Razorbacks’ uneasy trend vs. non-Power 5 foes stretches back over 10 years

Since 2012, Arkansas’s non-Power 5 Saturdays have brought upsets, scares and coach admissions that framed a recurring, costly pattern

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman on the sidelines against the Alabama A&M Bulldogs at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Ark. | Ted McClenning-allHOGS Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — A dozen seasons have sketched a clear pattern for Arkansas. When the opponent is outside the Power 5, routine has rarely felt routine.

From a top-10 team stunned in Little Rock to a ranked SEC program denied at the goal line, the Razorbacks’ non-Power 5 ledger since 2012 includes headline losses, narrow escapes and pointed mea culpas from coaches past and present.

The list of defeats is long and diverse: Louisiana-Monroe in 2012, Rutgers (then in the AAC) in 2013, Toledo in 2015, Colorado State and North Texas in 2018, San José State and Western Kentucky in 2019, and Liberty in 2022.

Each arrived with its own backstory, but together they’ve framed a persistent vulnerability Arkansas carries into any matchup outside the SEC.

The modern arc began with No. 8 Arkansas falling 34-31 in overtime to Louisiana-Monroe at War Memorial Stadium. ULM quarterback Kolton Browning accounted for 481 yards and the winning OT scramble.

“We believed the whole time,” Browning told ESPN, while Arkansas interim coach John L. Smith conceded, “We couldn’t tackle him, we couldn’t stop him.”

A year later, Arkansas saw a 17-point lead evaporate at Rutgers as quarterback Gary Nova threw two late touchdowns. The Scarlet Knights, members of the AAC in 2013 before joining the Big Ten the next season, rallied 28-24.

“Gary’s greatest attribute is his competitive fire,” Rutgers coach Kyle Flood said.

In 2015, Toledo upset No. 18 Arkansas 16-12 in Little Rock.

“I’m embarrassed for our fans and the people that traveled today,” then-coach Bret Bielema said after penalties and red-zone stalls undermined the Razorbacks.

Arkansas Razorbacks coach Bret Bielema during a time out against the Mississippi State Bulldogs at War Memorial Stadium. | Justin Ford-Imagn Images

Late-game collapses, narrow escapes

The series of stumbles continued in 2018. Arkansas squandered an 18-point second-half lead at Colorado State in a 34-27 loss.

Coach Chad Morris warned afterward that “the longer we let them hang around, the more confidence they’d have.”

A week later, North Texas throttled Arkansas 44-17 in Fayetteville, a game remembered for Keegan Brewer’s fake-fair-catch punt return. Mean Green coach Seth Littrell shrugged off the “upset” label.

“We’re very confident as a football team,” he said after the game.

There were narrow wins that felt like warnings. Arkansas needed a late touchdown to edge Louisiana Tech 21-20 in the 2016 opener.

“I knew (the Bulldogs) were going to be a good football team,” Bielema said, still mindful of the Toledo loss 12 months earlier.

In 2022, an FCS scare required a fourth-quarter push to beat Missouri State, after which coach Sam Pittman admitted, “Can you imagine walking in here and getting beat tonight?”

The Bears were coached by Hogs former coach Bobby Petrino, who is now the offensive coordinator for Pittman.

The 2019 season crystallized the issue. San José State intercepted five passes in a 31-24 win in Fayetteville.

“Outplayed us, outcoached us,” Morris said.

Two months later, former Arkansas quarterback Ty Storey returned with Western Kentucky and led a 45-19 win; Morris called the performance “very disappointing” as questions about his tenure intensified. He was fired the next day.

Liberty Flames coach Hugh Freeze, left, talks to Arkansas Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman after the game at Razorback Stadium. Liberty won 21-19. | Nelson Chenault-Imagn Images

Liberty’s stand, present-day acknowledgement

The most recent high-profile non-Power 5 loss came in 2022, when No. 23 Liberty made a goal-line stand to win 21-19 in Fayetteville. Flames coach Hugh Freeze called it perhaps his biggest win; Pittman labeled it his “worst loss.”

The history shows Arkansas can stumble against anybody in-state nonconference game. As the Razorbacks prepared to face Arkansas State in Little Rock, Pittman hasn't dodged it.

“We’re the ones with pressure,” he said this week, noting the novelty and stakes of an in-state FBS meeting.

From coaching transitions to special-teams miscues, the themes have been consistent. The Razorbacks have often dominated the stat sheet yet faltered in high-leverage moments, whether via turnovers (San José State), penalties (Toledo) or explosive plays conceded (North Texas).

That’s how a program steeped against SEC teams has repeatedly found itself in fourth-quarter coin flips against Group of Five opponents. Too often on the wrong side.

If there is a counterpoint, it lies in how Arkansas tends to respond. The 2016 escape over Louisiana Tech prefaced wins over TCU and eventual back-to-back bowl trips under Bielema.

Pittman’s 2021 team steadied after early tests to finish 9-4. But the message since 2012 remains clear for Arkansas that non-Power 5 Saturdays have demanded full-throttle urgency, not assumptions.

Key takeaways

• Since 2012, Arkansas’s non-Power 5 games have produced eight notable losses and multiple near-misses, often hinging on turnovers, penalties or special teams.

• Coaches have repeatedly acknowledged the strain: Bielema (“embarrassed for our fans”), Morris (“outcoached us”), and Pittman (“worst loss”).

• Ahead of in-state meetings like Arkansas State, Pittman says Arkansas “is the one with pressure,” reflecting a learned caution.