Sports

Arkansas secures Liberty Bowl victory in 39-26 win

Published

5 months ago

December 28, 2024

MEMPHIS – Behind a stellar performance from quarterback Taylen Green, the Arkansas Razorbacks capped their season with a commanding 39-26 victory over Texas Tech in the Liberty Bowl on Friday night.

Green showcased his dual-threat abilities, throwing for 341 yards and two touchdowns while adding 81 rushing yards. His 94-yard touchdown pass to Dazmin James set a Liberty Bowl record and helped the Razorbacks (7-6) amass 573 yards of total offense.

“All the stats you see, I didn’t do it by myself,” Green said, emphasizing the team effort in Arkansas’ first bowl win since 2021.

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman praised his team’s performance, highlighting their resilience and ability to capitalize on Texas Tech’s weaknesses. “We’ve got good players,” Pittman said. “Just because you guys don’t know about ’em doesn’t mean they’re not good players.”

The Razorbacks surged to an early 21-3 lead in the first half, powered by explosive plays like James’ record-setting catch and run. Although Texas Tech (8-5) closed the gap before halftime, Arkansas controlled the second half with key defensive adjustments that held the Red Raiders scoreless until the final minutes.

Pittman credited his defense for forcing Texas Tech to rely on freshman quarterback Will Hammond, who started in place of the injured Behren Morton. Hammond finished with 280 passing yards and a touchdown but struggled to overcome Arkansas’ revamped defensive strategy.

“We made adjustments to make Hammond throw more and limit his ability to run,” Pittman said. “We also wanted to make Taylen (Green) a bigger factor in our offense, and it paid off.”

Texas Tech’s head coach Joey McGuire acknowledged the challenges his team faced, particularly the absence of star running back Tahj Brooks, who opted out for personal reasons. “At the end of the day, Arkansas out-executed us,” McGuire said.

Game Takeaways

Arkansas Razorbacks: Arkansas exploited Texas Tech’s struggling secondary, which ranked last in the Big 12. Green’s 341 passing yards were well above the Red Raiders’ season average allowed. The victory solidifies a strong finish to the season for a Razorbacks team looking to build momentum heading into 2025.

Texas Tech Red Raiders: With true freshman Will Hammond under center and Brooks unavailable, Texas Tech’s offense showed flashes but was ultimately undone by big plays and second-half mistakes. Despite Hammond’s promising 280-yard performance, the Red Raiders’ defensive lapses sealed their fate.

Sports

Hogs Punch Ticket To Super Regionals

Published

2 days ago

June 2, 2025

Staff Reports

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas (46-13) secured its spot in the NCAA Super Regionals with a dominant 8-3 win over Creighton (43-16) Sunday night at Baum-Walker Stadium. With the victory, the Hogs set a program record with their 35th home win of the season and will host next weekend’s super regional against either Tennessee or Wake Forest.

The appearance marks Arkansas’ 11th super regional in program history and sixth time hosting, including four since 2018. With top seeds Vanderbilt and Texas eliminated, No. 3 Arkansas is now the highest remaining seed in the tournament.

Pitching stole the spotlight as Gage Wood and Gabe Gaeckle combined for 20 strikeouts. Wood struck out a career-high 13 over six innings, while Gaeckle fanned seven in three scoreless innings to close it out.

The Razorback bats backed up the pitching with four home runs. Logan Maxwell launched two—including a two-run homer in the first and a solo shot in the fifth—while Justin Thomas Jr. hit a three-run blast and Ryder Helfrick added a solo homer. Charles Davalan capped the scoring with an RBI triple in the sixth.

Creighton’s only offense came via a three-run homer in the fourth, but Arkansas never relinquished its lead.

Maxwell led the offense with a three-RBI night and raised his season average to .346. Helfrick, who hit his third homer in two days, was named MVP of the Fayetteville Regional.

Sports

Hogs set to host Fayetteville regional

Published

1 week ago

May 27, 2025

Staff Reports

FAYETTEVILLE – Arkansas has earned its 36th NCAA Tournament berth and will host the Fayetteville Regional as the No. 3 national seed.

The Razorbacks (43-13) will play No. 4 seed North Dakota State (20-31) in the opening game at 2 p.m. Friday, May 30, at Baum-Walker Stadium, airing on ESPN+. The regional also features No. 2 seed Kansas (43-15) and No. 3 seed Creighton (41-14), who will face off at 7 p.m.

Arkansas is hosting a regional for the 12th time in program history and the seventh time in the last eight full seasons. Should they advance, the Hogs would maintain home-field advantage through the super regional round, which they would host for the sixth time overall.

The Razorbacks boast a 32-4 record at Baum-Walker this season, just two wins shy of tying the single-season home record of 34.

The winner of the Fayetteville Regional will meet the winner of the Knoxville Regional, where No. 14 seed Tennessee hosts Wake Forest, Cincinnati, and Miami (OH), in the super regionals from June 6-9.

A record 13 SEC teams qualified for this year’s tournament: Arkansas, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Mississippi State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Texas, and Vanderbilt. That breaks the previous record of 11 SEC teams, set last year. Eight SEC schools, including Arkansas, are hosting regionals.

Fayetteville Regional Schedule:

Friday, May 30
Game 1 – Arkansas vs. NDSU – 2 p.m.
Game 2 – Kansas vs. Creighton – 7 p.m.

Saturday, May 31
Game 3 – Game 1 Loser vs. Game 2 Loser – 2 p.m.
Game 4 – Game 1 Winner vs. Game 2 Winner – 8 p.m.

Sunday, June 1
Game 5 – Game 3 Winner vs. Game 4 Loser – 2 p.m.
Game 6 – Game 4 Winner vs. Game 5 Winner – 8 p.m.

Monday, June 2 (If Necessary)
Game 7 – Time TBD

Sports

SouthArk Announces New Men’s Basketball Coach

Published

2 weeks ago

May 22, 2025

Staff Reports

EL DORADO — South Arkansas College has named Eric Collins of Augusta, Maine, as the next head coach of its men’s basketball team. Collins, a U.S. Army veteran and experienced coach, will become the third head coach in the program’s history, succeeding Cam Robinson, who held the position for three seasons.

Collins currently serves as the associate head coach at the University of Maine-Augusta, a member of the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA). He brings more than five years of coaching experience at both the high school and collegiate levels in the Northeast.

A Maine native, Collins describes his coaching philosophy as rooted in four pillars: passion, leadership, culture, and accountability.

“I coach to build men—not just players,” Collins said. “My mission is to lead through relationships, set a shared standard of excellence, and create a culture where young men grow—as athletes, students, and people. My family and I are pumped to become part of the SouthArk and El Dorado communities.”

SouthArk Athletic Director Jenny Sanders expressed excitement over Collins’ hiring, noting his energy and commitment to student development.

“Coach Eric Collins brings immense passion and excitement to the campus and to the basketball court,” Sanders said. “I am excited to see the lasting impact he will have on the young men he coaches, on our campus, and within our community.”

Collins, along with his wife Brandi and their children, will officially relocate to El Dorado ahead of his full-time start date on July 1. In the meantime, he is actively recruiting to fill out the Star Force roster for the upcoming season.

Sports

Legendary Arkansas Coach Passes Away Saturday

Published

1 month ago

May 4, 2025

Staff Reports

Harold Horton

FAYETTEVILLE – Harold Horton, a revered figure in Arkansas football history, passed away on Saturday at the age of 86. His family confirmed his passing through social media.

Born in DeWitt, Arkansas, Horton played as a defensive back for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks from 1959 to 1961 under legendary coach Frank Broyles. During his playing career, the Razorbacks secured or shared the Southwest Conference (SWC) championship each season and won the 1960 Gator Bowl.

After a brief stint coaching high school football, Horton returned to the University of Arkansas in 1968 as an assistant coach. Over the next 13 years, he served under Broyles and later Lou Holtz, helping to shape some of the Razorbacks’ most formidable defensive units.

In 1982, Horton became head coach at the University of Central Arkansas, where he compiled a remarkable 74–12–5 record over eight seasons. Under his leadership, UCA won back-to-back NAIA Division I national championships in 1984 and 1985 and captured seven consecutive Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference titles from 1983 to 1989.

University of Central Arkansas (UCA) Head Coach Nathan Brown paid tribute to Horton, stating, “Prayers for the Coach Harold Horton family today. Coach Horton was one of the great coaches in UCA Football history. Him and his staffs brought championships and pride to the Bear program. Thanks for always supporting and rooting for me and the Bears over the years.”

Following his coaching career, Horton returned to the University of Arkansas in 1990 to work in football operations. He later served as president of the Razorback Foundation from 2001 to 2012, playing a key role in fundraising and athletic development initiatives. His devotion to the Razorbacks spanned nearly four decades.

Horton’s legacy lives on through his family, including his son, Tim Horton, a former Razorbacks wide receiver who went on to a successful college coaching career of his own.

Sports

Hogs Shut Out Texas In Series Opener

Published

1 month ago

May 2, 2025

Staff Reports

FAYETTEVILLE – Behind a dominant outing from Zach Root, No. 11 Arkansas (38-9, 15-7 SEC) rolled to a 9-0 shutout win over No. 1 Texas (38-6, 19-3 SEC) in Thursday night’s series opener at Baum-Walker Stadium.

Root struck out a career-high 11 batters and allowed just two hits and two walks over a career-long eight innings. Veteran reliever Will McEntire closed out the combined two-hit shutout with a scoreless ninth, adding three strikeouts.

With the win, Arkansas improved to 28-3 at home this season and secured its eighth straight year with at least 28 home victories. The Razorbacks have now reached that milestone every full season since 2017.

The offense gave Root plenty of support early. Carson Boles launched a two-run homer in the second inning to put the Hogs on top, 2-0. Cam Kozeal extended the lead to 5-0 in the third with a two-out, three-run shot to right center.

Arkansas broke the game open in the fourth with four more runs. Justin Thomas Jr. drove in one with a single, followed by a two-run double from Wehiwa Aloy and an RBI single from Kuhio Aloy, giving the Razorbacks a 9-0 cushion.

Kozeal finished with three RBIs and is now slashing .362/.409/.656 with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs this season. Wehiwa Aloy raised his team-best slash line to .369/.454/.723.

The Razorbacks will look to clinch the series Friday night. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network with Karl Ravech and Kyle Peterson on the call.