Arkansas looks to end ‘good run of bad luck’ in AT&T Stadium

Ever since the Southwest Classic football game between Arkansas and Texas A&M moved to AT&T Stadium permanently in 2014, the Razorbacks have been snakebitten by the cruel hand of fate. 

Arkansas won three straight games in Arlington from 2009 to 2011, but when the series moved back to “Jerry’s World” after a brief return to campuses, a switch had been flipped. 

Whether it be overtime losses in 2014, 2015 and 2017, a 99-yard scoop-and-score in 2022 or blowouts in 2016 and 2023, the Razorbacks have been on a “good run of bad luck” — as country music artist Clint Black said in 1993 — against their old rival. 

Only a lone victory in 2021 provides Arkansas fans with any good memories inside the home of the Cowboys over the past decade. When most Arkansas fans think of the state-of-the-art facility, all they see are visions of Trevor Knight running wild, or a Cam Little field goal fluttering harmlessly through the air before bouncing off the very top of the upright. 

So many things have gone wrong for Arkansas in Arlington that it’s completely understandable why fans are so pessimistic every time the game nears on the calendar. Even if Arkansas has a top-25 team under them — see 2016 — they always come up short in excruciating fashion. 

Even with Chad Morris at the helm in 2018 and 2019, Arkansas took the Aggies down to the wire, losing Morris’ bouts in Arlington by a combined 11 points. In 2022, a 3-0 Arkansas team ranked No. 10 in the country took an early 14-0 lead —f only to see the aforementioned 99-yard fumble return and missed field goal serve as the death knell for the rest of their season. 

But with Bobby Petrino back on the sidelines, an improved offensive line and a defense that might as well be the FAA for all the air restrictions it places on opposing teams, could it finally be Arkansas’ year to deal the heartbreak? 

It’s hard for young Arkansas fans to believe that their beloved Hogs actually hold a 42-35-3 edge in the series, but at one point it was the Razorbacks who consistently dominated the Aggies. Arkansas won nine straight against Texas A&M from 1958 to 1966, and 14 of 20 from 1975 to 2011. 

The Razorbacks are looking to start a new winning streak for themselves this season, and they might just have the team to do it. The No. 24 Aggies are no slouch but haven’t shown the potential of past teams in the school’s history. A hit-or-miss offense is flanked by a defense that while solid, doesn’t appear to be anything special. 

The Razorbacks may be historically low on luck when they play in Arlington, but when they take the field for the series’ final game in AT&T Stadium on Saturday, history will be nothing but a footnote for the players taking the field.