Arkansas–Ole Miss football rivalry

Arkansas–Ole Miss football rivalry
Teams	Arkansas Razorbacks Ole Miss Rebels
Originated	1908
Series	Arkansas says it leads, 32–25–1 Ole Miss says Arkansas leads, 31–26–1
Current Champion	Arkansas
Most Recent Game	Arkansas 29, Ole Miss 24 October 22, 2011
Current Streak	Arkansas 2
Trophy	None

The Arkansas–Ole Miss football rivalry is an American college football rivalry between the Arkansas Razorbacks football team of the University of Arkansas and the Ole Miss Rebels football team of the University of Mississippi. Although the rivalry currently exists predominantly between the respective programs' football teams, all men's and women's sports teams of both universities play on an annual basis because the two universities both compete in the Southeastern Conference (SEC) Western Division. The football teams first met in 1908, and have played each other annually since 1981. Overall, Arkansas currently leads the football series at 31–25–1, which includes two wins by Ole Miss in post-season bowl games, the 1963 and 1970 Sugar Bowls.

History

The rivalry between Arkansas and Ole Miss developed partially due to geography. Besides being neighboring states in the southeastern United States, from the University of Arkansas' perspective, the University of Mississippi is closer in terms of distance than any other Southeastern Conference school. Arkansas has played Ole Miss more than any other SEC opponent. ^[1]

Pre 1980s

The teams were first scheduled to meet each other in 1906, but due to a cancellation, the two teams began play against one another in a 1908 contest in which Arkansas won by a score of 33–0. Arkansas and Mississippi played many times sporadically in the following years. In addition to several single years of playing each other, the two teams played each other from 1940–47 and 1952–62 on an annual basis. The Razorbacks and Rebels also met twice in the Sugar Bowl played in New Orleans, in 1963 and 1970; Both contests were won by Ole Miss. Especially in the early years, the teams often met in Memphis, Tennessee to play the game, besides the normal Arkansas and Mississippi game sites.

1980s to present

Since 1981, the two teams have played each other annually in football. The games have generally alternated yearly between a site in Mississippi (Jackson, or more recently Oxford) and a site in Arkansas (Little Rock, or more recently Fayetteville), except for one time in 1995 when the game was played in Memphis, Tennessee. Since Arkansas joined the Southeastern Conference in 1991 (first football season was 1992; previously a member of the SWC), the two teams have played annually as both conference and Western division rivals.

Recently (2000s)

In 2001, Arkansas and Ole Miss had an NCAA record seven-overtime game in Oxford, MS. Arkansas has had the overall advantage since 2000, winning 8 games to 4 for Ole Miss.

Houston Nutt controversy

Upon the conclusion of the 2007 regular season, Arkansas Razorbacks coach Houston Nutt was forced to resign amid several controversies and allegations that had arisen. ^{[2] [3]} Hours later, he was announced as the head coach of the Ole Miss Rebels football team^[4], replacing Ed Orgeron who had been fired after three consecutive losing seasons.

Ole Miss and Arkansas met in Fayetteville on October 25, 2008 with identical 3–4 records. This marked Nutt's first return to the University of Arkansas campus as an opposing coach. Nutt led his Rebels to a 23–21 victory over the Razorbacks. The long-standing rivalry has become more interesting because of his association with both universities.

Meetings

Game Results

The results of games played between Arkansas and Ole Miss: ^{[5] [6] [7]}

Ole Miss victories shaded in ██ blue. Arkansas victories are shaded ██ red. Victory claimed by both shaded in ██ grey. Ties shaded in white.

Year Arkansas Ole Miss Location 1908 Arkansas 33 Ole Miss 0 Fayetteville, AR 1913 Arkansas 10 Ole Miss 21 Little Rock, AR 1914 Arkansas 7* Ole Miss 13 Little Rock, AR 1924 Arkansas 20 Ole Miss 0 Little Rock, AR 1926 Arkansas 21 Ole Miss 6 Fayetteville, AR 1928 Arkansas 0 Ole Miss 25 Oxford, MS 1937 Arkansas 32 Ole Miss 6 Memphis, TN 1938 Arkansas 14 Ole Miss 20 Memphis, TN 1940 Arkansas 21 Ole Miss 20 Memphis, TN 1941 Arkansas 0 Ole Miss 18 Memphis, TN 1942 Arkansas 7 Ole Miss 6 Memphis, TN 1944 Arkansas 26 Ole Miss 18 Memphis, TN 1945 Arkansas 19 Ole Miss 0 Memphis, TN 1946 Arkansas 0 Ole Miss 9 Memphis, TN 1947 Arkansas 19 Ole Miss 14 Memphis, TN 1952 Arkansas 7 Ole Miss 34 Little Rock, AR 1953 Arkansas 0 Ole Miss 28 Memphis, TN 1954 Arkansas 6 Ole Miss 0 Little Rock, AR 1955 Arkansas 7 Ole Miss 17 Oxford, MS 1956 Arkansas 14 Ole Miss 0 Little Rock, AR 1957 Arkansas 12 Ole Miss 6 Memphis, TN 1958 Arkansas 12 Ole Miss 14 Little Rock, AR 1959 Arkansas 0 Ole Miss 28 Memphis, TN 1960 Arkansas 7 Ole Miss 10 Little Rock, AR 1961 Arkansas 0 Ole Miss 16 Jackson, MS 1963 Arkansas 7 Ole Miss 13 New Orleans, LA[1] 1970 Arkansas 22 Ole Miss 27 New Orleans, LA[2] 1981 Arkansas 27 Ole Miss 13 Jackson, MS 1982 Arkansas 14 Ole Miss 12 Little Rock, AR

Year Arkansas Ole Miss Location 1983 Arkansas 10 Ole Miss 13 Jackson, MS 1984 Arkansas 14 Ole Miss 14 Little Rock, AR 1985 Arkansas 24 Ole Miss 19 Jackson, MS 1986 Arkansas 21 Ole Miss 0 Little Rock, AR 1987 Arkansas 31 Ole Miss 10 Jackson, MS 1988 Arkansas 21 Ole Miss 13 Little Rock, AR 1989 Arkansas 24 Ole Miss 17 Jackson, MS 1990 Arkansas 17 Ole Miss 21 Little Rock, AR 1991 Arkansas 17 Ole Miss 24 Jackson, MS 1992 Arkansas 3 Ole Miss 17 Little Rock, AR 1993 Arkansas 0 Ole Miss 19 Jackson, MS 1994 Arkansas 31 Ole Miss 7 Fayetteville, AR 1995 Arkansas 13 Ole Miss 6 Memphis, TN 1996 Arkansas 13 Ole Miss 7 Fayetteville, AR 1997 Arkansas 9 Ole Miss 19 Oxford, MS 1998 Arkansas 34 Ole Miss 0 Fayetteville, AR 1999 Arkansas 16 Ole Miss 38 Oxford, MS 2000 Arkansas 24 Ole Miss 38 Fayetteville, AR 2001 Arkansas 58 Ole Miss 56 Oxford, MS 2002 Arkansas 48 Ole Miss 28 Fayetteville, AR 2003 Arkansas 7 Ole Miss 19 Oxford, MS 2004 Arkansas 35 Ole Miss 3 Fayetteville, AR 2005 Arkansas 28 Ole Miss 17 Oxford, MS 2006 Arkansas 38 Ole Miss 3 Fayetteville, AR 2007 Arkansas 44 Ole Miss 8 Oxford, MS 2008 Arkansas 21 Ole Miss 23 Fayetteville, AR 2009 Arkansas 17 Ole Miss 30 Oxford, MS 2010 Arkansas 38 Ole Miss 24 Fayetteville, AR 2011 Arkansas 29 Ole Miss 24 Oxford, MS

*Arkansas claims "Won by forfeit" while Ole Miss claims "Won on field".
^ Played in the Sugar Bowl.

Notable Games and Events in the Series

1908 – First Meeting

Arkansas 33 – Ole Miss 0

See also: 1908 Arkansas_Razorbacks football team

The very first meeting between the two teams was a 1908 contest in which Arkansas won by a score of 33–0. The teams were first scheduled to meet each other in 1906, but due to a cancellation, the 1908 contest was the first meeting.

1914 – Contentious result

Arkansas lists the 1914 contest as a forfeit by Ole Miss because Ole Miss used an ineligible player. Ole Miss denies the allegation of using an ineligible player and therefore lists the contest by the recorded on the field winning score of 13–7 in favor of Ole Miss.^{[8] [9] [10]} Therefore, the two school's official records for the overall series shows a one game difference. As of the 2010 Arkansas win, Ole Miss lists the series as 30–26–1 in favor of Arkansas while Arkansas lists the series as 31–25–1 in Arkansas' favor.

1954 – Powder River Pass

Arkansas 6 – Ole Miss 0

See also: 1954 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

Arkansas and Ole Miss met in War Memorial Stadium on October 23, 1954. The game was scoreless until the Razorbacks called a trick play: a 66-yard halfback pass from halfback Buddy Bob Benson to Preston Carpenter for the only points of the game. Arkansas head coach Bowden Wyatt named the play after the Powder River, a river in his native Wyoming. The river is a mile wide but deceptively only a foot deep. With the 6–0 win, Arkansas would go on to fall in the 1955 Cotton Bowl Classic against Bobby Dodd's Georgia Tech, and the Rebels would continue to the 1955 Sugar Bowl, losing to Navy.

1959

Ole Miss 28 – Arkansas 0

See also: 1959 Ole Miss Rebels football team and 1959 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

The 1959 contest was won by Ole Miss 28–0 in Memphis, Tennessee on their way to a final record of 10–1 for the 1959 season and one of their three claimed national championships.

1960

Ole Miss 10 – Arkansas 7

See also: 1960 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

The 1960 contest between the teams was won by Ole Miss 10–7 at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas, on their way to a final record of 10–0–1 for the 1960 season and the second of their three claimed national championships. Sometimes called the Tommy Bell game by Arkansas fans, he called a timeout in an attempt to quiet Razorback fans.^[11] Rebel Allen Green did not hear the whistle and kicked the ball through the uprights. After the timeout, fans swear Bell signaled that the kick was good as soon as Green connected with the ball. Fans also swear that the kick was no good. Fighting broke out all around the stadium and because of this, the annual series between the two schools was played the next year in Jackson and then was canceled until the two teams renewed the series in 1981.

1963 Sugar Bowl with National Championship implications

	1	2	3	4	Total
Razorbacks	0	3	10	0	13
Rebels	3	7	7	0	17

Ole Miss 17 – Arkansas 13

See also: 1963 Sugar Bowl and 1962 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

The January 1, 1963 Sugar Bowl in New Orleans was played between the two teams as a end to the 1962 regular season. It was both the Razorbacks' and Rebels' fourth bowl in four seasons, and was the second straight Sugar Bowl for Arkansas.

After each team kicked field goals, Ole Miss scored the first touchdown, a 33 yard strike from Glynn Griffing to Louis Guy gave the Rebels a 10–3 lead.^[12] The Hogs replied with a five yard touchdown toss from Billy Moore to knot the game at 10. Ole Miss QB Griffing then scored on a one-yard touchdown scamper. The Razorbacks would tack on a field goal, but neither team could dent the scoreboard in the fourth quarter. Ole Miss won the game by a final score of 17–13 to finish the season 10–0 and win a share of the 1962 national championship in college football. This was their third of three national championships Ole Miss claims.

Scoring summary

Quarter Time Drive Team Scoring Information Score Plays Yards TOP ARK UM 2 80 UM 30-yard field goal by Irwin 0 3 2 82 ARK 30-yard field goal by Tom McKnelly 3 3 2 67 UM Louis Guy 33-yard touchdown reception from Glynn Griffing, Irwin kick good 3 10 3 15 ARK Jesse Branch 5-yard touchdown reception from Billy Moore, Tom McKnelly kick good 10 10 3 80 UM Glynn Griffing 1-yard touchdown run, Irwin kick good 10 17 3 59 ARK 22-yard field goal by Tom McKnelly 13 17 "TOP" = Time of Possession. For other American football terms, see Glossary of American football. 13 17

2001 – Record 7-Overtime Game

	1	2	3	4	OT	2OT	3OT	4OT	5OT	6OT	7OT	Total
Razorbacks	0	7	3	7	7	0	6	6	6	8	8	58
Rebels	7	0	3	7	7	0	6	6	6	8	6	56

Arkansas 58 – Ole Miss 56 (7OT)

See also: 2001 Arkansas Razorbacks football team and 2001 Ole Miss Rebels football team

On November 3, 2001, Arkansas and Ole Miss played in an NCAA record 7-overtime game in Oxford, MS. The marathon game featured 114 points, 988 offensive yards, four 100-yard rushers, and seven overtimes, with Arkansas prevailing 58–56.^[13][14] The game started slowly, however, with a 7–7 tie going into halftime. Arkansas completed a field goal attempt in the third quarter, giving the Hogs a 10–7 edge.^[15] A tying 32-yard field goal attempt was then set up by Eli Manning.^[15] Razorback fullback Mark Pierce ran in from one yard away to take a 17–10 Arkansas lead in the fourth quarter, but Eli Manning connected with Jamie Armstead to send the game into overtime.^[13]

Razorback RB Cedric Cobbs scored from 16 yards out to start the overtime scoring.^[15] Eli Manning responded with an 11 yard touchdown pass, sending the game to a second overtime, in which neither team would score.^[13] Matt Jones scrambled all 25 yards for the go-ahead touchdown, but the two point run failed.^[15] Ole Miss drove to the one yard line, where Joe Gunn ran in.^[13] Given a chance to end the game by completing the two point conversion, Eli Manning threw the ball, but it was incomplete, sending the game to its fourth extra frame.^[15] Rebel receiver Bill Flowers hauled in a 21 yard pass from Manning to take the lead, 30–24.^[13] After the Rebels failed the two point pass, Jones threw a 24-yard TD pass to George Wilson.^[15] The Hogs would fail the two point run, extending the game to a fifth overtime.^[13] Jones again scored for the Razorbacks, an 8-yard rush, but failed the two point conversion.^[15] Manning hit his tight end Doug Zeigler from twelve yards out, and failed the two point pass.^[13] In the sixth overtime, Zeigler again caught a Manning aerial, and Ole Miss connected on the two point conversion with a Charles Stackhouse rush, taking a 50–42 lead.^[15] Razorback Pierce ran in from two yards out, and Arkansas completed the tying two point conversion on a Jones pass.^[13] The game would go to a seventh overtime.^[15]

Mark Pierce again ran in for a two-yard touchdown (his third two-yard score of the game), and Decori Birmingham would receive the two point pass from Jones, making it a 58–50 Hog lead.^[15] Manning would throw his sixth touchdown pass, but the two point pass to Doug Ziegler was stopped by Jermaine Petty, giving Arkansas a 58–56 win over rival Ole Miss.^[13]

The two teams combined for 60 first downs, 130 rushing attempts (80 from the Razorbacks), 68 pass attempts, and 198 total offensive plays, while limiting mistakes, including two fumbles, eight penalties, and one sack.^[13][15]

The win moved Arkansas to 5–3 on the year and 3–0 in overtime.^[13] Arkansas would play another seven-overtime game, in 2003. Arkansas ended up winning with a final score of 58–56. Arkansas finished with 531 yards of offense, 370 rushing and 161 passing, while Ole Miss netted 457 yards of offense, 312 passing and 166 rushing. ^{[16] [17]}

2008 – Houston Nutt's first return to Arkansas

	1	2	3	4	Total
Rebels	3	10	0	10	23
Razorbacks	0	7	0	14	21

Ole Miss 23 – Arkansas 21

See also: 2008 Ole Miss Rebels football team and 2008 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

On October 25, 2008, Ole Miss returned to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas for the 55th meeting between the two programs. This was the first game between Ole Miss and Arkansas with former Razorback head coach Houston Nutt as the head coach of the Rebels. Ole Miss won the game by a score of 23 to 21. This was the Rebels' first win in the series since 2003.

References

1. ^ mcubed.net : NFL : Arkansas : Series records
2. ^ SI.com – Writers – Stewart Mandel: Nutt faces heat in truly bizarre Arkansas soap opera – Thursday February 22, 2007 6:10PM
3. ^ SN: Time for Nutt to bolt Arkansas – College football – MSNBC.com
4. ^ ESPN – Nutt agrees with Ole Miss hours after resigning from Arkansas – College Football
5. ^ NCAA Football History
6. ^ Arkansas vs Mississippi 1869–2007
7. ^ mcubed.net : NCAAF Football : Series records : Arkansas vs. Mississippi
8. ^ http://www.olemisssports.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/102210aaa.html
9. ^ http://arkansas.scout.com/2/318482.html
10. ^ http://olemisssports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/111304aaj.html
11. ^ Bailey, Jim, and Henry, Orville. "The Razorbacks-A Story of Arkansas Football"
12. ^ "Ole Miss History and Records." University of Mississippi. Ole Miss Bowl History. Retrieved on July 7. 2008.
13. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} "Arkansas vs. Ole Miss." Box Score, Stats, and Game Summary. USA Today. Nov 3, 2001. Retrieved on August 23, 2008.
14. ^ "2001 SEC Football Standings." 2001 SEC Scores. SECsports.com. Dec 13, 2001. Retrieved on August 23, 2008.
15. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} "Arkansas Downs Ole Miss 58–56 in Seven Overtimes." Story. arkansasrazorbacks.com. 11/3/01. Retrieved on August 23, 2008.
16. ^ Arkansas Downs Ole Miss 58–56 in Seven Overtimes – University of Arkansas Athletics
17. ^ Nov 03 2001 – Arkansas 58, Ole Miss 56 :: Arkansas Razorback Sports Network :: Your Online Source for Razorback Football and Basketball

External links

• Razorback Athletics
• Ole Miss Athletics
• University of Arkansas
• University of Mississippi
• List of Arkansas vs Mississippi Games | HogDatabase