Razorbacks open 2021 season against former SWC rivals

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Arkansas will host seven home games inside the state’s borders this fall beginning with the season opener against Rice on Sept. 4.

The Razorbacks’ schedule opens with a pair of familiar foes in former Southwest Conference rivals Rice and Texas. The Hogs and Owls have not met on the gridiron since 1991 after beginning a nearly annual series in 1919. The last time the two teams met was in 1991 – the Razorbacks’ final season in the SWC – when Arkansas shut out the Owls 20-0 inside War Memorial Stadium. Arkansas is 35-29-3 all-time against Rice. The Owls are coming of a 2-3 season in 2020, including a win at No. 15 Marshall.

The Texas Longhorns make their first trip to Fayetteville since 2004 on Sept. 11. The game will be just the second contest between the two schools inside the state of Arkansas since the Razorbacks’ departure from the SWC. The Hogs have won four of the last six meetings with the Horns dating back to that final SWC showdown in Little Rock in 1991, including the last meeting in the 2014 Texas Bowl. The Longhorns finished 7-3 in 2020 and will be led by first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian next season.

After strolling down memory lane the first two weeks of the season, the Razorbacks host Georgia Southern on Sept. 18. The game with the Eagles will be the first between the two schools.

Arkansas begins SEC play at AT&T Stadium against Texas A&M on Sept. 25. The series with the Aggies returns to Arlington, Texas after being played at Kyle Field in 2020.

Back-to-back league road games are up next for the Hogs with a trip to Georgia on Oct. 2 and then a visit to Ole Miss on Oct. 9. Arkansas’ trip to Georgia will be the team’s first since 2010 when the Razorbacks topped the Bulldogs 31-24. The game will also mark the first time since the 2009-10 seasons the two teams have met on the football field in consecutive years.

Arkansas returns home to take on Auburn on Oct. 16 before stepping out of league play for the final time in 2021 with a game against UAPB on Oct. 23. The game against the Golden Lions will be the first against an in-state opponent since 1944, a 41-0 victory against Arkansas-Monticello.

Following an open date on Oct. 30, Arkansas welcomes Mississippi State to Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium on Nov. 6. The Razorbacks captured Head Coach Sam Pittman’s first win as the Head Hog last season with a 21-14 win in Starkville.

The middle of November brings a pair of tough road games in back-to-back weeks with games against the last two national champions. The Hogs travel to LSU on Nov. 13 before taking the trip to defending national champion Alabama on Nov. 20.

The Razorbacks wrap up the regular season against Missouri at War Memorial Stadium on Nov. 27.

Date – Opponent
Sept. 4 Rice
Sept. 11 Texas
Sept. 18 Georgia Southern
Sept. 25 Texas A&M (AT&T Stadium – Arlington, Texas)
Oct. 2 at Georgia
Oct. 9 at Ole Miss
Oct. 16 Auburn
Oct. 23 UAPB (War Memorial Stadium – Little Rock, Ark.)
Nov. 6 Mississippi State
Nov. 13 at LSU
Nov. 20 at Alabama
Nov. 27 Missouri