DON’T BE A TEXAS FAN
Originally written October 21, 2024
The Arkansas football team lost Saturday night’s Battle of the Boot annual game to LSU by 24 points, 24-10. Did Saturday night suck for Arkansas fans? Yes. Yes, it did. Mainly I blame Josh Pate, Jeff Foxworthy and the rest of the world for picking Arkansas to win. And maybe Nussmeier for possibly being the best quarterback in the SEC. These things happen. We turned the ball over and lost to a good team. Hopefully, in the future these things will happen less and less. Who knows.
Coming off arguably the biggest win of the Sam Pittman era against Tennessee two weeks ago, the LSU game felt like a swift kick in the nuts for Arkansas fans. Anger, sadness, confusion, resignation, massive cope, longing for better days. I am sure most Arkansas fans had similar feelings as the game became almost unwatchable sometime during the third quarter. As anyone who watched the game knows the precise moment was with 5:04 left in the third quarter. If you live in a cave and haven’t seen the game, save yourself the heartache and don’t. Unless you are an LSU fan. And if you are an LSU fan, well, Geaux F*** yourself and the tiger you rode in on.
EVERY CLOUD HAS A RAY OF SUNSHINE
There was other big news in the SEC later Saturday night. Georgia strolled into Texas and handed the top ranked team in the nation a big old “Welcome to the SEC” 15-point loss. UGA 30 – UT (not Tennessee) 15.
It may be a sign of my age, but growing up in Arkansas I knew rooting for the University of Texas to lose was 1A on the list of Arkansas football fans’ priorities. I am not sure younger Arkansas fans feel the same way, but I suspect they know it on some fundamental, biological level.
However, my own personal history with the University of Texas football is a bit more complicated.
MATT JONES – SAVER OF SOULS
Take a trip down memory lane with me all the way back 2003.
2003 rolls around and Arkansas is scheduled to play Texas at Darrel K Royal Stadium in Austin the second week of the college football season. I am in my third year of law school at UT by this point. Texas fans were a-buzz with National Championship talk. As usual. Walking out of a bar on Sixth Street the night before the game, a friend assured me Texas would win by at least 3 touchdowns. The same fan responsible for some of the texts quoted later in this article.
And then Matt Jones happened. And he stomped all over Texas that day. And it was glorious. Glorious. For those of you too young to have seen the game, or if you just want to feel good about being an Arkansas fan watch these highlights.
And it was this game that cemented my love of Arkansas football.
MY JOURNEY DEEPER INTO ARKANSAS FANDOM
We shall not cease from exploring
And at the end of our exploration
We will return to where we started
And know the place for the first time.
- T.S. Elliot
By 2003 I was living in Austin and attending the University of Texas School of Law. As an “in-state” student due to me having spent four blurry years at a football-less tiny, liberal arts college on the outskirts of Austin in the late 90s. I have basically lived in Austin since I left Little Rock Central High School in 1995.
In between college and law school I did spend one wasted (in every sense of the word) year living at home in Little Rock. In those pre cell phone days my mom would call Midtown Billiards to try and track me down. If I wasn’t there, she would call Whitewater Tavern. But I digress.
I moved to Austin for law school in 2001. Arkansas had a decent but not great season in 2001 under Houston Nutt, climbing to 24 in the National rankings before losing a heartbreaker to LSU 38-41. The team went on to lose the Cotton Bowl game to Oklahoma. Arkansas managed 3 points that game. Your basic, not good but not bad Arkansas football season.
On the other hand, Texas was clearly on the rise. Texas finished 11-2 in 2001. Sure, they lost to Oklahoma, but they finished the season ranked fifth in the nation. One place above Oklahoma.
Not for the first or last time in my life I had that old wandering eye.
Arkansas improved in 2002 and won the Western Division of the SEC thanks to Alabama’s cheating ways in previous years. (Alabama had a better conference record but was ineligible for the conference championship in 2002). A successful season but also somehow a little disappointing. A friend is fond of pointing out Arkansas had more players drafted after that year than any program not named University of Miami.
Texas started the 2002 season ranked 3rd in the nation and a strong contender to go all the way. Did they lose to Oklahoma again? Of course. But that’s not the point. For the first 5 weeks of the season everyone around me was certain it was the Horns’ year. Did I indulge in some rooting for the Horns at this point? Did I jump on the bandwagon? I would be lying to you dear readers if I told you I did not.
I was young and impressionable and led astray by the bright lights and big city of Austin. I no longer believed McClard’s Bar-b-que in Hot Springs to be the alpha and omega of bar-b-que. I was dating a Texas girl. I had Texas friends. I was wearing Red Wings and hanging out on Sixth Street.
So, when Arkansas was scheduled to play Texas in 2003, I was left in a conundrum. It made sense I might root for the University of Texas. Maybe I could be one of those people who roots for two major college football teams. The schools were in different conferences at that point. Maybe I could watch the game and be pleased that I kind of won either way?
But no. As the good book says - So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
It was clear a choice had to be made. And as soon as the game started it was undeniable. I wanted Arkansas to win. And I wanted Texas to lose. And I have wanted both of those things to happen every Saturday in fall since. There are few things better than sitting in a group of people and watching your unranked team crush their hopes and dreams of returning to the promised land of a college football championship.
Which brings me to the point of this long exercise.
DON’T BE A TEXAS FAN
As I was watching Arkansas lose to LSU Saturday night, the Texas – Georgia game started. As Georgia’s lead began to build in the first half, texts from Texas “fans” began fill up my phone.
“The main problem is that Georgia has much better players than we do tbh”
“Ewers did that to himself. They’ll say he was hurt.”
- Response to “Sark just strangled Ewers draft stock”
“No answers”
“They are dominating both lines of scrimmage. We haven’t been close to sack”
These are actual texts from University of Texas “fans”. This was literally the first time Texas trailed all season. They couldn’t last 20 minutes in the game before they all started to turn on their beloved Longhorns.
I could barely contain my glee. I’m pretty sure my friends started another text chain without me.
The texts filled me with joy. I am now a committed Arkansas football fan. I had been tempted by the dark side but turned towards the light. Rooting for Texas football is like rooting for the Empire and Darth Vader. Texas fans aren’t bad people per se. Just flawed in some way.
Again, the University of Texas lost to Georgia Saturday night. As the number 1 ranked team in the country. At home. By 15 points and it’s not clear it was that close. And this should fill every Arkansas fan with a good deal of joy.
I watched the end of the game with my nephew and his friend. Both have grown up in Austin, so it’s understandable they would be Horns fans. My 14-year-old nephew is straddling the fence between Arkansas and Texas, but soon and for the rest of his life he will have to make the same decision I did. It certainly helped my case for Arkansas fandom when I pointed out to the 9th graders how quickly Texas fans turned on their team. Like rats from a sinking ship.
And it didn’t stop after the game.
Here is a sampling of texts from Sunday.
“I went to FC game [MLS soccer game – yes Texas Football fans will go to a soccer game instead of watching their biggest home game in 40 years] and still managed to see more offense”
“They’re just a better team”
“Ewers is not a dude who’s going to win us games. Nor is he the kind of QB who can improvise and move sticks when s*** breaks down”
(Ewers was potential top QB in draft a month ago)
There is a lesson here for Arkansas fans. Don’t turn your back on your team. Don’t immediately throw college students under the bus. Have a little bit of faith. Even if they struggle, support your team.
Don’t be a Texas fan.