FAYETTEVILLE - Forget Texas. Remember Rice.
In Arkansas' Southwest Conference 1915-1991 football history those sentences perhaps never were consecutively uttered by the Razorbacks or their fans.
Yet 30 years past Arkansas' last Southwest Conference season opposing both Texas and Rice, that's what Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman utters in essence.
To ready his now nationally No. 20 SEC Razorbacks as 23-point favorites today at Reynolds Razorback Stadium over the Sun Belt Conference's Georgia Southern Eagles, Pittman pivots from last week's trappings tabulated trashing Texas. A countlessly sizable portion of an enthused full house 74,531 poured from the Reynolds Razorback Stadium stands on to the Frank Broyles Field celebrating the then unranked Razorbacks branding a 40-21 defeat on the 15th-ranked Longhorns.
"I hope tomorrow they wake up excited about Arkansas football," Pittman said thanking fans in postgame.
They did. Still do. Especially knowing the the Hogs made hash of the 'Horns soon to join them in the SEC once Texas fulfills its contractual obligations with the Big 12.
So the State of Arkansas basks in post-Texas week euphoria while nationally pundits and pollsters praise the same Razorbacks they previously ignored.
Giddy stuff, but remember Rice, Pittman cautions.
Rice, the tiny, academically elite private school as the Southwest Conference's lone version of the Ivy League and post SWC struggling for athletic identity first in the Western Athletic Conference and then Conference USA, opened Arkansas' season two Saturdays ago.
The Owls arrived a 19-point underdog at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. At 10:28 of the third quarter nobody would have been ready storm Frank Broyles Field other than perhaps bereaving bettors inclined to wreak revenge.
Arkansas trailed 17-7.
Eventually the Razorbacks restored their fans' minds and bettors' wallets. They intercepted three passes and scored 31 consecutive points beating the Owls and the points spread, 38-17.
But if not for the defense keeping them in the game as their offense and special teams struggled early, that 17-7 third quarter deficit might have swelled insurmountable.
"We've already proven we weren't ready to play against Rice," Pittman said. "Obviously it wasn't easy for us to get our team prepared and ready for that, because we didn't play any good, at least offensively, for at least two and a half quarters. We certainly have looked back at that in the mirror."
The mirror doesn't reflect well on 1-1 Georgia Southern, losing 38-6 last Saturday to Florida Atlantic.
But Justin Tomlin, the quarterback who beat FAU last year, didn't play last week while fulfilling academic issues.
"A big time athlete," Pittman said, with Tomlin returning today. Tomlin automatically enhances GSU's triple option offense behind a line returning all starters from last year's Eagles that routed Louisiana Tech, 38-3 in the New Orleans Bowl.
For current Razorbacks pre-Pittman recalling nightmares that Georgia Southern type underdogs North Texas, San Jose State and Western Kentucky fomented in Fayetteville during Arkansas' misbegotten 2018 and 2019 Chad Morris era, it should suffice for forgetting Texas and remembering Rice.