Well - almost today; actually, it was Oct. 16th . . . I meant to post something on this yesterday, but the day got away from me.
ANYWAY . . . perhaps the most exciting game of my youth. Texas was EVERYTHING to Arkansas back in those days. It was the ultimate measuring stick. We pointed to that game 12 mos. of the year. For those of you below 30, it was kind of like the Alabama-Auburn rivalry . . . at least, on our side. Texas full well knew how good we were, and didn't like us. But they always had the OU and A&M rivalries as well. For us, it was Texas.
In 1965, we were coming off of a year (1964) in which we had gone to Austin and beaten the defending National Champions in their place and gone on to shut out the remainder of our schedule, then beat Nebraska for the National Championship. Texas didn't lose another game that year, and helped us mightily by beating #1 Alabama in the Orange Bowl, clearing the way for our Championship.
But Texas was gunning for us. As All-America Tommy Nobis said in the off-season, "I think about Arkansas a little bit each day". We knew we were going to get their full attention. Texas was again undefeated and ranked #1 when they came to Fayetteville.
However, when the game started, it was all Arkansas. Texas kept making huge errors and the Porkers burned them each time. Early, they fumbled a punt that they probably shouldn't even have fielded deep in their own territory (think Reggie Fish), and we covered in in the EZ for a TD. Later in the first quarter, our defense laid a pop on their tailback, who coughed the ball up and into the waiting hands of Tommy Trantham, who darted 77 yards for a stunning TD and a 13-0 lead (Texas blocked the PAT). Then, in the second quarter, quarterbacking man Jon Brittenum hit All-America Bobby Crockett for a TD and Arkansas was in Hog Heaven, up 20-0 over the #1 team in the country.
But Texas, being Texas, started to come back. First a FG, then a TD (with, curiously, a 2 point conversion) made it 20-11 at the half. After that, Texas dominated, scoring 2 FG and a TD to go ahead, 24-20. Arkansas had not made a single first down in the second half when they got the ball on their own 20 with about 4 minutes to go in the game.
But then - things started to click. Brittenum kept running sprint-out passes, and Crockett kept getting open (think Chuck Dicus against Texas in 1969). They teamed up 5 times that final drive, the last coming on a key third down from the Texas 15, with Brittenum hitting Crockett as he fell out of bounds on the Texas 1 yard line. Brittenum scored on a QB sneak on the next snap, and Razorback Stadium roared with joy.
Lindsey Nelson, the veteran sportscaster who did several seasons of Notre Dame Football, was on the mike for NBC that day, and called it the most exciting game he'd ever been to.
ANYWAY . . . perhaps the most exciting game of my youth. Texas was EVERYTHING to Arkansas back in those days. It was the ultimate measuring stick. We pointed to that game 12 mos. of the year. For those of you below 30, it was kind of like the Alabama-Auburn rivalry . . . at least, on our side. Texas full well knew how good we were, and didn't like us. But they always had the OU and A&M rivalries as well. For us, it was Texas.
In 1965, we were coming off of a year (1964) in which we had gone to Austin and beaten the defending National Champions in their place and gone on to shut out the remainder of our schedule, then beat Nebraska for the National Championship. Texas didn't lose another game that year, and helped us mightily by beating #1 Alabama in the Orange Bowl, clearing the way for our Championship.
But Texas was gunning for us. As All-America Tommy Nobis said in the off-season, "I think about Arkansas a little bit each day". We knew we were going to get their full attention. Texas was again undefeated and ranked #1 when they came to Fayetteville.
However, when the game started, it was all Arkansas. Texas kept making huge errors and the Porkers burned them each time. Early, they fumbled a punt that they probably shouldn't even have fielded deep in their own territory (think Reggie Fish), and we covered in in the EZ for a TD. Later in the first quarter, our defense laid a pop on their tailback, who coughed the ball up and into the waiting hands of Tommy Trantham, who darted 77 yards for a stunning TD and a 13-0 lead (Texas blocked the PAT). Then, in the second quarter, quarterbacking man Jon Brittenum hit All-America Bobby Crockett for a TD and Arkansas was in Hog Heaven, up 20-0 over the #1 team in the country.
But Texas, being Texas, started to come back. First a FG, then a TD (with, curiously, a 2 point conversion) made it 20-11 at the half. After that, Texas dominated, scoring 2 FG and a TD to go ahead, 24-20. Arkansas had not made a single first down in the second half when they got the ball on their own 20 with about 4 minutes to go in the game.
But then - things started to click. Brittenum kept running sprint-out passes, and Crockett kept getting open (think Chuck Dicus against Texas in 1969). They teamed up 5 times that final drive, the last coming on a key third down from the Texas 15, with Brittenum hitting Crockett as he fell out of bounds on the Texas 1 yard line. Brittenum scored on a QB sneak on the next snap, and Razorback Stadium roared with joy.
Lindsey Nelson, the veteran sportscaster who did several seasons of Notre Dame Football, was on the mike for NBC that day, and called it the most exciting game he'd ever been to.
