Hatfield’s allegiance is tested vs. Owls
FAYETTEVILLE — Ken Hatfield always says “we” when he talks about the Arkansas Razorbacks. Why wouldn’t he? Hatfield was a star defensive back and punt returner for the University of Arkansas, and a senior on the 1964 team that finished
11-0 and won a share of the national championship with Alabama.
As the Razorbacks’ head coach, Hatfield led Arkansas to a 55-17-1 record in six seasons from 1984-89. His winning percentage of .760 remains a school record.
But when Hatfield talks about the Rice Owls, Arkansas’ opponent today in Reynolds Razorback Stadium, he also might let “we” slip into the conversation.
That’s understandable because Hatfield was Rice’s coach for 12 seasons from 1994-2005 with a 55-78-1 record.
Hatfield, a Helena-West Helena native who now makes his home in Northwest Arkansas, will attend today’s game and he left no doubt he’ll be rooting for the Razorbacks.
Having coached both programs, Hatfield brings a unique perspective to the matchup. He was 6-0 against the Owls in Southwest Conference
games at Arkansas and never coached against the Razorbacks because they moved to the SEC in 1992.
“It should be a good ballgame,” Hatfield said. “I really like what [Razorbacks Coach] Sam Pittman is doing, but I think Rice will appreciate the challenge of playing at Arkansas, there’s no doubt about it.
“I think Rice will come in with a lot of confidence having a lot of players back from a team that shut out Marshall last year. They’ll have a good game plan.”
When Rice won 20-0 at No. 15 Marshall last season, it was the first time the Owls had beaten a nationally-ranked team since 1997, when Hatfield led them to a 27-14 victory over No. 21 BYU.
Rice, while running the triple option, rolled up 384 rushing yards against the Cougars. Owls quarterback Chad Nelson completed just 2 of 3 passes, but one went for 76 yards to tight end Byron Godfrey.
“We were on our 11 on fourth and 1 and went for it and threw a play-action pass,” Hatfield said. “He wasn’t fast enough to get to the end zone and got caught from behind, but it was a big play in a game that was a big victory.”
A bigger victory for Rice and Hatfield was in 1994 when the Owls beat No. 12 Texas 1917 to break a 28-game losing streak to the Longhorns.
Rice finished 4-3 in the SWC and in a five-way tie for the championship with Texas, Baylor, TCU and Texas Tech because Texas A&M (8-0-1) was ineligible due to NCAA sanctions.
Hatfield said there wasn’t any doubt the Owls would get SWC championship rings.
“We didn’t back up to the counter to get those rings,” Hatfield said. “Our players earned them, and they’re still wearing them.”
Hatfield’s Razorbacks won back-to-back SWC championships in 1988-89 before he left for Clemson. Those are Arkansas’ last conference titles in football.
“We always won at Arkansas because of how hard we played and how much our players cared,” Hatfield said. “That’s what I saw from Arkansas last season with Sam Pittman, and that’s what I expect to see this season.”
Rice plays a pro-style offense under Coach Mike Bloomgren, but as was the case with Hatfield’s teams, the Owls want to control the ball.
Last season Rice held onto the ball for an average of 35 minutes, 59 seconds to rank second nationally in time of possession behind Wisconsin’s 36:20.
“Certainly Rice is going to try to control the clock, we all know that,” Hatfield said. “So that means Arkansas has to keep moving the ball. We have to make some first downs in critical situations.
“I think we’ve got to be able to run the football, and run when it’s third and 1 or fourth and 1. But I think Arkansas is well prepared for those situations.”
With a 1 p.m kickoff and temperatures forecast for the 90s, Hatfield said depth will be important for both teams.
“As hot as it’s going to be, everybody could be called on to jump in and play at any time and go help,” Hatfield said. “That’s one thing both teams are looking at: How deep are we to be able to play some people on the second or even possibly the third team?
“You want to still be competitive in the ballgame doing that and not just be taking a break and getting two or three people out for a while to save them for the fourth quarter.”
Hatfield, who had a 168140-2 career record at Air Force, Arkansas, Clemson and Rice, said season openers can be unpredictable.
“In the first game, you don’t know how players are going to react if they’re playing new positions, or maybe have a new role on the team,” he said. “The key is to play solid and not beat yourself.
“It’s hard enough to beat the other team, but you don’t want to help them with penalties or turnovers or being out of place and giving up an easy score.”