A Look Back at 3 Special Memories at War Memorial
The year was 2002. Nick Saban and the number 17 LSU Tigers had come to War Memorial Stadium. It was more than a battle for the Boot between the two rivals, it was a battle for the SEC Western Division Title. It was the “Miracle on Markham.”
I get goosebumps just typing it. It is considered by many fans and Razorback media members to be the greatest game ever played by Arkansas. It is THE game when talking about War Memorial.
Once ever so often during the history of a football program, there is a defining moment for fans and players alike. I can remember the Stoerner to Lucas throw against Tennessee like it was five minutes ago. The “Miracle on Markham” is THAT moment for most Arkansas fans. It is not rivaled by any other moment in Razorback history except for the National Championship in 1965. Everyone knows where they were and what they were doing when Arkansas was “Best in the West”.
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The Tigers came out fierce getting a 10-0 lead for the first half. Arkansas finally found the end zone in the third quarter cutting the lead to three but the tigers soon scored another touchdown going back up 17-7. Then came the fourth quarter.
Arkansas would score on a breakaway run by Talley for 56 yards to bring them back within three points of the Tigers. War Memorial Stadium was starting to come unglued at this point. LSU came back to drive down and kick a field goal, putting them back up 20-14 with 40 seconds left on the clock.
For some fans, the game was over. Arkansas had blown it and they wanted to beat the traffic, so a few filed out, however, most fans at War Memorial Stadium stayed that night to watch history. What was about to happen would shock the college football world.
The Miracle
After the field goal, Arkansas takes over at their own 19-yard line with no timeouts left. Razorback legend, Matt Jones completes a pass to Richard Smith on the very first play for 50 yards down to the 31. It was actually an underthrown pass which was perfect because had Jones led Smith it probably would have been broken up.
The chains are moved. The ball is set. The clock starts running. Jones throws but it’s incomplete. There are 17 seconds left on the clock and it’s second down. War Memorial Stadium feels like a lightning storm is right above the crowd. Everyone’s hair on their neck and arms begins to stand on end.
Jones takes the snap, drops back and takes a step to the left. He begins to scramble to his right and look downfield. He takes one step and throws to the end zone. The crowd at War Memorial goes quiet for a brief moment. Jones finds DeCori Birmingham, who is double covered in the back of the end zone, for a 31-yard touchdown. The excitement from the fans explodes and for miles around, everyone knew the Razorbacks had just done something truly amazing.
The team couldn’t hold back their excitement anymore than the tens of thousands of fans surrounding them and drew an excessive celebration penalty. Even Matt Jones, who was generally pretty chill, was losing his mind on the field. With 9 seconds left on the clock and the ball moved back to the 18-yard line, David Carlton makes the 35-yard field goal to give the hogs a 21-20 win over Nick Saban’s #17 LSU Tigers. The Arkansas Razorbacks were the Western Division SEC Champions. It was a miracle. It is the “Miracle on Markham.”
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No matter what side of the stadium debate we find ourselves on, we can all agree that War Memorial has had its share of special games.