Former Razorback Jones selected to Cotton Bowl’s Hall of Fame for 2020

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas native Jerry Jones has been named to the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame Class of 2020 and will be inducted during an enshrinement ceremony this spring at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Jones is the owner of the Dallas Cowboys, which owns AT&T Stadium which has been the home of the traditional bowl game since 2009.

Along with Jones, this year’s honorees in the 12th Hall of Fame Class include: Kansas State quarterback Jonathan Beasley, Notre Dame split end Thom Gatewood, Ole Miss halfback Dexter McCluster, Texas defensive end Cory Redding, Boston College linebacker Bill Romanowski, and Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder.

Jones was one of the seniors named as captains of Arkansas’ national championship team in 1964.

The Razorbacks rallied in the game’s waning minutes of the 1965 Cotton Bowl to drive 80 yards for the winning touchdown that secured a 10-7 victory over Nebraska.

The induction ceremony for The Class of 2020 will be held on the west concourse of AT&T Stadium in Arlington next spring. The exact date is still to be finalized. The hour-long ceremony is free and open to the public.

“Those extraordinary individuals whose unique talents formed the pageantry and prestige of one of college football’s most historic postseason bowl games are showcased in the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame,” said Carl R. Ice, chairman of the Cotton Bowl Athletic Association. “The Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame allows fans to revisit the rich tradition of outstanding college football played annually here in North Texas.”

A judging committee comprised of media representatives and athletic administrators voted from a ballot consisting of 60 nominees that included former players, coaches, bowl administrators and others who have made special contributions to the Classic.

Information from a press release provided by Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

Hogs fall short at end, dropping nail-biter on road to LSU, 79-77

Despite getting blown out on the boards, Arkansas somehow found itself in the last few seconds with a shot to win a game on the road at LSU on Wednesday night.

But the last dozen seconds saw the big effort come up short, giving up an old-fashioned 3-point play and the Tigers came away with a 79-77 win at the Pete Maravich Center.

When Adrio Bailey swatted Skylar Mays’ layup out of bounds with 12 seconds left and the Razorbacks holding a thin 77-76 lead, things were looking up.

That lasted four seconds.

Jimmy Whitt, Jr., fouled the Tigers’ Trendon Watfer on a short jumper, he hit the and-1 free throw. The Hogs came down the floor and Isaiah Joe’s jumper was blocked at the buzzer, Desi Sills grabbed it and wasn’t able to get off much of a shot.

Arkansas coach Eric Musselman has said all season he didn’t expect to win many offensive rebounding battles, but he probably didn’t think they would be like Wednesday night. LSU dominated that area, 23-3.

As usual, the only way the Hogs stayed in the game was forcing turnovers and they won that area, 13-7. They were out-rebounded on the defensive side, too, 30-21.

“To think that a team could beat you on the glass, 26-0 in second-chance points, and you still have a chance to win the game is absolutely unheard of,” Hogs coach Eric Musselman said later.

That’s not a good combination, yet the Razorbacks found a way to stay in the game behind Mason Jones’ 24 points and another 22 by Whitt.

At the end, though, Jones was on the bench, fouling out with 32 seconds left.

The game had settled into the usual Arkansas-LSU game after the Hogs saw an 11-point lead in the first half slip away. That was the largest lead of the game. The Tigers’ biggest lead was 54-47.

The story of the game was rebounding and Mussleman said the Tigers just took it.

“It was strictly them going and getting it off the glass and them getting free-throw attempts. That’s what won the game for them,” he said.

The loss evened Arkansas’ record in SEC play at 1-1 and dropped them to 12-2 overall. They will stay on the road, going to Ole Miss on Saturday.

Perfect Game puts Razorbacks No. 4 in national preseason ranking

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas ranked No. 4 in Perfect Game’s preseason poll, the second time in three years the Razorbacks have received a top-10 ranking.

Last year, Collegiate Baseball put Arkansas at 13th in its first poll.

The Razorbacks are coming off a 46-20 season that produced an SEC West division title and the program’s 10th trip to the College World Series in 2019.

Coach Dave Van Horn, entering his 18th season at the helm of the baseball team, has more appearances in the CWS than any active coach in the nation with eight.

Arkansas returns a number of veterans with experience on the mound, including two-thirds of last year’s rotation in sophomores Connor Noland and Patrick Wicklander.

Noland and Wicklander were among the top freshmen arms in the conference in 2019, as the duo combined for a 4.16 ERA, nine wins, 145 strikeouts and only 51 walks.

Noland was named a Perfect Game Freshman All-American while both garnered SEC All-Freshman honors.

Offensively, the Razorbacks return plenty of firepower, including last year’s top hitter in Matt Goodheart, who finished with a .345 batting average as the team’s designated hitter.

Along with Goodheart, the Hogs bring back two of the top bats in the nation in juniors and preseason All-Americans Heston Kjerstad and Casey Martin. Kjerstad hit .325 or higher in each of his first two seasons, matching his hit total (87) from 2018, while driving in another 51 RBIs to go with 17 home runs.

As for Martin, he hit more home runs (15) and had more RBIs (57) than his freshman season, finishing with 81 hits overall last season.

Arkansas is set to host 32 games at Baum-Walker Stadium this spring, including home SEC series against Alabama, Florida, Texas A&M, Auburn and Georgia.

During the 2019 postseason run, Arkansas saw 93,868 fans pack Baum-Walker Stadium, the most of any ballpark in the country.

The Razorbacks wrapped up the 2019 season with a 33-7 home record, the second-straight year Arkansas has totaled 30 or more wins at home.

The 2020 slate kicks off with Eastern Illinois for the second-straight season, beginning on Friday, Feb. 14, at 3 p.m. at Baum-Walker Stadium.

After triple crown last year, Hogs open new indoor season ranked No. 2

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas is ranked No. 2 in the women’s track and field preseason top-25 after winning the triple crown for the year 2019.

The Razorbacks are coming off its fifth-straight SEC indoor title and coach Lance Harter leading the Razorbacks to 62-points at the NCAA Indoor Championship, fielding 12 All-American performances in total.

Jada Baylark is in her fourth year of action during the indoor season and looking for more All-American honors after earning Second-Team All-American with her 15th-place finish in the 60-meters as a sophomore.

Last season, the Little Rock native posted 15 top-10 finishes in six meets during the indoor season. Baylark also qualified for the finals of the 60-meter dash at the 2019 Indoor SEC Championships.

Katie Izzo leads a distance group that is coming off a cross country season where she helped win the program’s first national title.

Her third-place finish (19:59.3) in Terra Haute, Ind. last November led the Razorback effort, earning All-America distinction. Izzo was selected to The Bowerman Preseason Watch List on Monday.

Arkansas is joined by seven other SEC women’s programs in the top-25, which leads the nation. The indoor slate begins Friday, January 17, when the women host the Arkansas Invitational at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

Razorbacks will start indoor season ranked No. 8 in preseason Top 25 poll

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas is ranked No. 8 in the preseason top-25 poll for men’s track and field, it was announced Wednesday.

The Razorbacks finished last year’s 2019 NCAA Indoor Championships with a top-15 performance, landing 13th overall.

Redshirt-senior Gilbert Boit will lead a distance group after he won the 2019 SEC Indoor title in the 5,000-meters and ran a leg of the All-American DMR that finished sixth last season.

He’ll be joined by teammate Hunter Woodhall, a two-time Paralympic medalist, who is looking to earn First-Team All-America honors for the second-straight year in the 4×400-meter relay.

The junior turned in a seventh-place finish in the 400-meter dash at the SEC Indoor Championships in 2019.

Arkansas is joined by fellow SEC squads No. 2 LSU, No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 9 Florida in the top-10.  The Hogs will be in the hunt for their ninth-straight finish inside the top-15 and the program’s 21st national title.

The indoor slate begins Friday, January 17, when the men host the Arkansas Invitational at the Randal Tyson Indoor Track.

Information from Razorback Sports Communications is included in this story.

???? Halftime Pod — Muss’ journey to Arkansas, the LSU matchup, plus CFB with Bill King!

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???? Halftime Pod — Muss’ journey to Arkansas, the LSU matchup, plus CFB with Bill King!

Neighbors knows Hogs face stiff challenge against ranked Gamecocks

Arkansas coach Mike Neighbors talked about the tough task ahead of leaving for Thursday night’s road matchup with No. 4 South Carolina plus Jailyn Mason redshirting.

Hogs’ Dungee named to midseason Top 25 for national Wooden Award

FAYETTEVILLE — Chelsea Dungee was named to the Wooden Award Midseason Top 25, announced Wednesday of players still in the running for college basketball’s most prestigious honor.

Dungee has led Arkansas’ potent offense with 19.7 points per game, the 19th-best mark in the NCAA. The redshirt junior guard recently scored her 1,000th point for the Razorbacks, needing just 49 career games to get there.

Dungee averaged 20.4 points per game over those 49 contests, which would be the highest scoring average in program history.

The Sapulpa, Okla., native has scored 20+ in eight of Arkansas’ 15 games so far this season, and dropped her seventh 30-piece for the Hogs earlier this season against Kansas State.

She continues to use her ability to get to the line to generate points, as Dungee is currently fourth in the NCAA in free throws made and sixth in attempts.

Additionally, Dungee’s 19.5 points per game in SEC only games is tied for the sixth-best average in the conference.

???? Halftime Pod — Coaching carousel, new recruits/commits, Nikki Chavanelle and more!

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Phil & Tye on the coaching carousel in CFB, potential new recruits, Nikki joins the show, plus a little The Bachelor talk at the end!