Bobby Petrino Not Holding Back on Importance of Texas vs. Arkansas Rivalry

The last time the Texas Longhorns welcomed the Arkansas Razorbacks to Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, it was 2008, and head coach Mack Brown's team had Colt McCoy starting at quarterback. Against the Razorbacks, McCoy scored five total touchdowns, two of his three passing ones going to wide receiver Jordan Shipley, as Texas mauled Arkansas, 52-10.

Leading the away side was head coach Bobby Petrino, the first-year man that had recently resigned his head position at the Atlanta Falcons to take over in Fayetteville. Petrino led Arkansas from 2008 to 2011. In 2024, he returned to Arkansas for a second stint on its staff; after Sam Pittman was fired earlier this season, Petrino -- then the offensive coordinator -- took over on an interim basis.

And now as the Razorbacks arrive in Austin for the first time since 2008, Petrino is at the helm once again.

What Petrino said about the rivalry

Arkansas interim coach Bobby Petrino during the NCAA college football game against Tennessee on Oct. 11, 2025, in Knoxville, Tennessee. | Saul Young/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Texas Longhorns and Arkansas Razorbacks have met 80 times in their history, with Texas winning 57 of them. Now, the matchup is a permanent part of each team's yearly Southeastern Conference schedule, reviving a rivalry most prominent when both teams were part of the Southwest Conference.

But Petrino still knows that this rivalry has meaning for the Razorback faithful, and his staff has worked to emphasize that amongst the players.

"We're gonna do some things to make sure (our players) understand (the rivalry) 'cause it's always been a big deal," Petrino said on Tuesday, via On Texas Football. "The first time I was here, it was always a big deal about the Arkansas-Texas rivalry and the big games. So we're gonna try to put a couple of things together for 'em, make sure they understand it and know how important it is to the state of Arkansas."

Petrino went on to acknowledge how the new era of college football and the enrollment within Arkansas -- there are more native Texans going to school there than ever due to the ability to get in-state tuition -- have impacted the perception of the rivalry.

"With the transfer portal and with the guys moving from school to school, you certainly don't have that taste of growing up disliking another program as much as it used to be," Petrino said. "So that does make it a little bit different. We're going to try to rev it up, though, and make 'em dislike them more."

The Razorbacks, despite coming in at 2-8, have only lost by more than three points once in the past five SEC games. Petrino and Arkansas kick off against Texas in DKR at 2:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, looking to use the extra motivation of the rivalry to help in its efforts to upset the 7-3 Longhorns.