DALLAS — It is not open to argument.

Arkansas Razorbacks fans are the most loyal in the world.

Something in the neighborhood of 40, 000 came here to pull for their team.

To them, it didn’t matter if the Razorbacks were being coached by interim head coach Reggie Herring.

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Their team was playing, and they were going to be there, enduring gusting winds and bone-cold temperatures.

Even in the fourth quarter of a game that was, at best, boring if you were a Hogs fan — “To be honest, I was blindsided by the way we played today,” Herring said — they sat and waited on a miracle, something that was not going to happen on a day when saying that the playcalling was vanilla was letting the unimaginative and mostly uninspired calls off easy.

It was almost as if Arkansas had not scouted Missouri’s defense.

Or that Missouri did a better job of preparing for Arkansas ’ still mostly one-dimensional offense.

It was obvious the Razorbacks’ game plan was to shut down Chase Daniel, who finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy balloting, and they did a nice job by dropping five, six and even seven defensive backs into the secondary.

Missouri’s side of the field saw it, too, and they did something on offense the Razorbacks were unable to do. They made adjustments.

Air Missouri became an Army of 11.

The Tigers, who were inspired to prove they should have been in a Bowl Championship Series game, became Tony Temple left, Tony Temple right and Tony Temple up the middle. By the time the game ended, he was on the bullet train to the Cotton Bowl Hall of Fame.

His four touchdowns and 281 yards rushing were Cotton Bowl records, and he was named the offensive MVP.

The only thing historical for the Hogs was the all-red uniforms, and maybe new Coach Bobby Petrino’s first action will be to find those red pants and have a bonfire.

Meanwhile, the most feared runner in the country, Darren McFadden, was a marked man from the flip of the coin to the final buzzer.

He finished with 105 yards, but most of those were on second and third efforts and without the benefit of much blocking because the Tigers seemed to know the blocking schemes as well as the Hogs did.

Once again, Razorbacks fans had been promised a more exciting offense, but the only noticeable new wrinkle was Felix Jones taking some snaps at quarterback in the WildHog offense, which might need to be the first thing invited to the bonfire.

A year ago and a few times this season, the old Single Wing attack gave teams problems, but mostly it was a way to make sure the best player in America got his hands on the ball, and overall he produced against all odds.

It gave Missouri no problems.

It was a tough way to see the seniors and juniors who are weeks away from being millionaires go out. They have endured far too much, but to the bitter cold end, they never quit trying.

Even in the final 10 minutes when, with the game all but official, Herring was giving Michael Smith and others touches instead of McFadden and Jones.

Tuesday was the end of an era.

It is 99. 99 percent sure the greatest running back in UA history will enter the 2008 NFL Draft, and it is very likely Jones will follow McFadden. Arkansas also will lose 11 senior starters.

As disappointing as Tuesday was for the Razorbacks and their loyal nation, this might be the last bowl game for a while.

A new era begins today, and there is much work for Petrino to do. It will take time for him to find his type of players.

He inherits some talent, but it is scattered.

Tuesday, the Razorbacks got beat by a better team, one they dominated just four years ago in the Independence Bowl.

The greatest fans in the nation will find themselves needing to be patient for two, maybe three years.