting in my south end zone seats. Hogs down 22-20. 3rd and 8 with 2:48 to go and just needing a 20 yard field goal to possibly win. Matt Jones did his famous scramble. Fumble. Enough said.
December 29, 2014
With my Tusk to Tail crew. I had great club seats with my dad. Hogs all day 31-7 and “Borderline erotic.”
September 11, 2021
One of Tusk to Tail's best tailgates of all-time. All day right up until the early evening kickoff. Grayson and I say on the 30 yard line next to the student section. He got to hear close to every bad word there is. It was rowdy. Two Texas fans next to us asked if it is this loud at every SEC stadium and I said besides Vanderbilt yes it is. He said it's not like this in the Big 12. Hogs rolled 40-21 and me and Grayson rushed the field with the students and most of the stadium.
Do I have to say it? Hell yes I do.. Beat the hell out of Texas!
