AdvoCare Texas Bowl: What Texas Fans Should Know About the Arkansas Razorbacks

By Marian Hinton | Dec 26, 2014

In just a few days, the Texas Longhorns and Arkansas Razorbacks will renew their old SWC rivalry as the two teams will face off in the sold-out 2014 AdvoCare v100 Texas Bowl Monday night. Though both teams boasted a mediocre 6-6 record this season, this bowl game has drawn lots of attention, primarily due to the history between the two storied programs, a rivalry dating back to 1894 in which the Horns hold a 56-21 record advantage.

Over time, old hostilities between the two fan bases may have been tempered with the Razorbacks move to the SEC, but they no doubt still exist. However, unless they live in SEC country or have ties to the state of Arkansas, most Texas fans are likely not too familiar with the Razorbacks, particularly since they haven’t drawn much national attention since they left the now-defunct SWC.

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So what do Texas fans need to know about Arkansas as they prepare to watch the game Monday night?

First and foremost, the Razorbacks are likely one of the most underrated teams in the country. Though a 6-6 record is certainly nothing special, eight of their opponents were ranked when they played them.

They played their best football of the season in the final month, barely losing to then-top ranked Mississippi State by a touchdown, securing a bowl berth with two upsets over the ranked LSU Tigers and Ole Miss Rebels, before falling to the No. 17 Missouri Tigers, again by a mere touchdown in their final game of the regular season.

Offensively, though nothing earth-shattering compared to the high-powered passing attacks the Longhorns have faced in Big 12 play, the Arkansas run game is the best the Horns’ defense has faced this year. They are the only team in the country to boast two 1000-yard rushers in Jonathan Williams and Alex Collins.

Arkansas starting quarterback, Brandon Allen, may not be the best quarterback the Longhorns have faced, but he’s good enough to keep defenses honest and to open up the run game for his two star backs.

Regardless, Texas isn’t exactly a pushover when it comes to stopping the run, fielding one of the top defensive lines in the country. It will be interesting to see which side of the ball wins this battle.

The AdvoCare v100 Texas Bowl airs Monday, Dec. 29 at 8:00 PM on ESPN.

On the other side of the ball, like the Longhorns, the Razorbacks field a top-25, incredibly stout defense. Their best games of the season came against LSU and Ole Miss in which they not only notched unlikely victories, they posted shut-outs over both ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks. Over the last month of the season, the Razorback defense held their opponents to fewer than ten points.

Fortunately for the Longhorns, however, is the fact that two of their star defensive players, Carroll Washington (cornerback) and Rohan Gaines (safety), have been suspended for the game.

While Carroll played in all 12 games this season, Gaines is a huge loss for the Razorbacks. Considered to be the “quarterback of the defense,” Gaines recorded 59 tackles this season and recorded a 100-yard interception return against the Rebels.

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Without these two, the secondary certainly takes a huge hit, but the Longhorns can’t underestimate the Razorbacks’ stingy run defense either, which is led by defensive end Trey Flowers, who has a habit of making life miserable for opposing quarterbacks.

Depending on how well the offensive line holds up against the Arkansas defense, it could be another long day for Tyrone Swoopes.

On paper, these two teams are fairly similar. It should be a low-scoring game filled with interesting match-ups, with both teams looking to carry some momentum into the 2015 season.

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