FAYETTEVILLE -- The University of Arkansas, Fayetteville has agreed to a renewal of its long-term football series against the University of Tulsa, announcing a game against the Golden Hurricane in 2018 along with two other non-conference home games Monday.
The Razorbacks will host Eastern Illinois in the 2018 season opener Sept. 1. It will mark the first football game between the Razorbacks and the FCS Panthers, who are coached by former Arkansas receiver Kim Damron.
Arkansas, which has won 18 consecutive games against Tulsa, will host the Hurricane on Oct. 20, 2018. Since the university's contract with Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium stipulates an SEC home game in 2018, the final year of their current contract, it is probable the Eastern Illinois and Tulsa games will be played at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Vanderbilt is the most likely SEC opponent in Little Rock that season.
The Razorbacks own a 54-15-2 record against Tulsa in the long-running series which began in 1899. The teams played every season between 1957 and 1990.
Arkansas won the last two games in the series by narrow margins, 30-23 on Nov. 1, 2008, and 19-15 on Nov. 3, 2012, under first-year head coaches Bobby Petrino and John L. Smith, respectively.
The home game against Georgia Southern on Sept. 18, 2021, will also mark the first meeting between the programs. Arkansas also has non-conference games scheduled for that season against Missouri State and Texas.
The 2018 season opener against Eastern Illinois will be one of several openers on the books for Arkansas against an FCS opponent. The Razorbacks will open against Florida A&M this fall, and they have future openers scheduled against Portland State in 2019 and Missouri State in 2021.
Arkansas is still seeking non-conference games against a Power 5 opponent in 2018 and '19 after Michigan pulled out of a two-game series, scheduled to be the season openers those two years, by agreeing to pay a $2 million buyout last summer.
Sports on 03/07/2017