As Arkansas heads into its regular-season finale, the question is simple but loaded:
Can the Razorbacks finally break the streak(s)?
After nine straight losses this season and ten consecutive SEC losses dating back to last year, Arkansas enters the “Battle Line” rivalry game desperate to rewrite the ending of an otherwise brutal season. But if there’s anything this team has proven in 2025, it’s that records don’t tell the full story.
Despite sitting at 2–9, Arkansas has been the feistiest, most dangerous two-win team in the country, a team no opponent has enjoyed facing.
The Most Competitive 2–9 Team in College Football
The Razorbacks boast a top-tier offense under interim head coach Bobby Petrino and a bottom-tier defense that forces them into shootouts nearly every week. They’ve shown explosiveness, creativity, and relentlessness but also a frustrating habit of self-sabotage.
- 0–6 in one-score games
- Costly penalties
- Untimely turnovers and a negative turnover margin
It’s a wild statistic: win even half of those close games, and the narrative around Arkansas is completely different. But it also underscores something important that this team never quits. Every week, they punch above their record.
This game almost certainly marks the end of Bobby Petrino’s short second stint in Fayetteville. And the players know it. Petrino has squeezed every ounce out of the roster since taking over for the fired Sam Pittman, and the team continues to play with pride, fire, and belief.
Sending him off with a rivalry win, and a trophy, would be the perfect goodbye.
The Matchup: Why Arkansas Has a Real Chance
Missouri is no pushover by any means. The Tigers own one of the country’s most dangerous rushing attacks, averaging:
- 226.1 rushing yards per game (Top 10)
- 27 rushing touchdowns
They’re led by Doak Walker Award finalist Ahmad Hardy, who’s been nearly unstoppable.
Yet Arkansas has shown it can go blow-for-blow with elite teams. They’ve put up over 500 yards spreading out Texas, gashed Texas A&M and Tennessee on the ground, and thrown the ball effectively on defenses built to stop them.
If a shootout happens, and with Arkansas, it usually does, the Razorbacks are fully capable of hanging around until the final whistle and possibly pulling off the upset.
Respect From the Other Sideline
Missouri head coach Eli Drinkwitz made it clear this week: Arkansas is far better than their record.
""Arkansas has really faced a lot of adversity this year, but they are a very dangerous team,” Drinkwitz said. “They play close games, they’re explosive on offense, and coach Petrino has done a really good job holding that team together. That team fights.""Eli Drinkwitz
Drinkwitz isn’t wrong. Arkansas hits hard, moves fast, and has made every opponent earn every win.
Keys to Ending the Streak
If Arkansas wants to break both losing streaks and reclaim the Battle Line Trophy, three things must happen:
1. Stop (or at least slow down) the run
Missouri’s run game is the engine of its offense. Arkansas doesn’t need to shut it down, just control it enough to force the Tigers into passing downs with starting QB Beau Pribula still getting comfortable coming back from injury.
2. Win the turnover battle
Arkansas' offense can score on anyone, but turnovers have killed drives and flipped momentum all season. Protect the ball, create one or two takeaways, and the Hogs immediately level the playing field.
3. Play disciplined but staying within their explosive offense
Avoid penalties. Hit the chunk plays that have been Arkansas’ hallmark. Keep Petrino’s balanced attack humming. Fewer explosive plays but more controlled, sustainable offensive drives will do the team a lot of good in this rivalry mathcup.
Combine those factors, and the upset becomes more than possible, it becomes realistic.
The Bottom Line
Arkansas may be 2–9. They may be battling through two ugly streaks. But they’re also a team that plays with heart, emotion, and explosiveness , a team universally acknowledged as a tough out.
In rivalry games, records fade. Emotion takes over. Weird things happen.
And with Petrino’s last stand, a rivalry trophy at stake, and nothing left to lose, Arkansas has every reason, and every opportunity, to end the year with a statement win.
The streak is real. But so is the fight in this Razorbacks team.