HOUSTON -- Arkansas' first bowl game in Houston evokes bittersweet memories for the men who played in it, even while its importance as the Razorbacks' only victory over Florida still resonates today.
Arkansas received an invitation to the Bluebonnet Bowl, to be played in the old Astrodome against Florida on Dec. 31, 1982, after a maddening end to a once promising season.
1982 BLUEBONNET BOWL
Arkansas 28, Florida 24
SITE Houston Astrodome
ATTENDANCE 31,557
NOTEWORTHY Arkansas running back Gary Anderson scored rushing touchdowns of 17 yards and 1 yard and rushed for 161 yards. … Arkansas defensive back Danny Walters recovered a fumble and intercepted a halfback pass in the end zone. … Fullback Jessie Clark caught a touchdown pass from Tom Jones, and Jones’ 1-yard sneak was the winning score. … Florida receiver Dwayne Dixon caught three touchdown passes from Bob Hewko, both still opponent bowl records for Arkansas. … The Razorbacks had two All-Americans on the team: offensive lineman Steve Korte and defensive end Billy Ray Smith. … The Bluebonnet Bowl, named for the state flower of Texas, was in existence from 1959 to 1987. The game was played at Rice Stadium its first nine years, then moved to the Astrodome, where it was renamed the Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl, in 1968. The game moved back to Rice Stadium for two years starting in 1985 and its final edition was played in the Astrodome.
The Razorbacks came from behind to beat Florida 28-24 on the hard mat in America's original domed stadium to cap a 9-2-1 season. Arkansas finished with the No. 9 ranking in the final Associated Press poll and in the No. 8 spot in the UPI poll in Coach Lou Holtz's second-to-last season in Fayetteville.
A top-10 finish with a bowl victory would be satisfactory for many teams, but not the 1982 Razorbacks.
"We all had goals, we all wanted to win it all," said running back Gary Anderson, a senior who rushed for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the bowl game. "It wasn't the year we wanted it to be, but we ended it in a nice bowl game against a team that was supposed to be very good, and, of course, was picked to beat us up pretty good."
Arkansas' Bluebonnet Bowl matchup was its first football game against Florida, and remains the Razorbacks' only victory over the Gators (Arkansas is 0-9 vs. Florida since joining the SEC).
It was also the Hogs' only postseason appearance in Houston before Monday's showdown against Texas in the Texas Bowl at NRG Stadium.
"What stuck out to me and probably most of the other seniors was that we fought hard and we won some games, but that senior class should've been someplace else," said Arkansas defensive end Billy Ray Smith, who posted two sacks in the game while working against future seven-time NFL All-Pro tackle Lomas Brown.
"No offense to Houston and no offense to the Bluebonnet Bowl, but that group of guys -- with Gary Anderson and Jessie Clark and Steve Korte, the guys we had on the defensive side of the ball -- we came up a little short of what we really set out as our goals at the beginning of the season.
"I think we were all pretty angry about it. We did the best we could to bring it out on the field with us when we played Florida."
Center Jay Bequette, a senior on the 1982 team, said playing in the Bluebonnet Bowl was a bit of a letdown.
"The year before that we played in the Gator, which was a bigger bowl," Bequette said. "Then two years before that, most of these guys have played in the Sugar Bowl vs. Alabama, a No. 1 vs. No. 3 matchup."
The pairing had special meaning for linebacker David Bazzel, a sophomore who drew a starting assignment in Houston due to starter Bert Zinamon's injury, because he was from Panama City, Fla., and knew some of the Gators personally.
"I remember it was two talented teams who both felt we had underachieved for that year," Bazzel said. "You take away a couple of plays and that [Arkansas] team could have been playing for a national championship.
"That's what we expected at the beginning of the year."
Florida, coached by Charley Pell, expected to see the Razorbacks in the Veer offense they had run that season, but Arkansas had a wrinkle -- a mostly I-formation offensive attack that would carry on into Holtz's 1983 team.
"It worked out great for me," said Anderson, who had touchdown runs of 17 yards and 1 yard. "It put me deeper in the backfield so I could see more. I could see more holes coming right at it instead of going sideways."
Florida sported NFL talent on both sides of the ball. Brown and four running backs -- Lorenzo Hampton, James Jones, Neal Anderson and John L. Williams -- all made it to the league. On defense, safety Tony Lilly was a longtime Denver Bronco and linebacker Wilber Marshall went on to star on the 1985 Chicago Bears Super Bowl champion team.
The Gators led by 10 points twice, the last time at 24-14 on Dwayne Dixon's 18-yard touchdown catch, his third score of the game from quarterback Bob Hewko.
Arkansas pulled to within 24-21 on fullback Jessie Clark's short touchdown pass from Tom Jones, who alternated with Brad Taylor at quarterback. Jones' 1-yard sneak capped Arkansas' comeback and put the Hogs ahead for good.
"I'll never forget the last drive of the game," Bequette said. "We went up with a late touchdown and ... we get the ball back with like 6 1/2 minutes left. We go on a 60-yard drive. We don't even score, but we burn up all their timeouts and all of the clock with just a grind it, three yards and a cloud of dust drive and end it with the ball, kneeling down. It was pretty cool."
The Razorbacks started the season 7-0 and were ranked No. 5 before losing 24-17 at Baylor. After a 35-0 rout of Texas A&M, No. 9 Arkansas faced No. 2 SMU on the road and came away with a 17-17 tie that haunts the Hogs to this day.
Leading 17-10 in the fourth quarter, Arkansas took exception to a defensive pass interference spot foul that the Razorbacks contend was on an uncatchable ball. The penalty led to an SMU touchdown and Coach Bobby Collins elected to kick the extra point, knowing a tie would put the Mustangs in the Cotton Bowl as the league champion.
"Worst call ever in Razorback history," Bazzel said.
A flat Arkansas team was thumped 33-7 at Texas two weeks later, setting up the Bluebonnet Bowl matchup against Florida.
"You always remember your last game, I don't care which game it is," Anderson said. "It was great, because all they talked about was Wilber Marshall and the defense of Florida.
"It was just an incredibly talented bunch of guys, on both sides of the football," Smith said. "We just came up short on a few Saturdays and it ended up costing us a chance to be in a little bit more prestigious bowl game."
Sports on 12/27/2014