Information from Arkansas Communications is included in this story.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas won’t play this weekend, but the Razorbacks already know when they’ll be back home.
The Southeastern Conference set the kickoff time for the Missouri game on Monday. The Hogs and Tigers will meet at 6:45 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium.
SEC Network has the broadcast.
The open date shows up at a good time. Arkansas is coming off a 31-21 win at Vanderbilt last Saturday, and a week off lets some sore bodies heal up.
It also hands the coaches two full weeks to prepare for a team that’s given the Hogs fits for years.
Anybody who’s followed this series knows what that means.
The Tigers have had their way in this series
Missouri leads the all-time series 13-4. For something folks call a rivalry, that’s a pretty one-sided ledger.
The Oct. 31 game will be the 18th meeting in the Battle Line Rivalry. It’s only the sixth time the matchup has landed in Fayetteville.
Arkansas fans probably don’t need a reminder about the recent results. The Razorbacks haven’t beaten Missouri since Nov. 26, 2021.
That one finished 34-17 in favor of the Hogs. It was the last game of the regular season, and it sent Arkansas home at 8-4.
It’s been almost five years since anybody in red got to enjoy a day like that against the Tigers.
That’s a long time to wait on one opponent.
A first under the lights
This game will have something the series has never had before.
These two programs have never played a night game against each other in Arkansas. The 6:45 start takes care of that.
I’m not going to pretend a kickoff time decides a football game. The players still have to block and tackle no matter when the ball goes up.
Still, a home crowd that’s had all day to get loud doesn’t hurt. Fans who’ve been waiting since 2021 for another win over Missouri will have plenty of time to get warmed up.
The Razorbacks would be smart to give them something early. Falling behind a team that’s won 13 of these games could turn the night sour in a hurry.
What the bye week means
Arkansas gets to spend this week on itself instead of an opponent.
That usually means cleaning up the little things. Coaches can look back at what worked against Vanderbilt and what didn’t.
After that, the attention turns to Missouri. Two weeks is a lot of film time for one team.
The Hogs carried a win into the break, which beats the alternative by a mile. Nobody wants to stew on a loss for 14 days.
Now they’ll try to stack another one on top of it.
A win over the Tigers would count the same as any other in the standings, but it’d feel like more than that around here.
Getting a seat
Anyone hoping to be in the stands can call the Razorback Ticket Center at 479-575-5151.
If you’d rather skip the phone call, you can buy Arkansas football tickets online.
Everyone else can find it on SEC Network.
It’s a Saturday night in Fayetteville against a team Arkansas hasn’t beaten in almost five years. That ought to be enough reason to tune in.
