When Arkansas and Texas A&M suited up on Halloween for the first time in a half-century, it reminded us here at Enter the Razorback that the Hogs have quite an impressive history of gridiron battles on All Hallow’s Eve.
Read on for the top 10…if you dare.
10. Unlikely tradition | Oct. 31, 1903 | Texas A&M 6, Arkansas 0
Arkansas and Texas A&M christened their decades-long rivalry at the dawn of the 1900s, an antiquated era of college football, “when the forward pass was illegal and both touchdowns and field goals were worth five points.”
Their duel marked not only the first Saturday Halloween of the 20th century, but also the first football game between the schools.
The Aggies were strong that year, while Arkansas — known then as the Cardinals — had to rough up Fort Smith High School (now Northside) to eek out three wins.
This humdrum game between Arkansas and A&M began an unintentional, intermittent tradition, as the programs clashed on Halloween six more times over the ensuing century.
9. Rivalry renewed | Oct. 31, 2020 | No. 8 Texas A&M 42, Arkansas 31
Before their 2020 showdown, Arkansas and A&M hadn’t played each other on Halloween in 50 years.
Arkansas couldn’t keep pace with the high-octane Aggies, who scored on their first four drives. A late touchdown made the game seem closer than what the final score hinted.
The 2020 contest also marked the first Aggies-Hogs Halloween duel as SEC foes, as well as Arkansas’ first haunted outing against a worthy opponent since 1998.
The Razorbacks had demolished Eastern Michigan and Tennessee-Martin during Halloween contests in 2009 and 2015, respectively.
8. “Like kissing your sister”| Oct. 31, 1992 | Auburn 24, Arkansas 24
Arkansas was nearing the end of a humbling inaugural season in the SEC when it made its first trip to Jordan-Hare stadium to face Auburn.
The Hogs didn’t find out until game day that the Tigers were retiring Bo Jackson’s jersey at halftime, a revelation that seemed neither to inspire the team nor deflate them.
Despite a career day from Auburn running back James Bostic — 211 rushing yards and two touchdowns — the game has lingered as little more than a headscratcher for both programs. In describing a tie to The Birmingham News in 2016, former Arkansas quarterback Barry Lunney, Jr., framed it as akin to “kissing your sister, not much to remember about that.”
7. Double dipping | Oct. 31, 1987 | Arkansas 38, Rice 14
The Razorbacks feasted on the Owls for both of their Halloween games of the 1980s.
Arkansas first beat Rice 41-7 in 1981 and then returned to Houston for a similar thrashing six years later.
Despite an ugly loss in Little Rock to Miami (FL) and an absolutely heartbreaking 16-14 defeat against a lousy Texas team, the Hogs rebounded down the stretch and made it to the Liberty Bowl, where they fell to No. 15 Georgia.
6. Streaking Porkers | Oct. 31, 1964 | No. 4 Arkansas 17, Texas A&M 0
Arkansas scored all 17 of its points against A&M during the first half and then weathered three stoppages in the second half thanks to rowdy Aggies fans.
The shutout against A&M was the second of five straight for an Arkansas defense that allowed a paltry 5.8 points per game en route to the National Championship. It was also Arkansas’ ninth straight win over A&M, which still stands as the Hogs’ longest winning streak in the rivalry.
5. SWC champs | Oct. 31, 1936 | Arkansas 18, Texas A&M 0
Dubbed the “passing-est team in the nation” thanks to their prolific aerial attack — throwing a then-unimaginable 29 times per game — Arkansas thumped A&M to spark a mid-season turnaround.
After starting 2-3, the Hogs cruised past A&M and won their final five games, including the season finale against Texas, to capture the SWC crown.
The streak also helped Arkansas break into the Associated Press rankings for the first time in school history, where they finished the season No. 18.
Another bit of trivia: Arkansas’ prolific passing in 1936 bested even that of the vaunted Green Bay Packers, who won the NFL title that year throwing the pigskin just under 22 times per game.
4. No contest | Oct. 31, 1970 | No. 8 Arkansas 45, Texas A&M 6
The rout was on just after kickoff.
Arkansas dominated on both sides of the ball, rolling to a 38-0 halftime lead in College Station thanks in part to two A&M fumbles early in the game.
Led by All-American defensive end Bruce James, the Razorbacks sacked Aggies quarterback Lex James 11 times for -118 yards.
The 39-point shellacking is the largest Hogs victory in the series. It was also part of six straight Arkansas wins on Halloween dating back to 1953, when the Hogs thrashed the Aggies 41-14.
3. Cardiac kids | Oct. 31, 1998 | No. 14 Arkansas 24, Auburn 21
Arkansas did its best to frighten the Razorback faithful who made the trek to Auburn — committing five turnovers and nearly blowing a 17-7 lead — before going ahead on a rushing touchdown late in the third quarter.
The win pushed the Razorbacks to 7-0, their best start yet since joining the SEC, and also marked their first victory at Jordan-Hare Stadium.
CBS highlighted Arkansas’ prowess as a second-half team, noting the Razorbacks needed comebacks to win three of their four SEC games and had outscored opponents 137-33 in the final two quarters.
2. Hogs use “toes to advantage” | Oct. 31, 1925 | Arkansas 12, LSU 0
Led by George Cole — a future Arkansas coach, athletic director and namesake of the Razorbacks’ baseball field — the Hogs used a powerful running game to thump LSU in what was becoming a fierce rivalry settled annually in Shreveport, La.
Cole scored a 45-yard touchdown and booted a field goal to help lead Arkansas to its fourth straight victory in the series, which still stands as the Hogs’ longest win streak over the mighty Tigers.
1. Bowl bound | Oct. 31, 1959 | No. 17 Arkansas 12, Texas A&M 7
Arkansas was in dire need of a victory after back-to-back losses had derailed a promising season when they welcomed A&M into Fayetteville for Homecoming weekend.
But the Hogs, 21-point favorites against the Aggies, found themselves locked in a scoreless tie at halftime.
Thanks to the heroics of future NFL Hall of Fame receiver Lance Alworth and All-American Jim Mooty, the Razorbacks overcame five turnovers to come back from a 7-6 deficit late in the game.
Arkansas rode the momentum to five straight wins, including a victory over Georgia Tech in the Gator Bowl.
Enter the Razorback 