Little Rock Game

[woodrow hog call]

Here is an idea for the game in Little Rock. Get with the local boys and girls clubs, Kieth Jackson's group, Church groups, and whatever other type of groups there are that deal with teens and pre teens in the LR area.

Set aside several thousand tickets to be given away to these kids, and make some arrangements to pick them up and bus them to the games and back, make it a special day for them, and let them see what it means to be a razorback. Maybe have some speakers lined up, ex Hogs now in the NFL, current players from the area. If we really want to make a difference in kids lives and, get our best athletes wanting to play Razorback Football, we need to help them to see what it means.

We need to get these kids dreaming of being the next Dmac, or Joe Adams, or whoever it might be, but it could help give them a reason to get off the streets and get out on the football field.

[Großer Kriegschwein]

Hopefully getting the athletic department off the island it's been on for the last decade will renew relationships with football programs throughout the state that produced players like that.

Getting a Razorback coach that is respected by other in-state coaches and runs a system more similar to their high school systems may do a lot for Arkansas high school football. That would be nothing but good for everyone involved.

[ur]

Astate in black uniforms on a sat night on espn sec alt channel. Put a perm fence around wms and move the ticket gates to the fence to relieve some of the congestion. sec Alt channel allows us to name the time. 7pm sounds good. Beats Florida am or nicholls state every year.

[Busta_Nutt]

Here's another thought: play one game in Little Rock every other year - Mizzou. It's a conference game, a "rivalry", and every few years it's a game that could, potentially, have some post-season implications riding on it. Also, it eliminates totally blocking out the 90% of the state not named Northwest Arkansas and the folks who have to travel 3-5 hours each weekend.

[hoglady]

Football is doing better in Central Arkansas right now than in a long, long time.
NLR, Bryant and Conway all making it to the Semi-finals.
Parkview is much improved under Bolding.

Good to see and hopefully it will continue to improve.

[FANONTHEHILL]

I'm an NWA guy, but have traveled all over to see the Hogs play. Some of my fondest memories are games at WMS.  Over the last several years I have been proponent of playing all games in Fayetteville, on campus.  It has just been in the last few years that I have changed my way of thinking about this issue.  I am blessed enough to be able to travel to the games and I selfishly wanted the game 10 minutes from the house.  It's a perspective that I feel that a lot of us isolated here in NWA share.  That being said, the drama of the last few years has changed fans perspective.  Through things like message boards and other technology, the world is smaller.  But the reality is that a 6 hour car ride and a costly hotel on top of costly tickets not only make it difficult for many, it alienated them.  This is something that the new athletic administration is going to have to deal with head on.  My wish is that there will still be football at WMS. I also hope that the state and the university can work together to make WMS a more desirable place to play those games.  It is a shame that a facility, originally built to honor those that served is in such disrepair.   The stadium needs to be upgraded.  A way to make that happen needs to be found.  WMS is a part of Razorback Football and should always be.

[Uncommon]

Here's another thought: play one game in Little Rock every other year - Mizzou. It's a conference game, a "rivalry", and every few years it's a game that could, potentially, have some post-season implications riding on it. Also, it eliminates totally blocking out the 90% of the state not named Northwest Arkansas and the folks who have to travel 3-5 hours each weekend.

If we HAVE to play one game in Little Rock (I prefer we play none there after the stadium renovations), I say we just play Ole Miss in Little Rock on the even years and Mississippi State on the odd years.  Missouri wouldn't make sense because the route to Fayetteville from Columbia doesn't go through Little Rock.

I break it down like this, Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas A&M's driving routes to Fayetteville do not go through Little Rock so all of those schools are out automatically leaving the other 11 SEC schools.  We don't play any of the remaining SEC East programs every year so that eliminates Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt and leaves 5 schools left.  3 of the 5 remaining schools, Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss play us at home on the even years and Auburn and Mississippi State play us on the odd years.  The straight point to point distance from Fayetteville to Little Rock is approximately 140 miles so we want to match as close as we can the distance the other school has to travel as well.  Distances between Tuscaloosa, AL, Auburn, AL, Baton Rouge, LA, Starkville, MS, and Oxford, MS are as follows:
Even Years
Tuscaloosa, AL        ~290 miles
Baton Rouge, LA     ~305 miles
Oxford, MS             ~160 miles

Odd Years
Auburn, AL             ~420 miles
Starkville, MS         ~220 miles

[ipigsooie]

We need a coach that makes it a big deal like Houston nutt did. He understood the history and never made the players feel like it was an away game. I also agree that it needs to be an sec game. The ideas about the Mississippi schools would work.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

Here is an idea for the game in Little Rock. Get with the local boys and girls clubs, Kieth Jackson's group, Church groups, and whatever other type of groups there are that deal with teens and pre teens in the LR area.

Set aside several thousand tickets to be given away to these kids, and make some arrangements to pick them up and bus them to the games and back, make it a special day for them, and let them see what it means to be a razorback. Maybe have some speakers lined up, ex Hogs now in the NFL, current players from the area. If we really want to make a difference in kids lives and, get our best athletes wanting to play Razorback Football, we need to help them to see what it means.

We need to get these kids dreaming of being the next Dmac, or Joe Adams, or whoever it might be, but it could help give them a reason to get off the streets and get out on the football field.

Great idea, but don't forget the young ladies too...

[texas tush hog]

Here is an idea for the game in Little Rock. Get with the local boys and girls clubs, Kieth Jackson's group, Church groups, and whatever other type of groups there are that deal with teens and pre teens in the LR area.

Set aside several thousand tickets to be given away to these kids, and make some arrangements to pick them up and bus them to the games and back, make it a special day for them, and let them see what it means to be a razorback. Maybe have some speakers lined up, ex Hogs now in the NFL, current players from the area. If we really want to make a difference in kids lives and, get our best athletes wanting to play Razorback Football, we need to help them to see what it means.

We need to get these kids dreaming of being the next Dmac, or Joe Adams, or whoever it might be, but it could help give them a reason to get off the streets and get out on the football field.

By the time we get to that game we will be 7-1 possibly 8-0. Better get your tickets early.

[OneTuskOverTheLine™]

We need a coach that makes it a big deal like Houston nutt did. He understood the history and never made the players feel like it was an away game. I also agree that it needs to be an sec game. The ideas about the Mississippi schools would work.

Yes I agree with the entire post.. I think the Spring Game, rotational SEC Miss opponent and 1 cupcake would be worth 10 million in upgrades...

[ur]

If we HAVE to play one game in Little Rock (I prefer we play none there after the stadium renovations), I say we just play Ole Miss in Little Rock on the even years and Mississippi State on the odd years.  Missouri wouldn't make sense because the route to Fayetteville from Columbia doesn't go through Little Rock.

I break it down like this, Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas A&M's driving routes to Fayetteville do not go through Little Rock so all of those schools are out automatically leaving the other 11 SEC schools.  We don't play any of the remaining SEC East programs every year so that eliminates Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt and leaves 5 schools left.  3 of the 5 remaining schools, Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss play us at home on the even years and Auburn and Mississippi State play us on the odd years.  The straight point to point distance from Fayetteville to Little Rock is approximately 140 miles so we want to match as close as we can the distance the other school has to travel as well.  Distances between Tuscaloosa, AL, Auburn, AL, Baton Rouge, LA, Starkville, MS, and Oxford, MS are as follows:
Even Years
Tuscaloosa, AL        ~290 miles
Baton Rouge, LA     ~305 miles
Oxford, MS             ~160 miles

Odd Years
Auburn, AL             ~420 miles
Starkville, MS         ~220 miles

Jonesboro  129 miles every year. They would bring just as many fans as om and msu. Plus we can hide it on the sec alt channel and choose the time. Night game

[ShadowTheHedgehog]

Ok 1 I am from NWA, 2 I think WMS is a dump from hell, so my opinion may be a little biased.

I think the new AD has to decide to either stop playing at WMS or to push for a renewal of the stadium.

Since the WMS are so important for a big part of the state I believe they should opt for option 2. How do you do it in a way that does not hurt recruiting and the program and at the same times provides WMS with a quality game?

Stop playing TAMU at the Cowboys stadium. Play one cupcake each year at WMS and the Tamu home game every other year,

[HogHomer]

Yes I agree with the entire post.. I think the Spring Game, rotational SEC Miss opponent and 1 cupcake would be worth 10 million in upgrades...

You realize that's 2 different recruiting opportunities to host recruits we lose?

Why must we hurt our program to keep a memory alive?

[TOM "tbw1"]

Why do something no other P5 school does?

[ur]

The WMS game is not going away. Better learn to deal with it. That's why I'm on board for playing Astate there for the 2nd or 3rd game of the year. put it on sec alt channel so we can choose the time which should be a night game. Leave the sec games in fay. to pay for the suites.

[Uncommon]

Jonesboro  129 miles every year. They would bring just as many fans as om and msu. Plus we can hide it on the sec alt channel and choose the time. Night game

I agree that this would be the only nonconference game we could do every year in War Memorial.  Well maybe not the only.  We could maybe play like a Louisiana Monroe or Louisiana Tech every year in Little Rock.  Memphis would be a possibility as well.

[Hugo Bezdek]

The WMS game is not going away. Better learn to deal with it. That's why I'm on board for playing Astate there for the 2nd or 3rd game of the year. put it on sec alt channel so we can choose the time which should be a night game. Leave the sec games in fay. to pay for the suites.

With the new AD being endowed by Stephens, Inc. there will definitely be a game in WMS. I have a hard time seeing pulling SEC games out of RRS with the investment there, and I don't see us voluntarily pulling out of Jerryworld. I predict an annual matchup with ASU on Labor Day weekend. We'll call it the Diamond Bowl and David Bazzell will get to create a new trophy sponsored by Sissy's Log Cabin, which will be a giant trophy in the shape of Arkansas. The crowds will be huge and the demand for major renovation of WMS will become a necessity.

[Porkette]

We need a coach that makes it a big deal like Houston nutt did. He understood the history and never made the players feel like it was an away game. I also agree that it needs to be an sec game. The ideas about the Mississippi schools would work.

With Nutt, it always bothered me that he openly and obviously preferred the Little Rock games. He would pull out his best enthusiasm and rah rah for those weeks rather than for games on our own campus in our own Razorback stadium. I understand that there was personal nostalgia in his case (being his hometown) but I wouldn't want to go back to that. The Bielema attitude toward LR was obviously not successful. If we're going to continue to have games there, we need balance.

[Torqued pork]

Little Rock has invested little more than whining into keeping the Hogs in WMS over the deades but apparently thinks it deserves games for infinity.  Hilarious.

[ShadowTheHedgehog]

Jonesboro  129 miles every year. They would bring just as many fans as om and msu. Plus we can hide it on the sec alt channel and choose the time. Night game

With all due respect to the ASU fans here. We want the Hogs to go back to national prominence, that means not playing a yearly game against a lower tier team like ASU. There is nothing to gain for the Hogs by playing ASU. If they win no one will care because it is ASU, if they should somehow lose the chit would hit the fan.

[Torqued pork]

Little Rock has invested little more than whining into keeping the Hogs in WMS over the decades but apparently thinks it deserves games for infinity.  Hilarious.

[Oklahawg]

Why do something no other P5 school does?

And lose money in the process.

[ur]

With all due respect to the ASU fans here. We want the Hogs to go back to national prominence, that means not playing a yearly game against a lower tier team like ASU. There is nothing to gain for the Hogs by playing ASU. If they win no one will care because it is ASU, if they should somehow lose the chit would hit the fan.

Beats playing florida am and the nicholls states of the world. Losing to them would be worse. At least with Astate we could say they were motivated. No excuse for losing to those others. All we have to do is beat the crap out of them for about three years and they would cry uncle.

[hobhog]

Little Rock has invested little more than whining into keeping the Hogs in WMS over the deades but apparently thinks it deserves games for infinity.  Hilarious.

Says you. Hilarious.

[HawgWyld]

Beats playing florida am and the nicholls states of the world. Losing to them would be worse. At least with Astate we could say they were motivated. No excuse for losing to those others. All we have to do is beat the crap out of them for about three years and they would cry uncle.

Exactly. As if losing to ASU would be worse than dropping one to Coastal Carolina (which the Hogs almost did this year). Put that ASU game in LR and it would be sold out every single year. Besides, it would be an absolute hoot...

[longtimeHogfan]

I hope 2018 is the last time we play anybody in WMS.   

[IronHog]

Why do something no other P5 school does?

No other power five school is in a football backwater like NWA

[IronHog]

With all due respect to the ASU fans here. We want the Hogs to go back to national prominence, that means not playing a yearly game against a lower tier team like ASU. There is nothing to gain for the Hogs by playing ASU. If they win no one will care because it is ASU, if they should somehow lose the chit would hit the fan.

If ASU got UAs 150 million per year the state would have a better chance of a NC

[#1 STUNNA]

sounds like another easy game for south arkansas recruits and little rock athletes to attend..

[SPAL]

I guess I should ask why we care what other people do?

[IronMountainHog]

Here's an idea, take a bulldozer to WMS and build the Derek Zoolander Center for Kids who can't read good and want to learn to do other stuff good too. That way we never have another stadium debate and Keith Jackson can affiliate P.A.R.K. with the aforementioned Zoolander school for lots of activities.

[ricepig]

If ASU got UAs 150 million per year the state would have a better chance of a NC

Please tell me about this $150m......

[hoglady]

With Nutt, it always bothered me that he openly and obviously preferred the Little Rock games. He would pull out his best enthusiasm and rah rah for those weeks rather than for games on our own campus in our own Razorback stadium. I understand that there was personal nostalgia in his case (being his hometown) but I wouldn't want to go back to that. The Bielema attitude toward LR was obviously not successful. If we're going to continue to have games there, we need balance.

The Bobby Petrino attitude was the best - he treated all games the same.
Expected his team to be ready, no excuses and no complaining about where we were playing.

I thought complaining about Little Rock was one of the dumbest thing Bielema did here.

[ur]

Do we have to do a $10 mill upgrade for one Astate arse beating a year or just throw a little lipstick on the pig? Serious question.

[Porkette]

The Bobby Petrino attitude was the best - he treated all games the same.
Expected his team to be ready, no excuses and no complaining about where we were playing.

I always thought so too.

[IronHog]

Please tell me about this $150m......

https://news.uark.edu/articles/21362/university-receives-increase-in-state-funding-monies-from-general-improvement-fund

[Paragould Bulldog]

Why not embrace WMS, LR and Central/East AR?  Go back to playing a non conference on week two and LSU every other Friday after Thanksgiving, MSU or even a non conference on the off year. 

Oh wait, I can think of 160 million reasons why.  Thanks Jeff and good riddance.   

[Großer Kriegschwein]

Why not embrace WMS, LR and Central/East AR?  Go back to playing a non conference on week two and LSU every other Friday after Thanksgiving, MSU or even a non conference on the off year. 

Oh wait, I can think of $160 million reason why.  Thanks Jeff and good riddance.

That was probably some of the reason he got the axe. Trying to paint us into a corner on playing all our games in Fayetteville.

[ricepig]

https://news.uark.edu/articles/21362/university-receives-increase-in-state-funding-monies-from-general-improvement-fund

I don't think anyone has said we don't take tax money for the academic side of the university, every public school does. Guess what, the university is going to get a bigger share under the new formula for funding, it's based on graduation rates. While we may be the bottom of the SEC, we're about double the majority of the rest of the state schools, so pay your taxes!

[IronHog]

I don't think anyone has said we don't take tax money for the academic side of the university, every public school does. Guess what, the university is going to get a bigger share under the new formula for funding, it's based on graduation rates. While we may be the bottom of the SEC, we're about double the majority of the rest of the state schools, so pay your taxes!

NWA always going to find a way to cheat the rest of the state


Really not surprising the football team is a punchline

[j-mann]

With all due respect to the ASU fans here. We want the Hogs to go back to national prominence, that means not playing a yearly game against a lower tier team like ASU. There is nothing to gain for the Hogs by playing ASU. If they win no one will care because it is ASU, if they should somehow lose the chit would hit the fan.

+1000 

why should we help them   when most ASU Fans  would rather us lose then  they win   

they are right on 1 thing  we should avoid  all sun beit  schools not just them     

[moses_007]

The city of Little Rock will never get with the program.  It lost Barton Coliseum to Verizon Arena, North Little Rock.  It lost Traveler's Field to Dickey Stephens Park, North Little Rock.  It refuses to even consider building a new football venue in western Little Rock.  Lots of land on I-430 for a perfect football stadium site.  It stands to reason Little Rock is about to lose any hope of the Razorbacks ever playing here again.  They should tear WMS down.

[12247]

Durn opinions again.  I would love us to open the season annually with ASU in Little Rock.  Also one Saturday of the Spring Schedule the team could bus to WMS, practice for the locals and return to Fayetteville same day.  Keep the spring game in NWA.  It is time for some changes in what we do.  It is time we remembered the Hogs belong to the entire state.  It is time to remember that the Hogs are a huge part of what we are.  We don't have professional sports or multiple outlets for the limited money we can spend and we need the states most famous program to embrace us all as many of us embrace it. 

[hoglady]

The city of Little Rock will never get with the program.  It lost Barton Coliseum to Verizon Arena, North Little Rock.  It lost Traveler's Field to Dickey Stephens Park, North Little Rock.  It refuses to even consider building a new football venue in western Little Rock.  Lots of land on I-430 for a perfect football stadium site.  It stands to reason Little Rock is about to lose any hope of the Razorbacks ever playing here again.  They should tear WMS down.

WMS stadium is owned by the State.
Little Rock has nothing to do with the funding, renovations or any decision regarding it's future.

[ricepig]

NWA always going to find a way to cheat the rest of the state


Really not surprising the football team is a punchline

I didn't realize all the votes in the legislature came from NWA, I'll have to ask my Representatives from NEA what they were doing during this voting.

[KlubhouseKonnected]

If we HAVE to play one game in Little Rock (I prefer we play none there after the stadium renovations), I say we just play Ole Miss in Little Rock on the even years and Mississippi State on the odd years.  Missouri wouldn't make sense because the route to Fayetteville from Columbia doesn't go through Little Rock.

I break it down like this, Kentucky, Missouri, and Texas A&M's driving routes to Fayetteville do not go through Little Rock so all of those schools are out automatically leaving the other 11 SEC schools.  We don't play any of the remaining SEC East programs every year so that eliminates Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt and leaves 5 schools left.  3 of the 5 remaining schools, Alabama, LSU, and Ole Miss play us at home on the even years and Auburn and Mississippi State play us on the odd years.  The straight point to point distance from Fayetteville to Little Rock is approximately 140 miles so we want to match as close as we can the distance the other school has to travel as well.  Distances between Tuscaloosa, AL, Auburn, AL, Baton Rouge, LA, Starkville, MS, and Oxford, MS are as follows:
Even Years
Tuscaloosa, AL        ~290 miles
Baton Rouge, LA     ~305 miles
Oxford, MS             ~160 miles

Odd Years
Auburn, AL             ~420 miles
Starkville, MS         ~220 miles

My only quibble is... why should we care how easy it is for Mizzou and it's fans to get to the game?

[Torqued pork]

The cost of getting and keeping WMS viable will be ongoing as long as the Hogs play there. The arms race in facilities isn't going to slow down for the sake of the economics of any portion of Arkansas regardless of fond memories or convenience. Over time those costs will reach a completely impractical amount just to have one and certainly no more than two games a year in central Arkansas. WMS is a financial sinkhole for the state and Hogs. It's past time to face reality and let it go.

[MuskogeeHogFan]

I wonder if there is this debate among Florida, Alabama, A&M, Auburn, LSU or Georgia fans? Does Florida make certain that they play an off campus game in Miami every year? Do any of those programs insure that they play an in-state off campus game every year? A&M plays us in Dallas every year, but they don't schedule an annual game in San Antonio. Does Georgia play in Macon or Savannah each year? Does LSU schedule a game in Shreveport or Monroe every year?

I'm not against keeping a game in LR each year but Arkansas fans who have to travel across the state to watch a game in Fayetteville aren't really in any different position than fans of most college football programs.

[ur]

I'm all for playing games in RRS but I'm tired of playing these rent a win teams. If we are adding another one of them to the RRS schedule then just play a game in wms. Do better Non P5 teams charge more to come play? Memphis, SMU, Houston, Boise state, ucf, usf, army, navy , air force, san diego state. I understand we need a cupcake to start the season but 3-4 cupcakes don't make us better. Some will say our schedule is hard enough but if we would actually rotate players more, then we would have more depth and be more prepared for the next season.