ARKANSAS VS. NO. 9 ALABAMA : Murderous month
Posted on Friday, September 19, 2008
FAYETTEVILLE - Arkansas' schedule looks a lot like this week's Associated Press top 10.
The Razorbacks play five of the 10, including four in a row beginning Saturday against No. 9 Alabama.
Then it's No. 7 Texas, No. 4 Florida and No. 10 Auburn.
Arkansas doesn't have to worry about playing No. 6 LSU until Nov. 28.
Except for Alabama, it isn't known where the other top 10 teams on the schedule will be ranked when the Razorbacks play them, but the next four games are shaping up as the toughest stretch in school history.
Since the AP began ranking teams on a continuous basis in 1936, Arkansas never has played more than three nationally-ranked teams in a row, and that's happened only six times with the Razorbacks going a combined 5-13 in those games. Arkansas' most recent experience of three consecutive ranked opponents came at the end of the 2006 season, when the Razorbacks lost to No. 9 LSU (31-26 ), No. 4 Florida (38-28 ) and No. 6 Wisconsin (17-14 ). Twice - in 1961 and 1999 - the Razorbacks have gone 2-1 while playing three in a row against ranked foes.
But there doesn't appear to be anything to compare with what the Razorbacks are getting ready to face.
"This has got to be the toughest four-game stretch in Arkansas history, and you probably can count on one hand the number of teams across the country that have taken on a schedule like this in the last 20 years,"said Frank Broyles, who in January retired after 50 years serving as either the Razorbacks' head coach or athletic director. "It's very, very challenging, but that's something players usually respond to in a positive way.
"It's been my experience that players perform at a higher level the greater the challenge."
The Razorbacks said they're ready to rise to the challenge of a top-10 gauntlet.
"We're not scared,"junior receiver Lucas Miller said. "We're not going to be backing down from anybody."
Arkansas is 2-0, but had to rally in the fourth quarter to beat Western Illinois 28-24 and Louisiana-Monroe 28-27.
"Not downing the first two teams we played, but I think we came to this school to be able to play the caliber of teams we're fixing to go against,"senior center Jonathan Luigs said. "When you see you're getting ready to play Alabama, Texas, Florida, Auburn... I mean, you've got to have a little jump in your step and be ready to go."
Junior defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard said he's excited about playing nationally-ranked teams, even one after another.
Beating ranked opponents, he noted, will give Arkansas a chance to move into the polls.
"There's no intimidation,"Sheppard said. "It's an opportunity."
The next four games also appear to offer Arkansas the opportunity for lopsided losses, but Miller shook his head when presented with that scenario.
"That's not how we're thinking,"Miller said. "That's the mind-set of someone that doesn't want to win.
"You can't say, 'Oh, I want to play these teams, but I don't want to play them all in a row.' We're looking to win each and every one of those games."
Arkansas Coach Bobby Petrino said all of the Razorbacks' focus has to be on Alabama, and the players agree that's been the case.
"You really can't look at anybody else other than who you're playing,"Luigs said. "It's got to be one day at a time, but we're going to learn a lot about ourselves over the next month."
Arkansas was scheduled to have an open date Sept. 27, but is now playing at Texas because last Saturday's game was postponed by Hurricane Ike.
So the schedule now appears to be even tougher than anticipated with four top 10 opponents without any break.
"We obviously have a lot to prove this season, and people don't know what to expect out of us,"Miller said. "It's whatever we believe in that locker room.
"Each and every one of us has that confidence that we need to go out there and win."
Because of their opponents'status, the Razorbacks will be in the national spotlight whatever happens the next four games.
"We're trying to get on the map and get some belief around here and show we can compete nationally,"Luigs said. "That's what you come to this caliber of program to do, to play in big games in big-time environments.
"I think we're all looking forward to it."Pulling rank Arkansas' next four opponents are ranked in the top 10 in The Associated Press poll: No. 9 Alabama, No. 7 Texas, No. 4 Florida and No. 10 Auburn. If each team stays in the top 25, it will be the first time in school history the Razorbacks have played four nationally ranked teams in a row. The Razorbacks have played three consecutive ranked teams six times previously. Here's a rundown of how Arkansas fared in those games:
1960 No. 3 Baylor beat No. 20 Arkansas 28-14 Arkansas beat No. 11 Texas 24-23 No. 2 Ole Miss beat No. 14 Arkansas 10-7
1961 Arkansas beat No. 18 TCU 28-3 No. 20 Arkansas beat No. 9 Baylor 23-13 No. 3 Texas beat No. 10 Arkansas 33-7
1997 No. 5 Tennessee beat Arkansas 30-22 No. 14 Mississippi State beat Arkansas 17-7 No. 17 LSU beat Arkansas 31-21
1999 No. 23 Ole Miss beat Arkansas 38-16 Arkansas beat No. 3 Tennessee 28-24 No. 22 Arkansas beat No. 12 Mississippi State 14-9
2004 No. 16 Florida beat Arkansas 45-30 No. 4 Auburn beat Arkansas 38-20 No. 6 Georgia beat Arkansas 20-14
2006 No. 9 LSU beat No. 5 Arkansas 31-26 No. 4 Florida beat No. 8 Arkansas 38-28 * No. 6 Wisconsin beat No. 12 Arkansas 17-14 # * SEC Championship Game # Capital One Bowl
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