No. 3 Texas expects fierce test against old rival Arkansas

There will be plenty of bad blood and pent-up hatred let loose when No. 3 Texas squares off against historical rival Arkansas on Saturday afternoon in a Southeastern Conference dustup in Fayetteville, Ark.

The Longhorns moved from fifth to third in the latest College Football Playoff rankings, tying their highest ever spot in the poll. Texas also was ranked third in the CFP poll in advance of the playoff semifinal against No. 2 Washington in December 2023.

The Saturday clash marks first time Texas and Arkansas will battle as members of the SEC but the 80th time the Longhorns and Razorbacks line up on the gridiron. Texas holds a 56-23 all-time edge in the meetings, most of which were contested when the two schools were part of the now defunct Southwest Conference.

Arkansas has won the two most recent meetings, 31-7 at the 2014 Texas Bowl and 41-20 in the 2021 regular season at Fayetteville.

"I don't know what (legendary Texas coach) Darrell Royal did to Arkansas back in the day, but they absolutely hate our guts," current Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian said Monday. "And I think we learned that the first time around when we went there (in 2021)."

The Longhorns (8-1, 4-1 SEC) travel to Arkansas after a dominating 49-17 home win over Florida last week. Texas outgained the Gators 353-138 on the way to a 35-0 halftime lead while producing eight plays of 20-plus yards before the break.

Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers passed for 333 yards and career-high five touchdowns over the game's first 33 minutes and Jerrick Gibson rushed for 100 yards and a TD on 16 carries.

The Longhorns have won nine straight true road games since a 41-34 loss at Oklahoma State in 2022. Texas was 5-0 on the road in 2023 and is 2-0 this season at opponents' home venues.

"Our culture, our connectivity, our love for one another has been a big piece of that puzzle," Sarkisian said about Texas' recent road success. "It takes great poise and composure on the road, and I think we've learned and grown into that aspect."

The Razorbacks (5-4, 3-3 SEC) had a bye last week and likely needed it to refocus after a 63-31 loss at Ole Miss on Nov. 2. Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green finished 10 of 14 for 158 yards before exiting with a sprained knee. Backup Malachi Singleton was 11 of 14 for 207 yards with a touchdown pass to Luke Hasz. Andrew Armstrong gained 135 yards on six catches.

Green is good to go for the Texas game, according to Arkansas coach Sam Pittman. The Razorback could also get running back Ja'Quinden Jackson back on the field after he missed two games in a row with the recurrence of an ankle injury.

Pittman expects renewed effort by his team against the Longhorns -- and he acknowledged that it would be needed to beat Texas.

"Like I said before, we tried so many different things against Ole Miss and none of them seemed to work," Pittman said. "But it all goes down to that we didn't play as hard as what we normally do, and we certainly have to get back to that to have a chance."

--Field Level Media