The Arkansas Razorbacks will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 36 days when Western Carolina visits War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Saturday, September 2 for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff.
Here at HawgBeat, we will count down the days until head coach Sam Pittman and his team run through the “A” for the first time.
With 36 days remaining, we will take a look at a current player, former player, some interesting scores, highlights and other miscellaneous things in Razorback history tied to the number 36.
Highlights:
Current Player: #36 Jordan Crook
A three-star linebacker out of Duncanville, Texas, Crook showed flashes of excellence in his little playing time as a freshman in 2022.The 6-foot-0 linebacker played in all 13 games and notched one start against Kansas in the Liberty Bowl. In those games, Crook totaled 12 tackles and half a tackle for loss.
Against South Carolina in Week 2, Crook made two tackles. Six weeks later, he made another two tackles versus Auburn. In his lone start in the Liberty Bowl, Crook had his best game as he compiled seven tackles and half a tackle for loss.
The young linebacker is full of potential, but will have to battle against some experienced players in 2023 to crack the rotation. Still, look for Crook to play a major role on the defensive side of the ball at some point in his career.
Former Player: #36 Kiero Small
A Baltimore, Maryland, native, Small wasn't highly recruited out of high school. After playing his first two seasons at Hartnell Community College in Salinas, California, Small transferred to Arkansas.
Small appeared in 25 games during his time in Fayetteville. He totaled 152 rushing yards on 41 carries with four rushing touchdowns. His primary goal as fullback was setting blocks, something he did very well. Sitting at a stout 5-foot-8, 244-pounds, Small was a devastating blocker and helped pave the way for three seasons.
The Seattle Seahawks drafted Small in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL Draft. After a short stint in the NFL, Small got into coaching. Now the Director of Football Strength and Conditioning at Purdue, don't be shocked to see Small back at Arkansas at some point in his career.
1898: Fort Scott (Kan.) HS 36 - Arkansas 8
1898 was a great year for college football. Just kidding. Actually, 1898 was the year that the Spanish-American War began. Still, the then-Arkansas Industrial Cardinals football team had three games to play on its schedule.
After starting 2-0, Arkansas waltzed into Fort Scott, Kansas, to play the local high school team. You heard that right. A collegiate team playing a high school team.
There are no recorded statistics for the game, but head coach Birton Neill Wilson (second ever Arkansas head coach) saw his team suffer a 36-8 defeat.
Ryan Mallett's 36 total touchdowns in a season
Mallett's 36 touchdowns during the 2010 season is the most in a single season by a quarterback in program history. Coming in at fifth is current quarterback KJ Jefferson with 27 in the 2021 season.
Of Mallett's 36 scores, 32 came through the air in former head coach Bobby Petrino's electric offense. The 6-foot-6 quarterback also ran for four touchdowns, but finished with -74 yards rushing at the end of the season.
That 2010 Arkansas football team ended the year with a 10-3 overall record and a birth in the Sugar Bowl.
Mallett tragically died on June 27.
2007: Arkansas 48 - South Carolina 36
Heading into this game during the 2007 season, the Razorbacks were sitting with a 5-3 overall record and the Gamecocks had a 6-3 overall record. Both teams were vying to get their respective seasons on track.
Darren McFadden led the way with a career-game, totaling 321 rushing yards with a rushing and passing touchdown. Quarterback Casey Dick only attempted 10 passes, but made the most of them, as he finished with two passing touchdowns.
With Arkansas holding on to a 42-36 lead in the fourth quarter, McFadden took the ball 80 yards into the endzone for a huge touchdown. With a 12-point lead, the Razorback defense did just enough to stifle the Gamecock offense — finishing with a final score of 48-36.
Alex Collins 36 career rushing touchdowns
The Fort Lauderdale, Florida, native had an impressive career with the Razorbacks. He was the first freshman in SEC history to begin his career with three straight 100-yard rushing games and he then became the second Arkansas running back to ever start his career with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons (McFadden).
During his junior season, Collins tied program records in 100-yard rushing games (10), 150-yard rushing games (5), and 100-yard rushing games in SEC play (6).
Collins ended his career with 36 total rushing touchdowns, which is good for fourth all-time in a Razorback history behind James Rouse (38), McFadden (41) and Bill Burnett (46).
