HawgBeat – The toss-up games Arkansas needs to win in 2024

With fall camp just a few weeks away for the Arkansas football team, HawgBeat will take a look at crucial “toss-up” games on the Razorbacks’ 2024 schedule.

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These are matchups that — at least on paper — can go either way and will prove pivotal in the Hogs’ momentum and success throughout the year.

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HawgBeat has already pondered over the toughest home and road games that head coach Sam Pittman and the Razorbacks will have to face over the coming months, but now it’s time to analyze tilts against Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Mississippi State.

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The Razorbacks and Cowboys haven’t met on the football field since 1980, when head coach Lou Holtz led Arkansas to a 33-20 victory over Oklahoma State in Little Rock. All-time, Arkansas leads the series 30-15-1 with the last five matchups going the Hogs’ way.

That trend will be tested in 2024, as the Cowboys are coming off a 10-4 overall 2023 season and return star running back Ollie Gordon II along with seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman.

Both teams will likely be 1-0 heading into this Week 2 matchup after cupcake openers, and excitement should be high because a win for either program will kickstart momentum heading into conference play.

Looking back at 2023, Arkansas had a similar opportunity against BYU at home. The Hogs dropped that one 38-31 which then led to a six-game losing streak. It’s safe to say that head coach Sam Pittman can’t afford for that to happen again.

Can offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino get the wrinkles ironed out with quarterback Taylen Green for a tough Big 12 road tilt? The answer to that question may go a long way in determining what kind of success Arkansas will have in 2024.

The Southwest Classic is set to end in 2024, but the Razorbacks and Aggies will battle it out one last time in this trophy game. Despite a nine-game winning streak from 2012-20 by Texas A&M, Arkansas still holds a 42-35-3 all-time advantage. The Aggies defeated the Hogs 34-22 in their 2023 faceoff.

New defensive-minded head coach Mike Elko will have to prepare for Petrino, who was Texas A&M’s playcaller under former head coach Jimbo Fisher last season. The storylines run deep in this matchup, and there’s no doubt it’ll be another nail-biting finish.

By this juncture, Texas A&M will have already played Notre Dame at home and Florida on the road, so the Aggies will be battle-tested. On the other hand, Arkansas will have met Oklahoma State and Auburn away from Fayetteville. Both programs will have tough “ex-SEC East” games the following week in Missouri (Texas A&M) and Tennessee (Arkansas) as well.

Quarterback Conner Weigman returns for his third season in College Station after tossing eight touchdowns with 979 yards in 2023. The former top-50 prospect will lead a new-look offense with playmakers like running back Le’Veon Moss and receivers Noah Thomas and Moose Muhammad III.

The Hogs may be 2-2 heading into this game, and dropping below .500 before the brunt of your SEC schedule is a recipe for disaster. Travis Williams’ defensive unit will need its legs for this end-of-an-era battle.

Everyone unfortunate enough to watch last season’s 7-3 offensive-lite edition of Arkansas-Mississippi State is hoping to see some fireworks in Starkville this year.

The Bulldogs hired Oklahoma offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby to run the show and the last few matchups in Mississippi have been higher scoring one way or another, so fans likely won’t see only 10 total points scored in this one.

Pittman and new offensive line coach Eric Mateos will meet against former Arkansas assistant Cody Kennedy, who will be coaching up a front line to protect starting quarterback Blake Shapen (Baylor).

Shapen didn’t put up gaudy numbers with the Bears, but he had a respectable 2,188-yard, 13-touchdown campaign with only three interceptions. Defensively, Mississippi State returns talented pass rusher De’Monte Russell and safety Corey Ellington, but that side will be different without former head coach Zach Arnett.

This is a game that Arkansas fans expect to win and it will probably be the easiest road matchup of the year. If the Hogs can’t get the Bulldogs in this 50-50 before facing the likes of Ole Miss, Texas and Missouri, it’ll be a rough November in Fayetteville.

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