The Sugar Bowl was played last night. My alma mater, the University of Arkansas, came up five points short.
I am reminded of what Adlai Stevenson said in his concession speech on Election Night 1952 (he was actually quoting a story that had been told by Abraham Lincoln about a century earlier): "It hurts too much to laugh, but I'm too old to cry."
Up to that point, though, it was a marvelous comeback, the kind of thing that no doubt would have achieved legendary status in my home state if it had led to a victory. And who knows? It may yet achieve a kind of mythical status, a sort of a David–vs.–Goliath thing — but without the inspirational underdog–overcomes–all–obstacles theme.
If the Razorbacks had managed to pull off an astonishing comeback, no doubt the folks in Arkansas would have spoken of it in the same hushed tones they reserve for the 1978 Orange Bowl, when Lou Holtz suspended three of his stars only days before a game with already–heavily favored Oklahoma, then went out and beat the Sooners, 31–6, behind a sophomore running back.
Or the 1965 Cotton Bowl, when Frank Broyles led Arkansas to a 10–7 victory over Nebraska and a share of the national championship with Bear Bryant and Alabama. No suspensions in that one, just names of Razorback proteges like Jerry Jones, Jimmy Johnson and Ken Hatfield and assistants like Johnny Majors and Barry Switzer who went on to influence both college and pro ball.
Broyles and Holtz capped 11–win seasons with those victories. Arkansas' current coach, Bobby Petrino, could have become the third coach in school history to win 11 games in a season if the Razorbacks had managed to beat Ohio State.
Even though the Razorbacks did not achieve a comeback for the ages, I think this game will be talked about for awhile.
They were allowed to play in the Sugar Bowl, however — and, between them, they accounted for or made significant contributions to each of Ohio State's four touchdowns.
If Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch is indicative of how garden–variety Buckeye fans feel, though, NCAA violations mean nothing — in January, at least. We'll see how they feel in about eight or nine months.
(The Ohio State coach insists that the players all promised they would return for their senior years and serve their suspensions as a condition for being allowed to participate in the Sugar Bowl, but, Coach Pollyanna notwithstanding, I'll withhold judgment until after the draft in the spring, thank you.)
"Whether their next game for Ohio State is in eight months, nine months or never again, the Suspended Five gave their school a tremendous parting gift last night," Gordon wrote. "And one of the most obscure of the group came up with the biggest play."
That would be Solomon Thomas, whose late interception snuffed out Arkansas' last hope of winning the game.
Denied victory by five players who really shouldn't have been permitted to play — and may wind up having the last laugh — the Razorbacks may have to content themselves with the knowledge that they came closer to winning the Sugar Bowl than any losing team since #8 Georgia lost to #11 West Virginia, 38–35, on Jan. 2, 2006.
The Ohio State Five committed no grievous offenses during the game. It was cleanly played and won. There were no bad calls upon which the outcome could be blamed. There were no serious injuries that kept anyone from starting.
It was an entertaining game, although not in the sense that momentum shifted with each possession. Ohio State won the first half. Arkansas won the second, but by a smaller margin. Consequently, Ohio State won.
It would be tempting to suggest that the better team won. And maybe, when one evaluates the talent that each school brought to the Louisiana Superdome last night, that is so.
But it's a matter of opinion whether all the talent on the field was there legitimately. The NCAA will tell you that all of Ohio State's players were, in fact, eligible to be there — and, by existing NCAA rules, that is probably so.
I still think it is wrong, though, for a punishment to be assessed in the next season, and I don't feel the Ohio State Five should have been allowed to play. But they were and they played honorably.
We shall see if they are as honorable about serving their suspensions.
We stopped doing that after about three Christmases and started making trips to New Orleans instead. We did that for two consecutive years, capping our visits by attending the Sugar Bowl — and then hitting the road for our home in Conway, Ark., the next day.
My father was a professor at a small Methodist college, which then operated on a trimester schedule, and the winter term always began the first weekday after New Year's Day.
In those days, the Sugar Bowl was played on New Year's Eve instead of New Year's Day, so we spent those New Year's Days on the road.
One return trip was fairly uneventful. The other, if memory serves, was cold and wet — and we had a rather exciting half hour or so just south of Little Rock when we had a flat tire and my father had to change it in a cold drizzle.
Going to the Sugar Bowl was never the goal of our trips. There were other things that attracted us. My mother always loved visiting the French Quarter, hearing the live music at night, consuming the chicory coffee and beignets in the mornings. The whole family did, really. And we all loved Cajun food, and my father liked to do some deep–sea fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes my brother and I went with him.
We went to two Sugar Bowls in those years, and — to use an old Southern expression — we never had a dog in those hunts.
But, 35 years ago last night, we got to see two legendary coaches face each other.
Playing the Sugar Bowl on New Year's Eve was kind of a brief experiment, I guess. Perhaps it was intended to draw more attention to the Sugar Bowl instead of forcing it to compete for the TV audience with the traditional New Year's bowl games. But that Sugar Bowl had Bear Bryant on one sideline and Joe Paterno on the other.
Did that game need any help attracting an audience?
The first 38 Sugar Bowls were played on either January 1 or January 2, then the next four were played on New Year's Eve — and nearly all the Sugar Bowls played since the one that was played on New Year's Eve 1975 have been played in January.
But that New Year's Eve 35 years ago was the first time a Sugar Bowl was played in the Louisiana Superdome. Before that, all the Sugar Bowls were played in Tulane Stadium, which also hosted three Super Bowls before it was demolished.
I'm sure it wasn't the first game ever played in the Superdome, but it had only been open for about five monhs. It was still so new you could practically smell the fresh paint.
On the day of the game, we spent the afternoon strolling through the French Quarter. At one point, I saw a homemade banner hanging from a second–floor balcony. The banner showed an Asian girl and the words "Go, Arabama!"
When we arrived at the Superdome that evening, there was already a substantial crowd there.
My memory is that there were far more Alabama fans on hand than Penn State fans. I suppose that made sense. The Alabama campus is much closer to New Orleans than Penn State's. But if you were going to school in Pennsylvania, wouldn't you jump at the chance to spend New Year's Eve in New Orleans?
It seemed to me then — and it seems to me now — that there should have been a lot more Penn State fans at the game.
Almost everyone I remember seeing was wearing Alabama red. I heard several people — some of whom appeared to be complete strangers — spontaneously greet each other with "Roll, Tide!" Throw in a "yo" or two, and it could have been the 1975 version of gangsta speak.
We got some drinks and began making our way up the stairs. Our seats were near the top of the building. I'm not sure which yard line we were on — at that elevation, I'm not sure it mattered. You could barely see the players from that distance.
I guess Alabama was the sentimental favorite. The Crimson Tide certainly seemed to have the crowd on their side, but they didn't really need it. Fourth–ranked Alabama's defense stymied 10th–ranked Penn State, holding the Nittany Lions to two field goals and just over 200 yards in total offense.
Penn State never led in the game, and Alabama took the lead for good in the third quarter.
After that, Alabama's defense merely had to do what Bear Bryant's defenses always did so well — smother opposing offenses.
My memory is that it was fairly jovial where we were sitting. We were sitting in a section of Alabama fans, and they frequently found things to celebrate en route to the Tide's 13–6 victory. I'm sure they took their celebration into the French Quarter, where they rang in the new year an hour or so later.
My family went back to our campsite outside New Orleans and went to bed. We had our drive home ahead of us the next day.
And that is what happened that night in the Superdome 35 years ago.
When they meet the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Easy on Tuesday night, though, it will be hard to tell — judging from their histories in New Orleans — which team wants or needs to change its luck there more.
As I mentioned a few weeks ago, the Razorbacks have one victory in five appearances in the Sugar Bowl. The Buckeyes also have one victory, but they have only made three appearances in New Orleans.
And they've been to New Orleans much more recently.
In fact, their most recent trip there was a success.
On New Year's Day 1999, the third–ranked Buckeyes took on the eighth–ranked Texas A&M Aggies in the Superdome, and the Aggies drew first blood, driving 59 yards in six plays against the nation's second–best defense.
But Ohio State scored three touchdowns before the first period was over. The backbreaker was a blocked punt that the Buckeyes recovered and quickly converted into an unchallenged score.
The Ohio State offense didn't play particularly well in the second half, but the defense lived up to its reputation and stopped every A&M threat except one. Ohio State prevailed, 24–14.
It was the polar opposite of the Buckeyes' experience the previous year, when fifth–ranked Florida State raced to a 21–3 halftime lead after a fairly competitive first quarter.
Ninth–ranked Ohio State's offense just never got on track, and the Buckeyes lost by a wide margin, 31–14.
But that beating wasn't as severe as the one inflicted on Ohio State when Woody Hayes took the Buckeyes to New Orleans for the first time 20 years earlier.
On Jan. 2, 1978, third–ranked Alabama, led by Bear Bryant, hammered ninth–ranked Ohio State, 35–6.
The Razorbacks don't have a history of success in the Sugar Bowl. With a record of 1–4, Arkansas fans cannot plausibly argue otherwise.
Did you ever see the movie "Broadcast News" with William Hurt, Holly Hunter and Albert Brooks?
Do you remember the scene where Brooks is on the phone at home, feeding information to Hunter, who, in turn, is feeding that information to Hurt, who says it on camera?
Brooks watches this play out on his TV screen and says, "I say it here, it comes out there."
These Ohio State football players are all juniors, and they could choose to skip their senior years, thus avoiding having to pay any penalty for violating NCAA rules.
It's the best of both worlds — playing in a BCS bowl, then not having to be held accountable for NCAA rules violations. Talk about having your cake and eating it, too.
Tressel said he told the players they would have to make their intentions known to him before the team left for New Orleans. The team is now in New Orleans waiting the start of Tuesday night's game.
"Tressel said he told the five they 'have to make any decision based on the future and (leaving early for the) NFL prior to us leaving for our bowl game. It wouldn't be fair if someone was able to participate' and then leave."
I'm not the first person to suggest that some or all of these players might play in the Sugar Bowl, then decide to skip their senior years and avoid paying any kind of penalty.
And I'm skeptical, to say the least, about all of this. Beyond cautioning the players that it "wouldn't be fair" for them to play in the Sugar Bowl and then skip town, I'm not sure Tressel will be in any position to do much if a player goes back on his word once the game is over.
I mean, it's not as if the players made a commitment on paper — like a scholarship.
Roland Sales led Arkansas to an 11–win season with an Orange Bowl victory over the University of Oklahoma on Jan. 2, 1978.
Next Tuesday night, my alma mater, the University of Arkansas, will face Ohio State University in the Sugar Bowl.
To say this is a big deal for me, for all the folks I knew growing up in Arkansas, for the school and for the state would be an understatement.
With a 10–2 record, the Razorbacks have finished the season with 10 wins for only the second time in the last two decades. If they win next week, they will have 11 victories in one season for the first time since 1977, when Arkansas went 11–1 and recorded an upset victory over Oklahoma in the 1978 Orange Bowl.
The only game the Razorbacks lost that year was to Texas and eventual Heisman Trophy winner Earl Campbell.
I remember that Orange Bowl. It was an amazing start to what turned out to be — in my opinion — a mediocre year.
All the years I was growing up there, Arkansas fans seemed to crave national recognition, national respect. They were sort of the Rodney Dangerfields of college sports fans. Being invited to play the Sooners was, in their eyes, an indication that Arkansas finally was getting that respect.
But then, a few days before the Orange Bowl, first–year Arkansas coach Lou Holtz suspended three of Arkansas' best players for unspecified team rules violations.
I've never seen an optimistic mood deflate so quickly. Almost instantly, everyone in Arkansas became convinced that the Sooners would pound the Razorbacks to a pulp in the Orange Bowl.
I don't think Holtz's action changed how people outside of Arkansas viewed the matchup very much. Everyone seemed to assume from the beginning that Oklahoma would win.
The folks in Las Vegas had made OU the heavy favorite even before Holtz suspended the players; after Holtz did that, the oddsmakers in Vegas refused to take any more bets on the Orange Bowl. They thought it was a foregone conclusion that OU would win. Just about everyone did.
But, then, do you know what happened? A miracle happened!
A previously unknown sophomore running back named Roland Sales stepped up, set an Orange Bowl record for rushing yards and led Arkansas to a 31–6 victory over Oklahoma.
Now, as we get closer to what may be the biggest bowl game in which Arkansas has played since that Orange Bowl in the late 1970s, I'm getting sort of a sense of deja vu.
All five players will be eligible to play in New Orleans next week.
Something about how it is an established NCAA policy to treat postseason games differently than regularly scheduled games.
I'm not sure that's right, though. I mean, depriving these players of facing Akron and four other teams next fall is a greater punishment than preventing them from playing on a national stage in the Sugar Bowl?
I'm sorry, but I just can't follow that logic.
All those players are juniors so, depending upon how many of the players declare themselves eligible for the NFL draft in the spring, it is possible that none of them will ever have to pay any sort of penalty for apparently violating NCAA rules.
What sort of message does that send to those who follow in their footsteps? I'm just spitballing here, but it might tell young people that, no matter what kind of mess you find yourself in, there is always a loophole.
I don't think that is the kind of message the NCAA wants to send to student–athletes — because that definitely is not the way the real world operates.
Of course, maybe that is the way things are in the rarified atmosphere of athletics. Loopholes, after all, exist primarily for the privileged. And there may be no more privileged group in America than professional athletes.
Actually, skipping their senior years might not be a bad idea for most of those Buckeyes. It isn't hard for me to see them looking at the balance sheet and seeing jumping to the NFL early as a plausible solution; instead of sitting out the first half of their senior seasons, they could just go ahead and try their luck in the pros.
One player is the team's top rusher. Another is the team's second–best receiver, but neither might be where they are if not for the exploits of quarterback Terrelle Pryor (who was mentioned as a Heisman prospect when the season began and also happens to be one of the suspendees).
Facing the uncertainty of Pryor's plans, his suspended teammates may figure that bad publicity is better than no publicity — especially if they remember how far Texas fell this season after Colt McCoy's collegiate career ended. There are four other quarterbacks on Ohio State's roster (three are freshmen), but Pryor threw all but 25 of the team's 323 passes this season.
If Pryor leaves, there won't be much experience at the position, and that wouldn't be likely to give his suspended teammates much in the way of recent highlights. Now may be the time for those players to cash in on their success.
As an Arkansas alumnus and a lifelong Razorback fan, I'd really prefer that the Hogs face — and defeat — the Buckeyes at full strength. But I wonder if there isn't a more important principle at stake here.
All things considered, declaring for the draft could be, as I say, the most prudent choice for the others, but it might not be the answer for Pryor, who just isn't ready for prime time but may be left with no choice but to jump instead of twiddling his thumbs, according to Pat McManamon of the Fanhouse.
But if he stays, the experience level at quarterback won't be very high in Ohio State's first five games next year. Fortunately for the Buckeyes, the majority of those games aren't with top–flight competition, and all but one will be played at home.
There are some trouble spots, though. The road game will be played in the middle of the suspension — Ohio State has to travel to Miami on Sept. 17 to play the Hurricanes. And the final game of the suspension is at home against Michigan State, currently ranked seventh in the nation and co–Big Ten champ this year.
(In case you were wondering, the Buckeyes beat Miami this year, 36–24; they last lost to the Hurricanes in the 1999 Kickoff Classic. And Ohio State has a seven–game winning streak against Michigan State, with the Buckeyes' last loss to the Spartans also coming in 1999.)
Then, those players who stay for their senior years and serve the five–game suspensions will return to the field on Oct. 8, when they must travel to Lincoln, Neb., to face the Cornhuskers.
All of that is very superficial, though. It's more of that Tiger Woods–LeBron James–Brett Favre "it's all about me" thinking that seems to permeate sports today — and tends to irritate all but the athlete's dedicated fans.
Well, there's so much money in sports now. I guess athletes — and their agents — have no choice but to think in terms of how the intangibles will affect them.
In recent years, after all, I have watched the annual NFL draft and I have heard analysts speak of how much dropping a slot or two in the draft can cost an athlete when it comes time to sign the contract.
And "cost," in this case, tends to be measured in the millions of dollars.
Financially, there is a lot at stake, and I guess you can't be too hard on a kid who is only following the example set by others.
"Maybe it's coincidence, maybe not, but Pryor's mentor and role model is LeBron James," McManamon writes. "And James was driving a Hummer when he was a high school senior — a Hummer acquired, mind you, through what was determined to be a legitimate loan to his mother.
"No doubt," he continued with more than a dash of sarcasm, "the guy would have loaned the same money to a standout history student."
(McManamon went on to observe that "James this week sold sponsorships to his birthday party — for $10,000.")
But I would argue that there is also a lot at stake as far as integrity is concerned.
I guess I'm what you might call old school when it comes to something like this. I'm not apologizing for that. I'm simply stating a fact.
I was brought up to believe that attaining a higher education was a goal to be aimed for. If you were given a scholarship — be it athletic or academic — it was a contract, and you were obligated to fulfill the commitment you had made.
True, I guess everyone who goes to college sees it as a means to an end. A college degree, we are told, is a ticket to a better life. (It doesn't always work out that way, but that's the general idea.) Consequently, people invest the time to earn a degree because they believe it will make certain things possible.
Not everyone has the fame and fortune of a professional athlete's career waiting for them after graduation. Even some athletes who excelled in college don't make it on the professional level.
Pryor probably will. But he is also mindful of his collegiate legacy, and John Kampf of the Cleveland News–Herald says this isn't the kind Pryor wants to leave behind.
"Earlier this season," Kampf writes, "when explaining why he was planning on returning to Ohio State for his senior season, the Buckeyes' junior quarterback talked about leaving a legacy at Ohio State and that he wasn't leaving 'until all the records are broken.'
"Unfortunately for him, the most notable record he and a handful of teammates have set is the longest suspension for the most amount of merchandise sold."
If Pryor stays, he will miss the first five games of his senior year. It is highly unlikely that he will win the Heisman on the basis of his performances in half a dozen regular–season games, no matter how remarkable they may be. It is also unlikely that he will break all the career records for quarterbacks at OSU.
And, if his teammates stumble once or twice during his absence, he may never have the chance to play for a national title.
So Pryor's game against Arkansas may well be his last opportunity to make an impression. In fact, it might be his farewell collegiate appearance. Or will it?
I say "media event" because you couldn't call it a press conference. Folks from the media were there, but they weren't allowed to ask any questions.
Without any questions, the statements sounded managed, self serving. That makes it hard to assess the candor level. I'm guessing it will be hard for NFL executives to assess it as well.
For what it's worth, though, it wasn't hard for me to come to one conclusion based on those brief statements.
"I didn't mean to hurt nobody," Pryor said.
If Pryor really is concerned about his legacy, it wouldn't hurt to return for his senior year — and publicly proclaim his intention to do so. He could be a positive role model in a couple of ways — by honoring his commitment to finish his work on his degree and by taking his medicine for his mistakes.
Even if his football game doesn't improve appreciably, the additional year in school could only help.
Maybe he would learn what a double negative is — and how to avoid being one.
In their long history, the Arkansas Razorbacks have never played Ohio State in a football game.
For that matter, the Razorbacks have seldom played in the Sugar Bowl.
But both will happen on January 4.
I know the game will not be played for a national championship. That will be between Auburn and Oregon nearly a week later.
And it probably isn't the most intriguing of the remaining postseason games. That distinction, I think, has to go to the Rose Bowl, where 11–1 Wisconsin will take on 12–0 TCU.
But I really do believe the Sugar Bowl between the 10–2 Razorbacks and the 11–1 Buckeyes is next on the list.
I just hope the Hogs can win the game. The Sugar Bowl hasn't been a very sweet experience for them in the past.
Neither, for that matter, have the Hogs' encounters with teams from the Big Ten. Ohio State will be the fourth Big Ten team Arkansas has faced in a bowl since the 1998 season, and Arkansas lost to the other three (Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin).
When you factor in the Razorbacks' 1–2 regular–season mark against Big Ten teams, Arkansas' overall record against the conference is 1–5. Not terribly impressive.
John Tamanaha of NBC Sports doesn't think the Hogs will beat Ohio State, either, but he does think they will beat the 2½–point spread.
I guess both teams have a lot to prove.
The Buckeyes, writes the Associated Press, are "tired of hearing how their predecessors have lost all nine bowl meetings with teams from the Southeastern Conference."That's a skid that dates back to the days of Woody Hayes. Through most of his career at Ohio State, Hayes was bound by Big Ten rules. Only the conference champion could play in a bowl game, the Rose Bowl. Everyone else had to stay home.
Many years, that meant that some pretty decent teams, teams that were capable of competing for a national title, stayed home during the postseason, often because they could not defeat Ohio State.
But conference rules changed and, in his final years with the Buckeyes, Hayes could accept invitations to play in other bowls if Ohio State did not go to Pasadena. And, in January 1978, Hayes' Buckeyes lost the Sugar Bowl to Bear Bryant's Alabama team.
The other eight bowl losses to the SEC came under other coaches. Hayes was forced into retirement late that year when he struck an opposing player in the 1978 Gator Bowl.
It still strikes me as odd to hear Arkansas mentioned as a Southeastern Conference team. All five of their previous Sugar Bowl opponents were from the Southeastern Conference
When I was growing up in Arkansas, a berth in the Cotton Bowl was the reward for winning the Southwest Conference — which is where Arkansas played until the early 1990s — so that clearly was the objective that Frank Broyles and the Razorbacks aimed for when each season began.
The Cotton Bowl game seldom means anything anymore, but old habits die hard, I guess. If the Hogs can't play in a BCS bowl (and this will be the first time since the introduction of the BCS more than a decade ago that Arkansas has been in a BCS bowl), I want them to come to Dallas and play in the Cotton Bowl.
But, although Broyles won nearly 70% of all the games he coached in at Arkansas, he led the Razorbacks to as many Sugar Bowls as he did Cotton Bowls.
In the 1960s, the Hogs played in four Sugar Bowls and lost three.
Arkansas' first appearance in the Sugar Bowl came on New Year's Day 1962 when the Razorbacks faced Alabama.
The Razorbacks were 8–2 and ranked ninth in the nation. Alabama was 10–0 and ranked #1.
It was a low–scoring contest, with Alabama getting all 10 of its points in the first half and Arkansas getting its lone field goal in the third quarter.
A 10–3 final score may seem odd to people who look at the box score of that game from the perspective of 2010, when high–scoring offenses have led the Tigers and Ducks to the brink of college football supremacy and defense almost seems to be an afterthought. But the Razorback defense entered that game third in the nation against the pass and 10th in the nation overall.
And Bryant's defense did a great job of protecting that lead in the final quarter.
Only three of the Hogs' regular–season foes scored more than 10 points against them in 1961, but Bryant claimed his first national title with the 10 points his Crimson Tide scored on Arkansas that day.
The Razorbacks were back in New Orleans the next year, this time to face third–ranked Ole Miss (9–0). The Razorbacks were ranked sixth and entered the game with a 9–1 record.
Another defensive battle ensued, with Ole Miss prevailing, 17–13. The Rebels, coached by the legendary Johnny Vaught, took a 10–3 halftime lead, then held on while Arkansas outscored Ole Miss in the third quarter, 10–7.
The fourth quarter of that year's Sugar Bowl, like the one the year before, was scoreless.
Arkansas did not return to New Orleans for another Sugar Bowl for six years.
On Jan. 1, 1969, the Razorbacks, ranked ninth in the nation and coming off a 9–1 season, met the Georgia Bulldogs, who were fourth in the nation with an 8–0–2 mark.
This time, the Razorbacks won the game, but, once again, it was a defensive battle. Given Arkansas' history in New Orleans, that was probably to be expected. Georgia's defense was #1 in the nation.
But Arkansas' defense, which was much more prone to giving up points than the first two teams Broyles took to the Sugar Bowl, got the better of things. The Georgia defense provided the Bulldogs' only score — a second–quarter safety.
Meanwhile, the Arkansas offense — led by Chuck Dicus' 12 receptions — scored 16 points and won the game, 16–2.
The Razorbacks returned to New Orleans the next year.
The Sugar Bowl was still a prestigious bowl game, but it had the feeling of a consolation bowl for the Razorbacks and their fans. If they had beaten Texas in the "Game of the Century" in December 1969, they would have gone on to play for the national title in the Cotton Bowl.
But they lost that game by a single point and had to face Ole Miss, with Archie Manning at quarterback, instead.
In the aftermath of that classic Arkansas–Texas game, wrote Jim Bailey and Orville Henry in "The Razorbacks," the history of Razorback football, "[a]ll the accolades you could imagine fell on both teams, but nothing could change the fact that Texas was going to the Cotton Bowl to play Notre Dame for the final No. 1 prize, and Arkansas was going to the Sugar Bowl to play Ole Miss for nothing, compared to what they had just lost."
My memory of the game is that Arkansas (9–1 and ranked third after the loss to Texas) made ghastly mistakes — Bill McClard, who was at that time the best kicker ever to play for the Hogs, missed field goals, and the offense failed on a two–point conversion attempt and turned the ball over in some critical situations — while Ole Miss (7–3 and ranked 13th) played essentially turnover–free football.
That tends to win against just about everyone, and it won against Arkansas that day.
And Broyles, who will be 86 the day after Christmas, never coached in a Sugar Bowl again.
But he returned as the Arkansas athletic director when his successor as coach, Lou Holtz, brought the Razorbacks to New Orleans for their first (and, until next month, their only) Sugar Bowl appearance in New Orleans' Superdome.
All four of Broyles' Sugar Bowl appearances had been at Tulane Stadium.
And for the fourth time in five Sugar Bowls, the Razorbacks went down to defeat, this time by the biggest margin yet.
The Hogs came into the game with a 10–1 record (ranked sixth in the AP poll, seventh in the coaches' poll), but they were no match for unbeaten Alabama (ranked second by AP, first by the coaches). Alabama sprinted to a 17–3 halftime lead.
I was a student at the University of Arkansas at the time, and I remember watching the game on my TV in Fayetteville, yelling at the screen, "Throw it to Farrell!" In case you're unaware, Robert Farrell was Arkansas' star receiver.
Alabama's defense kept Farrell bottled up for most of the game (he only caught three passes all day), but Arkansas QB Kevin Scanlon finally found him for a touchdown in the third quarter.
At the time, the score cut the deficit to 17–9, but Alabama scored an insurance touchdown in the fourth quarter and won the game, 24–9.
The Hogs haven't been back to New Orleans to play in the Sugar Bowl in the 30 years since.
Maybe that's enough time for their luck to change. I hope so.
If you never lived in Texas — or this region of the country — you may not know who Blackie Sherrod was.
He was a sportswriter, a sports columnist whose columns frequently were about many topics so, rather than give priority to any one subject, he would begin by writing "Scattershooting while wondering whatever became of [insert name of obscure or no longer prominent person]," and then he would launch into a stream of unrelated consciousness.
Perhaps Blackie should have patented that word. It seems almost blasphemous for anyone else to use it. At the very least, it seems it ought to be required that Blackie's name is mentioned whenever it is used.
Well, I have. And now I'm going to write about a few things that are on my mind today, starting with
Urban Meyer, the soon–to–be ex–coach of the Florida Gators.
Is there anyone who can honestly say he/she was not surprised to hear that the 45–year–old Meyer is calling it quits after Friday's Sugar Bowl contest with Cincinnati? Or that the reason for his departure was health issues presumably brought on by the stress of coaching?
But — and this is in no way intended as a slap at Meyer or his achievements — I think Dan Wetzel's assertion at Yahoo! Sports that Meyer "was the most influential coach in college football this decade" is a little over the top. Wetzel makes a good case, but I have to point out that there are other coaches — USC's Pete Carroll, Oklahoma's Bob Stoops, Texas' Mack Brown come immediately to mind — who have enjoyed enormous success and coached Heisman finalists (if not winners) in this decade. Meyer has been one of many.
Again, I'm not running down what he's done at Florida. He will be hard to replace. But "most influential?"
Well, the process of replacing Meyer probably has begun at the University of Florida. I'm sure officials in the Athletic Department have been conferring informally since yesterday's announcement.
And, whether justifiably or not, football fans in the SEC — and elsewhere across the nation — are wondering if their coach will be lured to Gainesville. Matt Hayes of The Sporting News says Florida may name Meyer's replacement within a week — in other words, before Alabama and Texas play for the national title.
Hayes says five names are at the top of Florida's coaching wish list: Houston's Kevin Sumlin, Stanford's Jim Harbaugh, Boise State's Chris Petersen, Arkansas' Bobby Petrino and Utah's Kyle Whittingham.
At ESPN.com, Chris Low also mentions Petrino and Petersen as possibilities, but his list includes the likes of Stoops, Mississippi State's Dan Mullen and former Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan.
Petrino and Mullen are the only SEC coaches whose names I have seen mentioned — so far. But SEC ties (or, for that matter, a background as a player or coach for Bear Bryant) do not mean what they once did. Meyer himself had neither on his resume when he was hired to replace Ron Zook five years ago.
It's all a guessing game right now. I don't know if Florida will announce Meyer's successor within a week nor do I know who is really at the top of the Gators' list, but my prediction is that speculation will be widespread by the time Meyer's last game is under way Friday night.
Meanwhile, Meyer has been preparing for his Florida coaching finale. Only time will tell if he will ever return to the sidelines, but it can be said that, while he won't be competing for his third national title in five years at Florida, Meyer will be finishing his career as a Gator coach in the bowl game that once was synonymous with SEC excellence — the Sugar Bowl. The opponent may not be traditional, but the setting certainly is.
It is interesting, though, that Rick Newman recently wrote, in U.S. News & World Report, about something that has bothered me over the years — the odd combinations of sponsors and bowl games.
For example, Newman takes exception to the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl, which will be played in nearby Fort Worth on Thursday. "If you really want to honor the men and women in uniform," he writes, "just name the bowl after them, period. Don't stick you own name in there and ride on their coattails."
Newman rants about the "absurdities that will be tripping across the TV screen" during the bowl season, but, in my opinion, his complaints are pretty tame. My complaint about bowl game names goes back 20 years, when Mobil Oil was the sponsor of the Cotton Bowl.
When I was growing up, the Cotton Bowl was often the game that produced a national champion, although it wasn't always obvious. Sometimes you had to wait until the pollsters voted the next day before you knew who the national champion was.
That was a simpler time, a time when bowl games didn't have to have a corporate sponsor in the bowl's name. That changed at some point, and, from 1989 to 1995, the Cotton Bowl (previously called the Cotton Bowl Classic) was sponsored by Mobil Oil. As a result, the game was called the "Mobil Oil Cotton Bowl Classic."
It never seemed to me that oil and cotton made a very appealing combination.
Friday had already been a surprising day for college football fans when they sat down to watch the Sugar Bowl between Alabama and Utah.
After all, Ole Miss pulled off an amazing 47-34 victory over Texas Tech in the Cotton Bowl Friday afternoon.
But few people — outside of Utah's base of hard-core supporters — gave the Utes much of a chance of beating the Crimson Tide. Although they were undefeated, there weren't many college football observers who thought the Utes could beat the team that many people believed should have been playing Oklahoma for the national championship.
Myself included.
For most of the season, I believed that Alabama was the best team in college football. I was among those who were surprised when the Crimson Tide lost the SEC championship to the Florida Gators last month — even though Florida's quarterback was the defending Heisman Trophy winner.
And I was absolutely shocked that Utah not only beat Alabama but did so by two touchdowns.
Gentry Estes of the Mobile Press-Register called it an "uninspired" performance — and implied that the Crimson Tide lost its motivation after losing the SEC title to Florida.
In the future, I believe Nick Saban's Alabama program will be a force to reckon with — on both the SEC and national levels.
But, to pull off this victory — Utah's 14th straight win and its eighth consecutive bowl triumph — required more than athletic ability.
As Gordon Monson of the Salt Lake Tribune wrote, it required a "winning mind-set."
Monson aptly wrote, "Destiny, thrown in alongside talent and execution, even when it shows up in the last two minutes, can do that for a team. A group of guys who have been good enough to win 12 games without a loss figure they're good enough to win 13, even when few others on the outside agree with them."
Following the Utes' victory, it is appropriate to wonder what kind of impact this may have on the national championship picture for this season — and, looking ahead several months, what kind of impact will it have on national polls and expectations when the start of the next college football season approaches.
It may have an impact next week, after Texas plays Ohio State on Monday and either Florida or Oklahoma wins the "national championship" game on Thursday.
No matter how those games turn out, Utah will finish the season, as Cory McCartney writes for SI.com, as "the only unbeaten," and he all but underlined the achievement by observing, "Entering Friday night's showdown, the Utes had beaten three teams ranked in the latest AP Top 25 (No. 11 TCU, No. 17 BYU and No. 24 Oregon State)."
Make that four teams now.
McCartney observed that Utah took some motivation from Saban's remarks after the loss to Florida last month. Saban said Alabama was "the only team that plays in a real BCS conference that went 12-0, which is very difficult to do."
Florida or Oklahoma will still be proclaimed the national champion a week from now, but Utah's victory should make some people think twice about what "a real BCS conference" is.
Then, perhaps, we can do away with the BCS nonsense altogether.
In the BCS' present arrangement, four of the "traditional" bowl games and a national championship game are labeled "BCS bowls" — in what passes for a playoff series — although only the top two teams in the BCS rankings at the end of the season compete for the national title.
This season, the finalists are Florida and Oklahoma. They will face each other in Miami on Jan. 8.
I broke down that matchup (to a degree) the other day and I'll have more to say about it in the coming weeks.
Today, I would like to evaluate the other four games.
Fiesta Bowl Monday, Jan. 5 8 p.m. (EST), FOX
Texas (11-1, #3 in BCS) vs. Ohio State (10-2, #10 in BCS) — Some pro-Texas theorists have been coming up with wildly improbable scenarios that will bend the time/space continuum until it snaps like a dry twig.
In reality, though, the best Texas can hope for is to beat Ohio State and finish the season second behind either Florida or Oklahoma.
The Buckeyes and the Longhorns should be fairly familiar foes. They faced each other in high-profile nonconference games in 2005 and 2006. Texas won the first meeting, 25-22, and Ohio State won the second, 24-7.
Here's how they compare offensively:
Texas is 11th in the nation in passing yards per game. Ohio State ranks 104th.
But Ohio State, behind the running of Chris Wells, has the statistical edge in rushing yards. The Buckeyes are 28th. The Longhorns are 34th.
In points per game, there's no comparison. Texas is fifth in the nation, averaging 43.9 points per game. Ohio State is 45th, averaging 28.2 points per game.
Well, we knew Texas was putting up some good numbers on offense.
On the defensive side of the ball,
Both teams have done a pretty good job of keeping opponents from scoring, but Ohio State has the advantage. The Buckeyes are seventh in the country, giving up an average of 13.1 points per game. The Longhorns are 21st in the nation, allowing 18.6 points per game.
The Texas defense is ranked second in the nation in rushing defense, which is bad news for the Ohio State offense. The Buckeyes' run defense is pretty good, too, with a national ranking of 20th.
Ohio State's pass defense (with Kurt Coleman, tied for 35th in the country in interceptions) is ranked sixth in the nation, which is bad news for the Texas offense and Colt McCoy. Texas' pass defense is 110th in the country — which is comparable to the OSU pass offense.
Total defense belongs to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are ranked eighth in the country. The Longhorns are ranked 50th.
If Texas plays like it did when it still had hope of playing in the Big 12 title game, I think the Longhorns can handle the Buckeyes.
But, if Texas can't shake off the disappointment of not being in the national championship game, I think Ohio State can win the game.
The schools played no common opponents.
Orange Bowl Thursday, Jan. 1 8 p.m. (EST), FOX
Cincinnati (11-2, #12 in BCS) vs. Virginia Tech (9-4, #19 in BCS) — The last time the schools met was two years ago, in September 2006. Virginia Tech won, 29-13.
From a TV ratings perspective, the game has very little to recommend it — certainly not when compared to the Florida-Oklahoma blockbuster that will be played in Miami a week later. But it will have the evening time slot to itself. The Orange Bowl will be the only game being played on New Year's Night.
How do they match up?
Cincinnati is ranked 24th in the country in passing yardage (with Tony Pike, who is 29th in the nation in passing efficiency). Virginia Tech is 112th.
But Tech has the edge in rushing yardage. Tech ranks 42nd. Cincinnati is 94th.
Neither team has been lighting up the scoreboard. Cincinnati is 51st in points per game. Tech is 89th.
Something tells me not to expect a high-scoring affair, although you never know. Cincinnati's Mardy Gilyard is 18th in the nation in all-purpose yardage.
On defense,
Virginia Tech is 13th in the nation in points allowed per game. Cincinnati isn't bad, ranked 27th.
Both teams enjoyed success stopping the run this season. Cincinnati ranks 13th in run defense. Virginia Tech ranks 19th.
Virginia Tech is 15th in the nation in defending against the pass, thanks in part to Victor Harris, who tied for fifth in the nation in interceptions. Cincinnati is 68th.
Virginia Tech is seventh in the nation in total defense. Cincinnati is 26th.
Virginia Tech's fate may depend upon how well the pass defense can stop Pike.
The schools played no common opponents this year, although one of Cincinnati's losses was to Oklahoma in September.
Michigan beat Stanford in the first Rose Bowl, 49-0.
Rose Bowl Thursday, Jan. 1 5 p.m. (EST), ABC
Penn State (11-1, #8 in BCS) vs. USC (11-1, #5 in BCS) — This will be the second time that USC and Penn State have faced each other in the Rose Bowl. The first time they played was on Jan. 1, 1923, in the official dedication of the Rose Bowl stadium.
The two schools took on two common opponents during the 2008 regular season. One was Oregon State. Penn State won its game with OSU easily, 45-14, in early September, but three weeks later, OSU beat USC, 27-21.
The other common opponent was a high-profile foe that both Penn State and USC defeated — Ohio State. USC beat the Buckeyes, 35-3, and Penn State won, 13-6.
On offense,
USC ranks 31st in in passing yardage (with Mark Sanchez ranked 13th in passing efficiency). Penn State ranks 35th (with Daryll Clark ranked 23rd in passing efficiency).
It's even closer in rushing yardage. Penn State ranks 15th (led by Evan Royster, who rates 25th in rushing). USC ranks 17th.
The teams have put up comparable numbers when it comes to scoring — reflecting, I suppose, how close they were to each other in rushing and passing. Penn State is 11th in points per game. USC is 14th.
With two teams that rank in the top 15 in points per game, I'd expect to see a lot of scoring in Pasadena.
Who has the edge in defense?
Well, numerically, the edge belongs to USC, the #1 team in the nation in many defensive categories. But Penn State has had a pretty solid year in defense as well.
USC was the stingiest team in the nation when it came to giving up points. The Trojans allowed only 7.8 points per game. But Penn State was fourth in the nation, allowing only 12.4 points per game.
USC has a narrow edge in rushing defense. The Trojans are ranked fifth. The Nittany Lions are ranked eighth.
Perhaps the most distinct defensive advantage belongs to USC in the category of pass defense. USC ranks first in the nation while Penn State is 12th.
And USC is first in the nation in total defense. Penn State is fifth.
Both conferences are considered lacking when compared to the Big 12 and the Southeastern conferences, but these two teams seem to be well matched and could provide the most competitive of the major bowls.
Sugar Bowl Friday, Jan. 2 8 p.m. (EST), FOX
Alabama (12-1, #4 in BCS) vs. Utah (12-0, #6 in BCS) — If you're not a fan of the passing game, this might be the game for you.
In passing offense, Utah ranks 41st (even so, Brian Johnson ranks 18th in passing efficiency). Alabama ranks 96th.
In rushing offense, Alabama is 23rd (Glen Coffee is 21st in the country in rushing). Utah is 41st.
In points per game, Utah is 15th. Alabama is 30th.
On defense, both teams rank pretty highly, although I think that probably means more in Alabama's case than Utah's.
The Southeastern Conference is simply superior to the Mountain West.
In points allowed per game, Alabama is sixth. Utah is 12th.
In rushing defense, Alabama is fourth in the nation. Utah is 14th.
In pass defense, Alabama is 21st (Rashad Johnson shares 31st in interceptions). Utah is 40th (but Sean Smith is tied for 21st in interceptions).
And in total defense, Alabama is third. Utah is 18th.
A "tomato can" is a fighter who is believed to be past his prime and an "easy" or "guaranteed" win for an up-and-coming fighter who wants to pad his record.
Sometimes, though, the "tomato can" doesn't cooperate. For example, in 1990, undefeated heavyweight champion Mike Tyson lost the title to a 42-to-1 underdog named Buster Douglas.
Another heavyweight champion, Muhammad Ali, almost lost his title to lightly regarded Chuck Wepner in 1975. Wepner nearly went the distance against Ali and inspired the original "Rocky" movie.
I got my bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Arkansas, and I got my master's degree in journalism from the University of North Texas. Most of my adult life has been dedicated to writing and editing in one form or another. Most recently I have taught writing (news and developmental) as an adjunct journalism professor at Richland College, where I advise the student newspaper staff. Go, Thunderducks!
