I can remember vividly the stories told by Bone Daddy about the “blood rivalry” between the University of Texas and the University of Arkansas back in the days of the Southwest Conference in football….as the SWC was at the very top of the college football food chain throughout its entire existence from 1914 to 1996….whereby from 1958 to 1976, the two best coaching legends in each schools history….Darrell K. Royal for Texas and Frank Broyles for Arkansas….faced off each and every year in what amounted to a “war between the States” took place on the gridiron….and it didn’t matter one hoot who had the better team going into each bitter contest….the game was always a war with many casualties left along the sidelines as the battle moved up and down the field. College football’s Game of the Century is widely considered to be the 1969 game….which was played on December 6, 1969….in which No. 1 Texas visited No. 2 Arkansas at Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas….when the Longhorns came back from a 14–0 deficit after three quarters to win 15–14….after which they went on to win the Cotton Bowl Classic and were selected as national champions.
This 1985 contest was not much different than that 1969 game….as Arkansas came into the game under coach Ken Hatfield with a 5 – 0 record and ranked # 4 in the country….while the Longhorns entered the game at 3 – 1….after losing the week before to # 2 Oklahoma (another longtime Texas football rivalry) by a score of 14 – 7….as UT would go into Fayetteville….as very tough place to play….and upset the # 4 Razorbacks by a score of 15 – 13….in a year that Arkansas would go on to finish the season ranked # 12 in the nation with 10 wins and 2 losses and a 18 – 17 victory in the Holiday Bowl over Arizona State….while the Longhorns would finish with an 8 – 4 record after losing in the Bluebonnet Bowl to the Air Force Academy 24 – 17.
Simply put, this 1985 SWC matchup between the Horns and the Razorbacks was just another in a long line of awesome football between two worthy rivals….which means that this video is well worth the watch.
