Helping Fans Find Hogs' Signature Win from Jefferson QB Era

While it's pretty easy to find win or two that will stand test of time with most Razorback greats, it seems harder for recently departed quarterback

Author:
Kent Smith
Updated:
Dec 18, 2023 6:53 PM EST
Original:
Dec 18, 2023

In this story:

Arkansas Razorbacks

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – While former Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson may hold all the records, fans have found themselves struggling to recall his signature win that would vault him into the discussion among the Razorback greats.

While there no epic huge wins in his history, there are a handful for consideration in trying to put a bright light on his legacy besides pulling free with defenders hanging off his body.

Fair warning, some old timer out there will want to know why the Texas win isn't on this list. It's because the Longhorns were a terrible team with a losing record that year, so it wasn't a big win, especially when considering legacy. Also, the running backs and offensive line carried that game.

So, with that out of the way, let's dissect the more memorable wins of the Jefferson era.

TEXAS A&M
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Much like a lot of these games, this is a win that felt like a big deal at the time, and still kind of was considering how few times the Southwest Classic has gone Arkansas' way. However, the Aggies were ranked No. 7 in the country when the Razorbacks beat them, 20-10. No one knew Texas A&M would fall to 8-4 as the season progressed.

Jefferson completed under 47% of his passes that day, going 7-of-15 for 212 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He also added eight carries for 55 yards. Treylon Burks had an 85-yard touchdown and AJ green caught a ball in the flat just beyond the line of scrimmage and weaved his way for a 48-yard touchdown to put Arkansas up 17-0. As it did all day, the defense took care of everything else.

OLE MISS
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There were all kinds of signs that No. 14 Ole Miss just wasn't up for a fight that day, nor the entire rest of the season. Instead, the players watched at head coach Lane Kiffin battled back and forth with whether he was going to Auburn en route to a four-game losing streak to end the season.

Jefferson took advantage of this malaise, going 17-of-22 on the day with three touchdowns while adding 58 yards rushing on eight carries as the Razorbacks won, 42-27. The odd note from this game is Arkansas put up 335 yards rushing and still found a way to win even though Ole Miss bested the Hogs with 463 yards rushing of its own.

PENN STATE
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Even though this was against a vastly depleted Penn State team following numerous departures, including multiple NFL bound key players, it's still a big win. Arkansas hadn't won a bowl game since the Liberty Bowl win over Kansas St. in 2015, so this game meant the world to head coach Sam Pittman and Razorback fans.

The Nittany Lions took a brief lead in the second quarter, 10-7, before the Razorabacks reeled off 17 straight for a 24-10 win. Jefferson didn't have much of a day passing, completing 14-of-19 passes for 98 yards an interception.

However, Arkansas ran roughshod over the Penn State defense. Jefferson led the way with 110 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries as the Razorbacks racked up 353 yards on the ground. Four rushers, including. back-up quarterback Malik Hornsby, finished with at least 67 yards.

KANSAS
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This game probably wouldn't be here had the Razorback defense not completely fell apart late in the game. Arkansas led the Jayhawks in this Liberty Bowl match-up, 38-23 with barely over a minute left to play. However, the defense gave up 15 points in the final minute to allow overtime.

Jefferson was at his best in this game. He threw the ball with precision, ran well when it was needed and didn't take his other teammates out of the game in what was a perfectly balanced effort across the entire offense. Jefferson was 19-of-29 for 287 yards and two touchdowns. He also ran for 130 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. His only flaw was an interception in the end zone late as Arkansas held on to defeat 6-7 Kansas, 55-53 in triple overtime.

Signature moment:

Unfortunately for Jefferson, his signature moment at Arkansas will always be the leap from the three against Texas A&M that turned what should have been an easy Arkansas win into a 98-yard fumble return that led to a stunning 23-21 loss from which the Razorbacks never recovered.