Hogs fans take loss with a gulp

City still bustling on game night

— Arkansas fans’ hopes were dashed Saturday as the Razorbacks fell short in a bid to beat the nation’s No. 1-ranked college football team.

The Razorbacks teased the fans, taking a 10-point lead into halftime and then allowing it to slip away, ending the day with a 24-20 loss to Alabama, last year’s national champion.

“I’m the sad one,” said Conway resident Jarad Ussery, who faced spending Saturday night on Fayetteville’s Dickson Street with his girlfriend, who roots for Alabama. “I thought we had a shot.”

For decades, Dickson Street has been the city’s nightlife hub. Its nightclubs and bars afford post-game fans places to celebrate, or in Saturday’s case, drown their sorrows.

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Stephanie Woodruff of Fayetteville stood Saturday evening outside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium with hundreds of other fans.

“I think we should have won, but this is the best team Alabama has seen and will see,” Woodruff said. “We’ve got our heads held high.”

Before the game, Razorbacks fans hoped Saturday’s match-up would be defining. The day Arkansas showed a national television audience that it could put a thumping on the nation’s finest team.

During the game, fans drinking beer and soft drinks from ice chests just outside the northeast corner of the stadium shaded their eyes to see the stadium’s Razorvision screen and follow every snap of the football. With a 20-7 lead late in the third quarter, one Arkansas fan yelled “You’re going down, Alabama!”

“I’m still nervous,” said Fort Smith resident Lawrence Fitting, who gave up his seats inside the stadium so that his children and their friends could see the game. “This game ain’t over.”

Fans’ confidence waned as Alabama scored a touchdown two minutes later and cut Arkansas’ lead to 6 points.

UA student George Anderson sat with his Siberian husky, Suka, and expressed confidence that Arkansas wasn’t finished, even as Alabama again marched deep into Razorback territory.

“We’ll squeak it out,” Anderson said. “Either way, win or lose, I go to Dickson Street, but it’ll only be a couple of hours of Dickson Street if we lose and a lot longer if we win.”

But a win was not to be.

Louis Nichols, a tough-looking plumber from Fort Smith, stood near his ice chest and grumbled about his post-game plan. “We’re going to Dickson Street,” he said. “I’ll shoot some tequila to forget it.”

Mike Brown, who’s from Hope, said he felt like the Razorbacks “gave the game away in the fourth quarter.”

“But,” he said, “we’ll still go out to eat after the game because that’s what we do.”

Scott Herren, a Bentonville resident, said he was headed home to host a party that he’d planned long ago. About 15 friends were dropping in.

“We’ll celebrate the Hogs,” Herren said. “It’s been a great game. We’ve got a lot to celebrate.”

Police had extra officers on duty. Fayetteville Police Cpl. Rick Crisman said that after the game additional officers would be shifted to Dickson Street for crowd control, if necessary. The crowd - win or lose - wasn’t expected to be nearly as rowdy as the one for the Bikes, Blues and BBQ motorcycle rally next weekend.

“This is just a warm-up,” Crisman said. “Bikes Blues will be much bigger.”

On Friday night, former UA Athletic Director Frank Broyles was unwilling to make a prediction about Saturday’s game outcome. It would be “inappropriate for a former athletic director to do so,” he said.

“Anytime you beat the No. 1 team and defending champion, it sends a signal that Arkansas is to be reckoned with,” he said.

Instead, in the end, Saturday was a day of reckoning for Arkansas.

Arkansas, Pages 15 on 09/26/2010