It’s been nearly 31 years since two top-10 football teams played in Fayetteville.
Arkansas has changed conferences, had five different coaches and gone 9-41-1 against top-10 opponents since the fourth-ranked Hogs lost 13-10 to No. 6 Houston in October 1979.
When the No. 10 Razorbacks host top-ranked and defending national champion Alabama on Saturday, it will be arguably the biggest Fayetteville home game since the No. 2 Hogs lost 15-14 to No. 1 Texas in the 1969 “Game of the Century” with President Richard Nixon in attendance.
“We know it’s a big week this week with Alabama coming in here,” Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. “I think our players are excited about it; I know our coaches are. We have to make sure and prepare like we did a week ago. We have to really understand as a team that we don’t need to go out and do anything extraordinary to win the game. We need to go out and play Razorback football and we’ll have an opportunity to win the game.
“That’s kind of what our theme will be for the week.”
Arkansas stayed unbeaten Saturday when quarterback Ryan Mallett’s 40-yard touchdown to Greg Childs with 14 seconds remaining lifted the Hogs over Georgia 31-24. The win was Mallett’s first road victory as a Razorback and just Petrino’s second in 10 tries at Arkansas.
The win set up a sold-out, nationally-televised showdown with the Crimson Tide in Reynolds Razorback Stadium, with the winner gaining an early advantage in the SEC West race.
“To be playing at home is definitely a good thing for us,” Mallett said. “We love playing in front of these fans; we’ve got the best fans in the nation. When we get a chance to go out and put on a show, we don’t want to disappoint. I’m sure it’s going to be rocking. It’s going to be loud and crazy. I can’t wait to see it and experience the atmosphere.”
The contest will be one of three matchups between ranked opponents Saturday, and will be the only top-10 matchup.
“It’s a real big opportunity,” junior cornerback Isaac Madison said about being the premier game in the nation. “It gives the world a chance to see how we’ve matured, how we’re going to keep our composure and play those guys like they’re the No. 50 team in the nation. We’re not going to do anything special to go out and win the ballgame.
“We just have to prepare well in the week and go out and play ball like we know how to play.”
The game will feature Heisman trophy candidates in Mallett and Alabama running back Mark Ingram, the 2009 winner. Mallett has thrown for 1,081 yards and nine touchdowns this season, and the Razorback passing offense is ranked third in the country. The junior is the only FBS signal caller with more than 1,000 yards passing this season and ranks No. 5 nationally in passing efficiency.
Ingram ran for 151 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries Saturday in the Crimson Tide’s 62-13 win over Duke. It was Ingram’s first game of the season after being sidelined with a knee injury sustained in fall camp. The 5-foot-10, 215-pounder needed just three rushes to break the 100-yard mark against the Blue Devils.
“As far as the Heisman talk, I’m not worried about that,” Mallett said. “I play Alabama Saturday and that’s what I’m getting ready for. I came to the University of Arkansas to win football games and so that’s how I look at it. I want to win this one for the state and the rest of my team. That’s the way the rest of the team feels, too.”
Alabama trounced the Razorbacks 35-7 in Tuscaloosa, Ala., last season, a contest in which Mallett and Arkansas’ offense struggled mightily. The junior completed just 12-of-35 passes for 160 yards. He threw an interception, was sacked three times and hurried eight more. The Crimson Tide limited the Hogs to just 254 total yards.
The contest Saturday will serve as a gauge for the Razorbacks’ progress from the loss last season, a game which served as a turning point for the Hogs.
“We felt like it was a big learning experience for us,” Petrino said about the Hogs 35-7 loss. “We didn’t execute the way we normally do. I felt like it was because when we stepped on the field, we didn’t truly believe we could beat them. After the Alabama game last year, we grew up as a football team.”
Alabama has outscored its first three opponents 134-19, including a 24-3 win over then-No. 18 Penn State. The Crimson Tide have won 17 straight games and 30-of-32, dating back to the 2007 Independence Bowl. Senior quarterback Greg McElroy hasn’t lost a game he started since eighth grade.
The Razorbacks have gone 16-13 over that span, but are ranked in the top-10 for just the eighth week in the last 20 years. The Hogs’ 42-11 win over Texas in 1981 was Arkansas’ last win over a No. 1 team in Fayetteville.
“When we started this season, we knew everyone would talk about the Alabama game,” Petrino said. “We had to win the first two games, and we put a lot of preparation into Georgia and our first road SEC game. We knew that if we were mature and tough enough to win those, Alabama becomes a big game at home.
“Now that all of this has happened, we have to prepare and do all we can. We have to enjoy the journey of the week preparing for a big game. We have to go out and put everything on the field this Saturday. What else can you say? It’s exciting. I’m excited just talking about it.”