HawgBeat – By the Numbers: 37 days until Arkansas football

The Arkansas Razorbacks will take the field for the 2023 college football season in 37 days, when Western Carolina will visit War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock on Saturday, September 2 for a 3 p.m. CT kickoff.

Here at HawgBeat, we will count down the days until head coach Sam Pittman and his team run through the “A” for the first time.

With 37 days remaining, we will take a look at a current player, former player, some interesting scores, highlights and other miscellaneous things in Razorback history tied to the number 37.

Arkansas punter Devin Bale traveled a long way to get to Fayetteville. After attending La Jolla High School in California, the 6-foot-3 punter enrolled into Northern Colorado. His freshman season, he averaged 41.3 yards per punt — good for 27th nationally. Bale’s best punt that season was against Sacramento State, which he booted an 84-yarder against.

As a sophomore in 2022, Bale added kickoff duties to his role. On 41 kickoffs, 32 were touchbacks. Bale averaged 41.1 yards per punt with a long of 56 against Montana State and Northern Arizona.

Now a junior, Bale will compete for the starting punter job alongside returning sophomore Max Fletcher. He could also challenge junior kicker Cam Little for kickoff duties.

Gerald Wayne Martin played football for the Razorbacks from 1985-88. A native of Forrest City, Martin attended Cross Country High School in Cherry Valley. As a senior, he led his team to an undefeated record.

In four seasons in Fayetteville, Martin totaled 37 tackles for loss — tied for fourth best in a career in Arkansas football history. The 6-foot-5 defensive end also recorded 25.5 sacks in his collegiate career, which ranks No. 1 all-time in Razorback history.

The First Team All-Southwest Conference and All-American was apart of a 1988 Arkansas team that won the Southwest Conference championship.

Martin was drafted No. 19 overall in the first round by the New Orleans Saints in the 1989 NFL Draft. In 11 seasons with the Saints, he only missed one game and accumulated 596 tackles, 82.5 sacks and 12 forced fumbles.

In 2003, Martin was inducted into the New Orleans Saint Hall of Fame.

The No. 17 Arkansas Razorbacks took on the Rice Owls on Nov. 4, 1978 in Fayetteville. Heading into the game, Arkansas sat at 4-2 overall and Rice was 1-6 overall.

Head coach Lou Holtz was in his second season at Arkansas and he was coming off a 1977 season that saw the Razorbacks finish 11-1 overall.

On the opening drive, quarterback Ron Calcagni drove in a rushing touchdown on fourth down from the 1-yard line. On Rice’s opening possession, Razorback defensive lineman Jimmy Walker sacked the opposing quarterback in Arkansas territory.

After taking a 15-0 halftime lead, Arkansas running back Ben Cowins took a read option pitch 19 yards for a first down to set up running back Michael Forrest for a walk-in touchdown.

The Razorbacks blew the game open with another touchdown and a safety, and eventually won the game, 37-7.

Clarence Lamar McHan remains the highest draft pick in Arkansas football history, as he was selected No. 2 overall in the 1954 NFL Draft by the Chicago Cardinals.

A native of Lake Village, McHan graduated from Lakeside High School and enrolled at Arkansas in 1951. The 6-foot-1 quarterback earned All-Southwest Conference honors in all three seasons he played at Arkansas.

Following his collegiate career, McHan moved around multiple NFL teams, including the Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, Baltimore Colts and San Francisco 49ers. After retiring from football, McHan became an assistant coach at Northern Arizona. He worked his way back into the NFL as part of the coaching staff for the New Orleans Saints, who he coached until 1984.

Ah, the Chad Morris era — something that Razorback fans would love to forget. While it may not be enjoyable, it’s important to revisit these games to remember where the program stands now under Sam Pittman.

The 1-5 overall Razorbacks took on the 4-2 overall Rebels at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock during the 2018 season.

After Arkansas took an early 27-10 lead, Ole Miss continued to work its way back in the game. Down 33-24 in the fourth quarter, the Rebels scored a touchdown to bring it within two.

After forcing an Arkansas punt, Ole Miss had to start within its own 5-yard line with under two minutes to go. Fortunately for the Rebels, Arkansas’ defense was non-existent. With 42 seconds left, Ole Miss running back Scottie Phillips drove in a touchdown to take a 37-33 lead.

On its final possession, Arkansas finished the game with a Cole Kelley interception to move the Razorbacks further into the depths of the SEC West.

In 1980, the Arkansas football team had an average offense (50th in the country) and was mediocre overall. But against TCU early in the season, the floodgates opened.

Sitting at 2-1 overall and No. 14 in the nation, the Razorbacks beat their Southwest Conference foe 44-7, accumulating 37 first downs in the process — the most in a single game in school history.

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