Arkansas-A&M rivalry docile by comparison

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — The enemy of your enemy is sometimes your friend. Perhaps that's why the Arkansas-Texas A&M rivalry has always seemed so ... tame?

Sure, the teams played a few big games when they were in the Southwest Conference, but most of the time they had their eyes on Texas.

``I don't think, in all honesty, it comes close to comparing,'' former Texas A&M coach R.C. Slocum said.

Arkansas and Texas A&M will renew acquaintances Saturday night in their first meeting since 1991. There's little animosity in the air, though certainly not the ill will that surfaces when either team faces the Longhorns.

Instead, this weekend's game was marketed like an in-season bowl. It'll be played at the Dallas Cowboys' new stadium in Arlington, Texas — a neutral site that isn't TOO far from each campus.

``It's exciting for our players, exciting for our program,'' Arkansas coach Bobby Petrino said. ``I think it's great for the tradition of the rivalry from the old Southwest Conference days.''

Arkansas has a 38-24-3 lead in the series, which began in 1903 with a 6-0 Texas A&M win. The teams began playing annually in 1934, and A&M won six straight over the Razorbacks starting in 1938. In '39, Texas A&M brushed aside Arkansas 27-0 en route to its only AP national championship.

The Razorbacks enjoyed their glory years in the 1960s, and that was when the rivalry with Texas really came of age. Texas A&M presented less of a challenge. Arkansas won nine straight over A&M, a streak that began somewhat surprisingly in 1958.

The Razorbacks were 0-6 under new coach Frank Broyles before beating the Aggies 21-8.

Broyles went on to coach Arkansas for 19 seasons and remained athletic director through 2007. In 1975, toward the end of his coaching career, Arkansas faced an unbeaten Texas A&M team in Little Rock in early December. The Aggies had just beaten the hated Longhorns the previous week, but they were no match for the Hogs. Arkansas won 31-6 and went on to win the Cotton Bowl.

``We had one of the best games we've ever had. My daughter said she was yelling up in the stands: ``Dad, PASS! PASS! PASS!'' Broyles recalled. ``I don't know that she did, but we did start passing and won handily.''

The rivalry might have been at its best immediately before going dormant. In 1988, Arkansas beat the Aggies 25-20 to finish unbeaten in the SWC. The following year, Arkansas played at A&M — the week before the Aggies were hosting Texas.

``A lot of their students went home for Thanksgiving,'' said Ken Hatfield, Arkansas' coach at the time. ``They just knew they were going to get back to play Texas.''

Arkansas won 23-22. A pass interference call on fourth down — made by a line judge who happened to be an Arkansas graduate — kept the winning drive alive. A replay indicated it was probably a proper call, but Texas A&M wasn't pleased.

``I'm not going to say it was wrong, I'm just going to say it was questionable,'' Slocum said. The Aggies ended up beating Texas, but the Razorbacks went to the Cotton Bowl.

Texas A&M had the last laugh in 1991. The Razorbacks were on their way to the Southeastern Conference, and their last SWC road game was against the Aggies. Arkansas, a heavy underdog, tried to surprise A&M by running the wishbone, but the Aggies were tipped off.

``That week, I did get a call, as I did quite a number of times in coaching. Most of them turn out to be just bogus calls,'' Slocum said. ``It said, 'I don't know what they're doing, but they're doing something with their offense.' ... They didn't say anything about wishbone. I don't think the person that called knew.''

The Aggies won 13-3 and eventually went to the Cotton Bowl. Then, just as the rivalry was becoming a bit more heated, it came to a halt.

Arkansas began playing in the SEC in 1992, and although the Razorbacks still play Texas occasionally, they haven't faced the Aggies. The closest Arkansas and Texas A&M came to butting heads recently was in 2007, when the Razorbacks were in the market for a new basketball coach and were eyeing A&M's Billy Gillispie. The Aggies announced Gillispie had agreed to a new contract, but he ended up leaving them a week later for Kentucky.

Now Arkansas and Texas A&M will renew their football rivalry in a game that gives both teams exposure in the Dallas area and could help in recruiting. The teams have agreed to play for at least 10 years.

Neither team is ranked, but the setting and nostalgia are creating a bit of a buzz.

``I thoroughly enjoyed all our games in the Southwest Conference, and certainly Arkansas was one of those games we always had great battles,'' said Texas A&M coach Mike Sherman, who was an assistant for the Aggies under Slocum. ``They have a great fan following, and when you went over there it was loud and crazy, and when they came over here we treated them the same way. I guess that's a long time ago now.''