FAYETTEVILLE — For the first time in two years, Arkansas will enter its next football game without an SEC losing streak hanging over its head.
Until Saturday's 31-21 victory over Vanderbilt in Nashville, the Razorbacks had lost 14 consecutive SEC games, their third double-digit SEC losing streak in the last 14 years. Now, Ryan Silverfield and the Hogs are looking to start an SEC winning streak on Oct. 31 against No. 22 Missouri.
"Wins are hard to come by," Silverfield said Wednesday. "I don't care who you're playing, what it looks like when it happens. That win for me had absolutely nothing to do with my own emotions or feelings. Like, yes, I'm happy, but more... for the fans. The fans, people are like, 'That was monumental. We needed that.'
"So they're saying it's almost like a sigh of relief for so many people. We're not talking about this bad streak, right? I heard that Trey [Biddy] did his [walk and talk] and was positive. We need those things, and it's my job to make sure that these things are occurring. I'm happy for the win, but more so happy for everybody that's been waiting for something like that SEC win. This one is huge, and guess what? The next one's more important."
Rivalry game on deck
Silverfield's first trophy game as the head coach at Arkansas is next on the schedule, with the Razorbacks welcoming Missouri to Fayetteville on Oct. 31 for a primetime matchup.
"The Battle Line trophy, I heard it's over four feet tall," Silverfield said of the silver trophy that weighs over 180 pounds. "I know their head coach [Eli Drinkwitz] is from this great state. [I] coached against him in [2023], actually. I know a lot fans said, 'this is a big one.' They're all big , and for us, it's a nameless face as an opponent, with so much respect to them. They're a ranked team coming here, and the opportunity for us to go out there and perform at our highest level.
"I love traditions. I love rivalry games. I love all those things, and I will continue to talk to our team about some of those things because I don't want that to ever get lost. But out there during practice, we're not sitting there thinking about a trophy."
Kickoff between Arkansas and No. 22 Missouri is set for 6:45 p.m. on Oct. 31, with coverage on SEC Network and the Razorback Sports Network.
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