In no mood to rebuild

Arkansas seniors say their time is now to turn season around.

FAYETTEVILLE — The University of Arkansas’ first nine football games against North Texas were decided by an average of 28.3 points.

The teams’ 10th meeting Saturday at Reynolds Razorback Stadium was similarly lopsided with a 27-point final margin, but with one big difference.

North Texas beat Arkansas for the first time.

The Mean Green from Conference USA dominated the game in all phases — including scoring touchdowns on special teams and defense — to pound the Razorbacks 44-17.

Arkansas (1-2) lost 3427 at Colorado State of the Mountain West Conference the previous week, blowing a 27-9 lead.

It’s the first time the Razorbacks have lost at least two nonconference games in the same season to teams not in conferences now known as the Power 5 since 1992 when they lost to The Citadel 103, Memphis 22-6 and SMU 24-19.

Those 1992 Razorbacks managed to go 3-4-1 in SEC games to finish 3-7-1 under in- terim coach Joe Kines.

With Arkansas having its next three games against SEC West rivals — No. 9 Auburn, No. 22 Texas A&M and No. 1 Alabama — plus matchups later this season against No. 6 LSU and No. 14 Mississip- pi State along with Ole Miss, Vanderbilt and Missouri, exceeding or even matching the 1992 team’s victory total doesn’t figure to be easy.

Tulsa is the only opponent left on the schedule Arkansas might be favored to beat.

The rough start prompted a question to first-year Razorbacks Coach Chad Morris about whether the rebuilding job he took on might be a bigger challenge than he anticipated. The previous three seasons when Morris was SMU’s coach, the Mustangs beat North Texas.

“No one in that locker room wants to hear the word ‘rebuild,’ ” Morris said. “Especially if you’re a senior that has invested time in this program. But you do want to hear the

fact that you want to continue to get better and find ways to improve.”

Arkansas’ three seniors who spoke to the media after the North Texas game — receiver Jared Cornelius, center Hjalte Froholdt and safety Santos Ramirez — agreed they’re not interested in a rebuilding season.

“We want to win now,” Cornelius said. “The time is now, the place is here. So rebuild? We could care less about rebuilding. This is our last year and we want to go out with a bang. We want people to remember us.

“We don’t want to be the

NWA Democrat-Gazette/CHARLIE KAIJO Razorbacks Coach Chad Morris reacts after an interception during the fourth quarter Saturday against North Texas at Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville. Arkansas will try to regroup from the 44-17 loss as it prepares to face SEC competitors in its next four games, starting with Auburn on Saturday.