HawgBeat - Hogs not forgetting history of War Memorial Stadium
Sam Pittman isn't letting the history of Arkansas football at War Memorial Stadium be forgotten.
arkansas.rivals.com
The great stadium debate is one that is had frequently amongst the Arkansas fanbase, but there's no debating the history the Razorbacks have at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
Two of the most memorable victories in program history came at War Memorial Stadium and both were against LSU, with the first happening in 2002.
With his team down 20-14 with time winding down, quarterback Matt Jones rifled a pass into the corner of the end zone for a touchdown. The PAT handed the Razorbacks the lead and a 21-20 win in a game that was dubbed "The Miracle on Markham."
During former head coach Bobby Petrino's first season in 2008, the Hogs again faced LSU in Little Rock. This time, Arkansas was staring down a 30-14 deficit before quarterback Casey Dick came off the bench to lead his team to a 31-30 comeback win dubbed "The Miracle on Markham II."
The venue in Central Arkansas opened in 1948 and Arkansas is 152-62-4 all-time at War Memorial Stadium. The last game played there was in 2021, when head coach Sam Pittman led the Razorbacks to a 45-3 victory over Arkansas-Pine Bluff.
Pittman spoke Wednesday on the preparation the team has had ahead of their season opener in Little Rock against Western Carolina. While they haven't done much differently to prepare for a season opener in a different stadium, the Hogs have worked more on their outdoor turf practice field.
"One day the offense will be on the grass and the opposite the next day," Pittman said. "All our good-on-good, all our kicking, all of that has been on our practice turf. So we have done that, but other than that we haven’t really talked about it."
Part of the distaste for playing at War Memorial Stadium from the Arkansas fanbase is the injuries the team has endured due to the artificial turf. The most recent example of this came in 2018, when the Hogs lost starting quarterback Ty Storey and running backs Devwah Whaley and Rakeem Boyd due to injury in a 37-33 loss to Ole Miss.
Another thing that makes fans uneasy about War Memorial is the way Arkansas has performed there against lesser opponents. The losses against Louisiana-Monroe in 2012 and Toledo in 2015 still sting. Still, the history of the War Memorial Stadium is something that shouldn't be overlooked.
"On my Friday talk to the team, I will talk about the history of War Memorial and the history of the team going to Little Rock so the kids will know it’s a big deal," Pittman said. "They need to know it's a big deal to me, and they need to know it’s a huge deal to the state of Arkansas."
Pittman and the Razorbacks have a chance to make more history beginning at noon CT Saturday, when the Hogs will host the Western Carolina Catamounts. The game will be streamed live on the SEC Network+ and ESPN+.
