It's Been 50 Years Since Tulsa Beat Arkansas, Everything Is Lining Up For It To Happen Again

FAYETTEVILLE — Labeling a game against a Group of Six opponent that will be streamed on SEC Network+ as a "must-win" isn't where anyone involved with Arkansas football wanted to be in late September.

Yet, that's the conversation around Razorback football following a 1-2 start in which Arkansas struggled against North Alabama and was blown out against No. 15 Utah and No. 2 Georgia.

The Razorbacks have been outscored 88-27 in their two games against FBS opponents, and even against North Alabama, Arkansas' offense failed to find a rhythm.

Arkansas Razorbacks head coach Ryan Silverfield looks on from the sideline during the second half of the game against the Georgia Bulldogs at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Hogs don't even have a true starting quarterback a quarter of the way through the season, as KJ Jackson started the first two games but split reps against Georgia on Saturday with backup AJ Hill.

This year's Tulsa team isn't a run of the mill Golden Hurricane squad, either. Tulsa is 3-0 for the first time since 2008 — notably, a year in which Tulsa gave Bobby Petrino's Razorbacks all they wanted in Fayetteville.

Tulsa hasn't beaten the Razorbacks since 1976. Arkansas leads the all-time series 55-16-3 and beat Tulsa 23-0 the last time they came to Fayetteville in 2018.

In other words, even Chad Morris beat the Golden Hurricane.

But again, the 2026 edition of Tulsa is a good football team. They fired off a huge upset win in Week 1, taking down Oklahoma State 24-10. Oklahoma State went on to beat No. 20 Oregon in Week 2.

There's plenty of excitement around this year's Tulsa team, especially considering that Tulsa hasn't had a winning season since 2021.

Tre Lamb with Eric Morri — =Tulsa Golden Hurricane head coach Tre Lamb visits with Oklahoma State Cowboys head coach Eric Morris prior to the game at Skelly Field at H.A. Chapman Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Why this year's matchup is particularly interesting

On the surface, there's an obvious reason why this game has potential to be another upset win over a Power Four team.

Tulsa already has a Power Four win this year against Oklahoma State, and Arkansas has struggled mightily in its first three games. There may not be a better opportunity for a Group of Six team to beat a Power Four for the rest of the year across college football.

But a deeper dive proves that this matchup could be particularly challenging for Arkansas.

The Razorbacks' offensive struggles have been well documented. Arkansas hasn't scored a non-garbage time TD against an FBS team this season and didn't even look crisp on offense against North Alabama. Woes in the run game and the lack of a true leader at quarterback have only exacerbated the other issues with the unit.

Tulsa's defense, on the other hand, has been elite so far, ranking seventh in the country through three games in total defense. After holding Oklahoma State and star QB Drew Mestemaker to 10 points, it limited Sam Houston to 17 in a nailbiting 23-17 Week 2 win and blanked East Texas A&M 42-0 on Saturday.

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jackson (7) runs with the ball against the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Tulsa's offense hasn't been great — QB Baylor Hayes was decent but not great against Oklahoma State or Sam Houston and missed Saturday's game against East Texas A&M — but Arkansas' defense was overmatched against both Utah and Georgia.

It's not out of the realm of possibility that a beat-up Arkansas team that is relatively short on morale comes out flat in front of a thin home crowd on Saturday and loses to a solid, inspired Tulsa team that will be playing with house money and a chance for national aspirations.

With all of this said, there's no reason Tulsa should beat Arkansas. SEC teams should always take care of business at home — even with a sparse crowd, as Saturday's is expected to be — against a Group of Six opponent.

The Razorbacks are only favored by 8.5 and have only a 54.5 percent chance to win, according to ESPN, but should still take care of business and win by a couple scores.

That's what should happen, at least in a relatively normal year. But this year's Tulsa team is the school's best in nearly two decades, and the Razorbacks are staring down the barrel of another losing season; potentially their fourth 2-10 campaign in nine years.

Tulsa is seen by many as the only surefire or probable victory on the schedule for the rest of the season. A win would be both slightly uplifting for head coach Ryan Silverfield, who desperately wants to change the narrative around his first season at Arkansas.

A loss would only invoke more anger and frustration from a jaded fan base. The Razorbacks would then go to No. 23 Texas A&M with a 1-3 record and eight straight SEC games on the docket, and the potential for a 1-11 season would be very real.

It may be early in a coaching tenure to call a game a must-win, but Arkansas' matchup with Tulsa on Sept. 26 is as must-win as it gets.

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