Photo Recap: Longhorns' Sacked In Fayetteville

A series of images documenting a forgetful night for many Longhorns fans after Arkansas routed UT.

Author:
Pavithr Goli
Sep 13, 2021 10:28 AM EDT

Entering their Week 2 matchup against Arkansas, the Longhorns were ranked No. 15 on the Weekly AP Poll. Playing in front of a feisty crowd in Fayetteville, Arkansas, the Longhorns were upset by the then-unranked University of Arkansas football team. With nearly 75,000 fans in Razorback Stadium (ranking for the 9th-largest in the history of the stadium), the loud environment was definitely a factor in the dominant performance by Arkansas..

Both teams got off to a slow start with several three-and-outs to start the game. The defenses for both the Longhorns and the Razorbacks were dominant in the first quarter of the game. At the end of the first period, though, the Hogs held a 3-0 lead over the Longhorns.

However, the Razorbacks offense started to pick up during the start of the second quarter. Arkansas starting QB KJ Jefferson capitalized on a Longhorns field goal miss by catalyzing a long drive for the Razorbacks, leading them to their first touchdown of the night.

After the Razorbacks touchdown, the Arkansas defense did a good job in containing the explosive Longhorns offensive weapons such as RB Bijan Robinson and QB Hudson Card. The stout Hogs defense prevented any sort of movement from the Longhorns offense, forcing UT to punt the ball three times in the second quarter. Arkansas capitalized on their defensive advantage as they entered the halftime break with a dominating 16-0 lead over the UT Longhorns.

Although the Longhorns had a three-and-out on their first drive after halftime, they answered back with a turnover (an interception by BJ Foster) on defense and a subsequent touchdown by RB Bijan Robinson. The touchdown gave UT a slight boost in energy and confidence, despite being down 16-7 to Arkansas.

However, the Hogs did not let the Longhorns run away with their momentum as Arkansas responded back with a rushing touchdown of their own. On the very next drive, the Razorbacks' defense held Texas back forcing them to turn the ball over on downs. With the ball in their possession, Arkansas failed to look back as the Razorbacks went up 33-7 on their future fellow SEC program.

In an attempt to rejuvenate their offense, Head Coach Steve Sarkisian substituted QB Hudson Card off of the field and gave quarterback duties to junior QB Casey Thompson. Thompson immediately led the Longhorns on a 10 play, 75-yard drive that resulted in a touchdown for UT.

After the touchdown, Arkansas scored again, giving the Longhorns an even tougher time to recover from the deficit. Although it was too late for a comeback, the next time Thompson was tasked to lead the Longhorns offense, he took the reigns and marched down another 75 yards for another score. Despite the harsh defeat, the fourth-quarter stretch that was led by Thompson offered glimpses of hope.

After the final whistle finalizing the 40-21 Longhorn defeat at the hands of the Razorbacks, Arkansas fans rejoiced with their victory. A packed Razorback stadium celebrated far after the end of the game with fans rushing the field.