It’s in the conversation for the worst loss in Arkansas football history.
Already reeling from their Sept. 8 collapse at Colorado State, the Razorbacks returned to Fayetteville this past Saturday afternoon and were promptly smacked by North Texas of Conference USA. The Mean Green reeled off 17 unanswered points in the first 10 minutes and built a 44-10 lead before Arkansas scored in the final minute of the eventual 44-17 embarrassment.
Arkansas quarterbacks Cole Kelley, Connor Noland and John Stephens Jones, the grandson of former Arkansas offensive lineman and current Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, combined for zero touchdown passes and an eye-popping six interceptions.
“We gave up 17 points on 16 plays during the first quarter,” Arkansas first-year coach Chad Morris said Monday in his weekly news conference. “They definitely punched us. We couldn’t overcome the turnovers and the points that came off the turnovers.”
Kelley threw four of the six picks, which didn’t sit well with the fans, which in turn didn’t sit well with Razorbacks players.
“When you come out of the locker room in the second half and your starting quarterback is getting booed by the home team – when is that right? How is that right?” senior receiver Jared Cornelius said in a news conference after the game. “I’ve been holding this in, but at the end of the day that is somebody’s son and somebody’s brother. We were still in the game, and they were booing him.
“That’s not going to be our standard.”
Saturday’s slaughter marked the first win for North Texas over a Southeastern Conference team since legendary coach Hayden Fry guided what was then North Texas State to a 21-14 upset of Tennessee inside Neyland Stadium in 1975. The latest memorable triumph for the Mean Green was punctuated by Keegan Brewer’s 90-yard punt return for a touchdown during the early onslaught, when he had the Razorbacks believing he had signaled for a fair catch.
The most humiliating loss in Arkansas annals is still likely the 10-3 defeat against The Citadel that opened the 1992 season, which signified the first game for the Razorbacks as an SEC member. Coach Jack Crowe resigned the next day and was replaced on an interim basis by Joe Kines, who finished out the 3-7-1 season.
Morris isn’t about to resign after a 1-2 start that included a 55-20 thumping of Eastern Illinois in the opener and a blown 27-9 lead in the third quarter of a 34-27 loss at CSU, but the former Clemson offensive coordinator and SMU head coach has an early quagmire at quarterback. Junior Ty Storey, the only quarterback who did not play in last week’s debacle, is scheduled to get the start this Saturday when the Razorbacks visit No. 9 Auburn.
“The message is that we want to settle on someone,” Morris said Monday when asked about the change. “We came into the game last week with the intent to settle on Cole, and that’s why we went with him in the second half. I wanted to see if we could work through things.
“Ty is a professional, and he’s a competitor.”
Storey is the only Arkansas quarterback so far this season who has more touchdown passes (three) than interceptions (two).
The Razorbacks built a powerful running game under predecessor Bret Bielema, who went 3-9, 7-6 and 8-5 his first three seasons before going in reverse with a 7-6 record and last year’s 4-8 plummet that led to his dismissal. It appeared Devwah Whaley might keep that going when the junior rushed 26 times for 165 yards in the loss at Colorado State, but he had nine carries for just 12 yards against North Texas.
Bielema’s 3-9 debut marks the only time the Razorbacks have lost that many games in a single season, but that dubious distinction could be in jeopardy. They are 30-point underdogs at Auburn, which sits third among the five SEC West teams that are currently ranked.
A home date with Tulsa on Oct. 20 may represent the easiest contest the rest of the way, but Morris is not about to entertain thoughts of 1-11 or anything close.
“If you don’t believe, then don’t get on the plane,” Morris said. “In fact, if you don’t believe, then don’t even come to practice. If you don’t believe things are moving in the right direction, you have no business being here.
“Look, we’re in a storm. When you face adversity and face a storm in your life, the one thing you do know for certain is that it will eventually pass. I don’t know when, but it will pass if you believe it.”
Contact David Paschall at dpaschall@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6524.