Hogs, Ole Miss to meet in Little Rock

FAYETTEVILLE — The Arkansas Razorbacks announced on Wednesday their home game in Little Rock next season will be played against Ole Miss on Oct. 13 at War Memorial Stadium.

The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, was contractually obligated to play a conference game at War Memorial Stadium during the 70th anniversary of the stadium built in 1948 in what is the last year of its current contract.

Negotiations about the future of games in Little Rock are ongoing, officials on both sides said recently.

“We are thrilled to have an SEC game back at War Memorial next fall, especially one that pits the Razorbacks against Ole Miss,” Arkansas Director of Parks and Tourism Kane Webb said in a UA release. “Given the tradition and decades-long rivalry the Hogs have had with the Rebels, including some great games in Little Rock, it’s a fitting match-up as we celebrate the 70th anniversary of the stadium. I look forward to a festive atmosphere, a great turnout, and a great time in the capital city.”

Interim Arkansas Athletic Director Julie Cromer Peoples spoke fondly last week about what games in Little Rock mean to the university and the football program.

“It’s a special part of who we are as Razorbacks, and the Chancellor and I will work together on a longterm recommendation for that partnership,” Cromer Peoples said.

Arkansas’ 6-0 victory over Ole Miss at War Memorial Stadium on Oct. 23, 1954, before an overflow crowd of 38,000 fans is widely seen as the game that helped make the Razorbacks a national name and helped them become a statewide entity.

Arkansas won the game on a 66-yard touchdown pass from Buddy Bob Benson to Preston Carpenter on a play Coach Bowden Wyatt called the “Powder River Play,” named for a river in Wyoming, where Wyatt coached before coming to Arkansas.

Ole Miss is 8-6-1 at War Memorial Stadium and has won the last three games there, including victories by scores of 17-3 in 1992 and 30-27 in 2012 since Arkansas joined the SEC in 1992. The Razorbacks’ last victory over the Rebels at War Memorial Stadium was a 21-13 decision in 1988.

The Razorbacks and Rebels will meet in Little Rock for the 16th time in the series and the first since 2012.

Next year’s game will represent the 110th anniversary of the series between Arkansas and Ole Miss, with the Razorbacks winning the first meeting 33-0 in Fayetteville.