For decades, other Arkansas schools didn’t have the opportunity to play the University of Arkansas.
That has changed, and the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff football team is set to face the Razorbacks for the second time in four years Thursday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.
UAPB Coach Alonzo Hampton said his team is excited to play the Hogs.
“Obviously, that is the excitement just to be able to say you playing the best team in the state, and then you get a chance to go out there and kinda see where you are, where you measure up,” Hampton said. “So, that is the exciting part about it.”
Independent reporting for Pine Bluff & Jefferson County since 1879.
The Golden Lions are unquestionably massive underdogs entering Thursday night. The Hogs are 49.5-point favorites according to Bet Saracen. Arkansas won the first meeting three years ago, 45-3.
Arkansas is 160-38-4 against teams not currently in the Football Bowl Subdivision according to Winsipedia, but Hampton knows what it takes to upset a Southeastern Conference foe.
During his playing days at Northeast Louisiana University, now known as University of Louisiana at Monroe, Hampton and his teammates defeated two SEC opponents. NLU defeated Kentucky 21-14 in 1994 and Mississippi State 34-32 in 1995.
Hampton said though Arkansas has plenty of advantages, it is just football.
“It’s 11 men versus 11 men,” Hampton said. “At the end of the day, you’re talking about 60 minutes. You gotta look that man in the eye for 60 minutes and whoop him time and time again. So, we’re excited about that opportunity, and as I told our players, you want to take one play at a time, want to play as hard as you can for as long as you can.”
Hampton commented it would have been nice to play this game second rather than first due to the sheer number of newcomers he has on the team, but he emphasized he doesn’t want to be involved in creating the schedule. He and his players will play whoever, whenever they are told.
For many of UAPB’s players, this will be their first time playing an SEC foe in front of a huge crowd, but they have made it clear they aren’t intimidated.
Transfer offensive lineman Keavius Barnes said the Golden Lions’ underdog status motivates them.
“Being the underdog, people don’t have faith in you,” Barnes said. “They look over you, look down on you. So, being an underdog, it takes up a lot in wanting to be able to show the people that we can be bigger than what people expect from us.”
UAPB fans have reason to believe the Golden Lions can stand up to Goliath. The football team started well against FBS foe Tulsa last year, even if the Golden Hurricane pulled away in the second quarter.
Last year, the Lady Lions basketball team went to Fayetteville and defeated Arkansas, 74-70. The UAPB baseball team hung with a highly ranked UA baseball team for several innings.
Hampton said what happened in other sports has no bearing on his team, but he knows the fan base believes.
“Obviously, for our fan base, it’s important to them,” Hampton said. “I think some of them have expectations that we’re going to go in, and we’re going to score 100 points, and we’re going to shut them down. I want them to keep that confidence, and I want them to expect great things from us.”