Arkansas Sports 360 - ArkansasSports360.com

11/15/2010 at 6:08am

Image by Mark Wagner

FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas quarterback Ryan Mallett wanted the full Razorback player experience on Saturday against Texas-El Paso.

Mallett asked Bobby Petrino if he could take the night off from his duties as team captain to run through the "A" with his teammates. Captains don’t go through the traditional entrance because they’re busy meeting with officials and the opponent captains pregame.

Presumably, Mallett made the request because it was his final game at Reynolds Razorback Stadium. Mallett wouldn’t say, so read into the situation what you will.

What Mallett did say about the moment was … well… it wasn’t quite what he was hoping for as the lead-in to a 58-21 victory against the Miners.

“When we came out, a couple of us were a little bit disappointed," Mallett said. "The stadium was kind of empty for senior night. The seniors, I thought they ... I thought more people would come see those guys. They’ve been here four or five years and been through a bunch of changes. We’re a little disappointed in that. Other than that, it was a fun night.”

Whoa.

Hearing Mallett voice that opinion was surprising, but it was not nearly as surprising as looking out from the press box and seeing a decline in attendance for the third consecutive game.

Kudos to the folks who attended. Even the ones who left when the game got out of hand deserve credit for braving temperatures that dipped below 40 degrees.

Being a fan isn’t easy. It’s not cheap. No argument here.

Arkansas announced the crowd at 67,330, less than its opener against Tennessee Tech (69,596). And even if the number Saturday was 100 percent accurate, it was a decline from Vanderbilt (70,430), which was a decline from Ole Miss (73,619). That means as the Razorbacks’ BCS ranking has increased down the stretch, the crowds have decreased.

Friends, fans and colleagues have offered up an assortment of theories.

One fan in particular has attempted each week — via Twitter (presumably from the comfort of his couch) — to explain the lack of capacity crowds in Fayetteville. It’s always something.

Seats were empty against Ole Miss because the 11 a.m. kickoff was “too early.” Tennessee's struggling Volunteers managed to draw 96,044 on Saturday for a noon kickoff against those same Rebels.

A week later the Arkansas-Vanderbilt game kicked off at 6 p.m. Once again, the seats weren’t full. Why? We were told "Halloween," which actually was the next night. Who knew Fayetteville was the only town in the SEC full of children going door-to-door for candy?

This week? UTEP was an "unappealing opponent." Meanwhile LSU — a program rabid Razorback fans should aspire to become — drew 92,518 on Saturday night in Baton Rouge. Not for a Top 10 matchup with Auburn or Alabama. It wasn’t even Vanderbilt. LSU packed the house for — get this — Louisiana-Monroe.

The only logical conclusion is that Razorback fans feel great about the state of the program under Coach Bobby Petrino. So great, in fact, that 10,000 or so folks passed up an opportunity to see arguably the greatest quarterback in school history in person. Mallett has now tied 35 school or stadium (any stadium, not just Reynolds Razorback Stadium) records in less than two seasons.

Mallett, who threw for five touchdowns and ran for another, isn’t the sort of talent you take for granted. And Mallett is far from the only great player who donned all red in Razorback Stadium on Saturday.

Fayetteville bid farewell to 21 seniors. Guys like Ramon Broadway and Ben Cleveland who survived the turmoil of 2006. DeMarcus Love and D.J. Williams were among those who overcame the uncertainty of 2007 and 2008 as Houston Nutt’s tenure wound down and Bobby Petrino took over.

Now they’ve got the Razorbacks within two wins of a possible Sugar Bowl berth.

Their reward? A less than full stadium at kickoff.

Petrino has the Razorbacks in position to win 10 games in the regular season for just the second time since 1989. It’s something the program has done only five times since 1979. Since joining the SEC in 1992, Arkansas has only won at least nine games four times.

But looking into the stands Saturday night before kickoff you’d think this sort of thing happens all the time in Fayetteville. It doesn’t.

Mallett knew that. It’s why he wanted to savor the evening as much as he possibly could.

Tagged: Arkansas Razorbacks, Ryan Mallett, Bobby Petrino, D.J. Williams, DeMarcus Love, Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium