Arkansas Razorbacks hope to use final three games to gain momentum for next season

With bowl hopes gone, Hogs under interim Bobby Petrino left playing for pride, 2026

Arkansas Razorbacks linebacker Xavian Sorey tries unsuccessfully to stop LSU running back Caden Durham in a game at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Nilsen Roman-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino may be experiencing a little bit of deja vu.

In 2008, Arkansas faced an LSU team toward the end of the season that underperformed preseason expectations. Petrino, in his first year as coach, managed to beat the Tigers to end the season 5-7.

Quarterback Casey Dick hit London Crawford on a game-winning 24-yard touchdown pass with 21 seconds left to win, 31-30. The win, dubbed the Miracle on Markham II in Little Rock, while thrilling, had little actual consequence. Arkansas was eliminated from bowl contention before the game.

The 2008 Tigers came into the year as defending national champions and ranked in the AP Top 10 in the preseason, yet finished the regular season 7-5. It's an eerie parallel to the path the 2025 Tigers.

LSU, with head coach Brian Kelly entering his fourth season, came into the year with national championship aspirations and a No. 9 ranking. Instead, LSU fired, or perhaps didn't technically fire Kelly, depending on an impending court determination, and tumbled out of the rankings.

Arkansas is also eliminated from bowl contention with three games remaining, becoming the first SEC team to do so. Even though the 2008 win was futile for bowl purposes, Petrino thinks it played a key role in setting up the 2009 season in which Arkansas went 8-5 and won the Liberty Bowl.

"The '08 game was something that made the offseason tremendously better for us," Petrino said. "You come off the field your last game with a big win, an upset win, one that you get last — basically the last play of the game. So that was a pretty special win."

Arkansas is trying to replicate that thinking against LSU, Texas and Missouri to finish the season. However, college football has changed a lot since 2008.

There was no mass exodus of players then, even under a new coach, as rules made it difficult for 39 players to leave the program and enter the transfer portal like in 2024. Arkansas figures to have a similar exodus depending on how the coaching search shakes out.

Even with the new landscape of college football, Petrino views the game through a similar lens to the one in 2008, even as his future with the program beyond this season remains uncertain. The only certainty is that there will be returners on the roster, and salvaging a more respectable record still brings intangible value.

"It's an element for sure," Petrino said about winning the last three games. "It makes the offseason so much better and when you're gonna go lifting the weight room and you sit down with your strength coach and figure out  what your goals are weight-wise, strength-wise, speed wise. Coming off a win makes everything a lot better."

According to Petrino, the leadership of the team is keeping the Hogs intact and upbeat despite losing seven straight.

"It’s the leadership from within the team," Petrino said. "I always felt like as a coach one of the most important things is leadership from within the team. We’ve got good kids that are leading and want to finish strong. Win some games, so they continue to work hard, they continue to get the younger guys to help out."

Kickoff between LSU and Arkansas is scheduled for 11:45 a.m. Saturday and will be broadcast on SEC Network.