2015 Arkansas Razorbacks football team
American college football season
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The 2015 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by third-year head coach Bret Bielema, the Razorbacks compiled an overall record of 8–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, tying for third place in the SEC's Western Division. Arkansas was invited to the Liberty Bowl, where the Razorbacks defeated Kansas State. The team played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and two home games at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas.
- Bret Bielema (3rd season)
| 2015 Arkansas Razorbacks football | |
|---|---|
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Liberty Bowl champion | |
Liberty Bowl, W 45–23 vs. Kansas State | |
| Conference | Southeastern Conference |
| Western Division | |
| Record | 8–5 (5–3 SEC) |
| Head coach |
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| Offensive coordinator | Dan Enos (1st season) |
| Offensive scheme | Pro-style |
| Defensive coordinator | Robb Smith (2nd season) |
| Base defense | 4–3 |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium War Memorial Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | W | L | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eastern Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 25 Florida x | 7 | – | 1 | 10 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 22 Tennessee | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Georgia | 5 | – | 3 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Vanderbilt | 2 | – | 6 | 4 | – | 8 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kentucky | 2 | – | 6 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Missouri* | 1 | – | 7 | 5 | – | 7 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| South Carolina | 1 | – | 7 | 3 | – | 9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Western Division | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 1 Alabama x$#^ | 7 | – | 1 | 14 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 10 Ole Miss | 6 | – | 2 | 10 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Arkansas | 5 | – | 3 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 16 LSU * | 5 | – | 3 | 9 | – | 3 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Texas A&M | 4 | – | 4 | 8 | – | 5 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Mississippi State | 4 | – | 4 | 9 | – | 4 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Auburn | 2 | – | 6 | 7 | – | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Championship: Alabama 29, Florida 15 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Dan Enos served his first season as offensive coordinator, replacing Jim Chaney who left for a job with Pittsburgh. Enos was previously the head coach of Central Michigan.
Schedule
| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| September 5 | 2:30 p.m. | UTEP* | No. 18 | ESPNU | W 48–13 | 67,708 | |
| September 12 | 3:00 p.m. | Toledo* | No. 18 | SECN | L 12–16 | 49,591 | |
| September 19 | 6:00 p.m. | Texas Tech* |
| ESPN2 | L 24–35 | 73,334 | |
| September 26 | 6:00 p.m. | vs. No. 14 Texas A&M | ESPN | L 21–28 OT | 67,339 | ||
| October 3 | 6:00 p.m. | at Tennessee | ESPN2 | W 24–20 | 101,265 | ||
| October 10 | 6:00 p.m. | at No. 8 Alabama | ESPN | L 14–27 | 101,821 | ||
| October 24 | 11:00 a.m. | Auburn |
| SECN | W 54–46 4OT | 72,008 | |
| October 31 | 3:00 p.m. | Tennessee–Martin* |
| SECN | W 63–28 | 64,206 | |
| November 7 | 2:30 p.m. | at No. 18 Ole Miss |
| CBS | W 53–52 OT | 60,680 | |
| November 14 | 6:15 p.m. | at No. 9 LSU | ESPN | W 31–14 | 101,699 | ||
| November 21 | 6:00 p.m. | Mississippi State |
| ESPN | L 50–51 | 71,936 | |
| November 27 | 1:30 p.m. | Missouri |
| CBS | W 28–3 | 65,228 | |
| January 2 | 2:20 p.m. | vs. Kansas State* | ESPN | W 45–23 | 61,136 | ||
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Rankings
Season summary
Arkansas lost leading returning rusher Jonathan Williams before the season to a foot injury, tempering expectations slightly, but the #18 ranked Razorbacks cruised to a 48–13 victory over UTEP in the season opener.[4]
The next three weeks, however, were full of disappointment. First, the Razorbacks lost to Toledo, a 23-point underdog, in Little Rock's War Memorial Stadium, 16–12, and then turned around and lost to Texas Tech in Fayetteville, 35–24. A week later, Texas A&M defeated the Razorbacks in overtime for the second consecutive year, 28–21, to begin SEC play.
Bielema got his first SEC road win to begin October, defeating the Tennessee Volunteers 24–20 in Neyland Stadium. After dropping one on the road to eventual SEC champion Alabama on October 10, the Razorbacks would not lose again until November 21.
That included a four-overtime win at home over Auburn, a wild overtime victory over then #19 Ole Miss on the road which saw the Razorbacks convert a 4th-and-25 in overtime via a lateral from tight end Hunter Henry, and a 31–14 dismantling of then #9 LSU.
Despite losing a shootout to Mississippi State in Fayetteville, Arkansas bounced back with a 28–3 victory in the regular season finale over Missouri in Gary Pinkel's final game coaching the Tigers.
Arkansas accepted an invitation to the Liberty Bowl to play Kansas State on Jan. 2. Thanks to three touchdowns and 185 yards from running back Alex Collins, the Razorbacks defeated the Wildcats, 45–23. It was the first time Arkansas had won back-to-back bowl games in consecutive seasons in program history, and the 45 points was the most ever in a bowl game. The Razorbacks have won each of their last three bowl games, counting back to the 2012 Cotton Bowl.
The seven regular season wins, including five in SEC play, were the most for Arkansas since Bobby Petrino's final season in 2011. That season also ended with a bowl game victory against Kansas State.
Tight end Hunter Henry and offensive guard Sebastian Tretola were named first team All-SEC. Henry was also a consensus first team All-American, and won the John Mackey Award given to the nation's best tight end. Tretola was named an All-American as well. Quarterback Brandon Allen, Collins, and offensive tackle Dan Skipper were named second team All-SEC. Freshman linebacker Dre Greenlaw was named to the SEC All-Freshman Team, as well as the Freshman All-American Team.
Collins was named the Liberty Bowl MVP. Collins would finish the season with 1,577 yards rushing, good enough for third place in the Arkansas all-time single season record book. Collins' 20 rushing touchdowns in 2015 ranks first for the Hogs program. Collins elected to leave early for the NFL draft, finishing his college career with 3,703 yards, which is second in school history behind only Darren McFadden, and 36 rushing touchdowns. He also became only the third player in school history to rush for 1,000 yards in three consecutive seasons, joining McFadden (2005–2007) and Ben Cowins (1976–1978), as well as joining McFadden and Herschel Walker as the only running backs in SEC history to have 1,000 yard seasons in their first three years playing college football.
Game summaries
UTEP
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Miners | 0 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 13 |
| #18 Razorbacks | 14 | 14 | 17 | 3 | 48 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Toledo
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockets | 6 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 16 |
| #18 Razorbacks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 5 | 12 |
at War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, AR
- Date: September 12, 2015
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 49,591
- TV: SEC Network
- Source[6]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Texas Tech
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Red Raiders | 14 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 35 |
| Razorbacks | 7 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 24 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Vs. No. 14 Texas A&M
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #14 Aggies | 0 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 7 | 28 |
| Razorbacks | 7 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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At Tennessee
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Razorbacks | 7 | 10 | 7 | 0 | 24 |
| Volunteers | 14 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 20 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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At No. 8 Alabama
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Razorbacks | 0 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 14 |
| #8 Crimson Tide | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 | 27 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Auburn
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | 2OT | 3OT | 4OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 0 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 46 |
| Razorbacks | 7 | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 54 |
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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UT Martin
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Skyhawks | 0 | 14 | 7 | 7 | 28 |
| Razorbacks | 7 | 28 | 21 | 7 | 63 |
at War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, AR
- Date: October 31
- Game time: 3:00 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 64,206
- TV: SEC Network
- Source[12]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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At No. 18 Ole Miss
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Razorbacks | 7 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 53 |
| #18 Rebels | 7 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
at Vaught–Hemingway Stadium • Oxford, MS
- Date: November 7, 2015
- Game time: 2:30 p.m. CT
- Game weather: Light Rain • Temperature: 55 °F (13 °C)
- Game attendance: 60,680
- Referee: Tom Ritter
- TV announcers (CBS): Carter Blackburn (play-by-play), Aaron Taylor (color), Jenny Dell (sideline)
- Source[13]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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At No. 9 LSU
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Razorbacks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| #9 Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Tiger Stadium • Baton Rouge, LA
- Date: November 14, 2015
- Game time: 6:15 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 101,699
- TV: ESPN
- Source[14]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Mississippi State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bulldogs | 14 | 17 | 0 | 20 | 51 |
| Razorbacks | 7 | 14 | 21 | 8 | 50 |
at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR
- Date: November 21, 2015
- Game time: 6:00 p.m. CT
- Game weather: Clear, 37 °F (3 °C)
- Game attendance: 71,936
- Referee: Hubert Owens
- TV announcers (ESPN): Mike Patrick (play-by-play), Ed Cunningham (color) and Jerry Punch (sideline)
- Source[15]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Missouri
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tigers | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Razorbacks | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium • Fayetteville, AR
- Date: November 27, 2015
- Game time: 1:30 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 65,228
- TV: CBS
- Source[16]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Vs. Kansas State
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wildcats | 10 | 3 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
| Razorbacks | 14 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 45 |
at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium • Memphis, TN
- Date: January 2, 2016
- Game time: 1:30 p.m. CT
- Game attendance: 61,136
- Referee: Ron Snodgrass
- TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Ahmad Brooks (color) and Dawn Davenport (sideline)
- Source[17]
| Game information | ||
|---|---|---|
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Personnel
Coaching staff
| Name | Position | Seasons at Arkansas | Alma mater |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bret Bielema | Head coach | 3 | Iowa (1992) |
| Dan Enos | Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks | 1 | Michigan State (1991) |
| Sam Pittman | Associate head coach/offensive line/recruiting coordinator | 3 | Pittsburg State (1986) |
| Barry Lunney Jr. | Tight ends | 3 | Arkansas (1996) |
| Michael Smith | Wide receivers | 3 | Kansas State (1991) |
| Jemal Singleton | Running backs | 1 | Air Force (1999) |
| Robb Smith | Defensive coordinator/secondary | 2 | Allegheny College (1997) |
| Vernon Hargreaves | Linebackers | 1 | Connecticut (1986) |
| Clay Jennings | Secondary | 2 | North Texas (1996) |
| Rory Segrest | Defensive line/specialists | 2 | Alabama (1996) |
| Ernest "E. K." Franks | Director of recruiting | 3 | Kansas State (2002) |
| Reference:[18] | |||