Friday’s Arkansas Razorbacks–Missouri Tigers game in Fayetteville really got out of hand fast, despite a lopsided final score.
Missouri ran roughshod over the Razorbacks to the tune of a 48-14 final score, but even more notable than the dominant Tigers’ win was the massive brawl that broke out late in the second quarter.
With Missouri up 10-0, Tigers offensive lineman Cam’Ron Johnson kept pushing Arkansas lineman Zach Williams on the ground after the whistle, leading to a significant Razorbacks response from John Morgan III.
Both benches were held back as a circle of players fought and brawled their way across most of the field. Punches were also thrown, leading to several player ejections.
“Look, there are probably more than just the amount they announced that could be ejected and quite frankly should be ejected,” Steratore said on the broadcast. “It’s a really tough place to be at as an official.”
Arkansas Razorbacks Going Down Fighting
The fight didn’t start in a vacuum. One play earlier, Arkansas was called for a late hit penalty after showing Missouri quarterback Brady Cook out of bounds.
After the game, Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz was, unsurprisingly, critical of the Razorbacks, saying “We were here to play football. They were here to fight.”
It’s an ignominious end to the season for Arkansas, closing out a disappointing 4-8 campaign with a 1-7 conference record. Head coach Sam Pittman likely isn’t quite ready for the official hot seat treatment, but it’s rapidly getting there.
The fight obviously wasn’t his fault, but the Razorbacks were never really competitive in Friday’s game. Or for much of the season, for that matter. It’s never a great sign for a program when the most exciting part of the game for the home fans is a fight, but that’s the kind of year it’s been in Fayetteville.