LIKE IT IS

Fan support key to keeping games in Rock

— Single game tickets are on sale today at the University of Arkansas for all of the football games in Fayetteville except Alabama and LSU, which are sold out.

The two games in the Rock, the Razorbacks’ home away from home, are still being sold as a package, and while there is disappointment that one of those games isn’t LSU anymore, the two games at War Memorial Stadium are still pretty attractive.

Louisiana-Monroe returns 13 starters from last year’s team, including eight on offense, so this could be a highscoring game.

Louisiana-Monroe Coach Todd Berry has long had the reputation of trying to keep opposing defenses off balance by using two quarterbacks, and this season shouldn’t be an exception.

Ole Miss’ offense will be wide open with Hugh Freeze as the head coach. There is no such thing as too many pass plays for him. The Rebels have 16 starters back, and an open date the week before they play the Razorbacks.

The games will be good and the atmosphere always is, but these games need to sell out if central, east and south Arkansas want to keep Razorbacks games in Little Rock.

Almost everyone has memories of games played in War Memorial Stadium — from the thundering ovation for Bill Montgomery when he threw a deep pass (it was incomplete, but the fans wanted to see Frank Broyles allow a pass), to Matt Jones’ touchdown pass to DeCori Birmingham against LSU in the Miracle on Markham that sent the Razorbacks to the SEC Championship Game.

And some of those memories include the Ole Miss Rebels.

There is a long and storied history between the Hogs and their second home field, but it is up to the fans to decide if they want to commit to keeping the two games here.

The stadium commission, stadium manager Charlie Staggs and his staff have done everything they can to make the games in War Memorial a memorable experience.

They are also looking into making it possible to buy tickets online starting next season, which can be done for the Fayetteville games now. If they do, tickets for all events in War Memorial could be purchased online.

There are only about 5,000, and there is no donation to the Razorback Foundation this year.

It is up to the fans if they want to see the contract extended beyond 2016.

This is a pop culture update from a full-time reader and daughter, Whitney Homan, and my audiologist.

Dan Gheesling, a mentor on this season’s Big Brother, has been seen wearing Arkansas Razorbacks T-shirts during the show. He is from Dearborn, Mich., and, no, he isn’t necessarily a Hogs fan, but a big fan of John L. Smith and Paul Haynes.

The teacher and high school coach was a graduate assistant at Michigan State when Smith was the head coach there and Haynes was on staff. They were such a positive influence, and so much help, that Gheesling bought two Razorbacks shirts to wear on the show in their honor.

Britney Haynes is a mentor this season, too — their competition is between three “coaches” — and she is from Huntington (Sebastian County) and naturally wears Hogs gear as well.

She had a large array of Hogs T-shirts that she wore when she was a contestant on the show.

Frank Eudy of Marion, the son of former professional wrestler Sid Vicious, is also a contestant on this season’s show, but so far he has not been spotted in any Razorbacks gear.

Britney Haynes was voted the show’s fan favorite two years ago, and Gheesling was the first unanimous winner back in 2008.

Sports, Pages 21 on 08/01/2012

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