Arkansas Business

This story is from the archives of ArkansasSports360.com.

Arkansas began the season motivated by the thought of playing for a national title. A week after losing to a 30-point underdog, the Razorbacks shifted focus to remaining undefeated in the SEC.

Top-ranked Alabama quickly ended any thoughts of that happening and the team then turned its attention to rallying around a quarterback returning from concussion. Rutgers won and the focus once again changed.

As the Razorbacks (1-3) enter Saturday’s game at Texas A&M facing the possibility of the worst start to a season since the 1960s, their target has again shifted.

There have been other 1-3 starts, but Arkansas teams — like the 2005 version — were able to avoid losing four of their first five. Frank Broyles’ 1967 squad opened 1-3-1. You’d have to go back to Broyles’ first season to find a team with an even worse start. That bunch went 0-6.

So the Razorbacks could stand to avoid making more awful history this season. A win would further salvage hope of making the postseason.

But that’s not what the Razorbacks say they are playing for at this point.

Wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, whose record 303 yards was squandered in last week’s loss to Rutgers, said none of the other stuff matters now. These Razorbacks are playing purely for, well, the Razorbacks.

“[It’s] not for the fans. It’s not for anybody. It’s for each other,” Hamilton said when asked what is left to play for this season. “Keeping each other together. Keeping each other intact. We’re still a team. We’re still brothers. We still work hard. We still go out there and we sweat together. So like I said, we’re just doing it for each other and trying to get this season finished off.”

Perhaps that will do the trick for the Razorbacks. Nothing else has worked and time is running out on 2012 before we’ve even reached the halfway point.

If there’s any rallying point this week beyond being a band of brothers it’s that the Razorbacks have a 3-0 record against Texas A&M the past three seasons. And, as center Travis Swanson pointed out earlier this week the Razorbacks are 4-0 in Texas when you include last year’s Cotton Bowl victory against Kansas State.

Arkansas used a 17-point comeback against Texas A&M to salvage last season. After beating the Aggies the team went on a seven-game tear.

Of course that Arkansas team had Bobby Petrino. More playmakers on offense. A bad, but less awful defense. And Texas A&M had Mike Sherman on the sidelines and a propensity for blowing halftime leads.