Powder River Play

[big gumbo]

No. 7 Arkansas 6, No. 5 Ole Miss 0

Perhaps the most famous paly in UA football history occurred on Oct. 23, 1954. Coach Bowden Wyatt and his legendary " 25 Little Pigs" were battling Johhny Vaught's mighty Ole Miss Rebels at War Memorial Stadium. The two teams had played to a deadlock and with 6 minutes left to go in the contest Arkansas began a drive from its own 17. The Hogs advanced the ball to the 30. At that point assistant coach Dick Hitt called down from the press box to suggest they run the scheme that was known as the "Powder River Play." The Hogs may not get the ball again and if ever there was a time to it, this was it, Hitt told Wyatt.

The unique play moniker was termed by Coach Wyatt who had come to Arkansas from Wyoming where the Powder River runs a mile ide and six inches deep. Wyatt knew that if his best passer, George Walker, was in the huddle, the Rebs might expect a pass. So on third and 6 at the UA 34, Wyatt made the play call with run specialist Buddy Bob Benson in the game.

Benson took the snap and darted towards the sideline. As Benson strung the play out both teams sprinted toward that side of the field. The was everyone except reciever Preston Carpenter who faked a block one the end and then snuck by Ole Miss' safety Houston Pattonand advanced behind the hard charging Rebs' secondary

As Benson neared the the boundary, he pulled up and lofted a pass 33 yards to the waiting Carpenter. The ball barely cleared a last ditch dive effort by Patton and Carpenter hauled it in and raced another 33 yeards to complete a 66 yard touchdown.

Razorback fans rejoiced in the win over No. 5 Ole Miss

Taken from the 2004 Arkansas football media guide

[bigwater]

i tell ya i aint no ole miss fan.. but since were reliving things... all i can think about is that poor ark.. running back who was hit so hard by chris mitchell that his ear pad fell out his helmet...

i think its referred to as "the hit"... took place over by the sideline.. seems like it was late in the game.. maybe the running back was about to score a touchdown...

maybe some um fan can enlighten us more on this game.. seems like it was late 80's or early 90's..


son he lit that ol boy up...

[SWAG]

I remember seeing that replay a good number of times Bigwater. He put the lick-log on that RB.

[bigwater]

it was a vicious hit.. now if i remember correctly this play occurred around the goal line.. seems like ark.. was about to score, the running back had a pretty good head of steam and was moving briskly towards the end zone...

but boooommmmm.. son that ol running backs mometum was completly killed.. he didn't go forward another inch.. only backwards...

as a football fan you gotta like that hit...

[RebelYelp]

stopped at the 1...... as time expired

[bigwater]

dumbo .. you remeber that hit don't ya...

[mudsucker]

Look who shows up now that feetball is fixing to start! Dumbo

[Po Monkey Lounger]

I remember "The HIT" very well ---I was there.

I was treated like a Big Pig that day, with tickets from my hog-in-laws to Hog Heaven (skybox) and outdoor tickets smack dab on the 50 yard line about half way up (below the skybox) on the west side. My wife and I cheered for our Rebs, much to the horror of the surrounding Hog fans, the entire game. The folks sitting next to us demanded to know where we got our tickets ---they could not believe that we could have obtained such tickets among the Hog elite. My wife explained that she got them from her mother's cousin (who is a big time Hog supporter), and it turned out these folks were related to my wife. Things calmed down a little after that.

But, I digress. The game came down to one last play. Arkansas had the ball, with just enough time remaining on the clock for one final play, goal to goal, from inside the 5. A TD was needed for the win. I was so excited and tense that I needed oxygen. Right before I was about to pass out, Quinn Grovey took the snap and pitched the ball to the Arkansas RB (Dickerson I think) who tried to go around the corner to the left side (the west side of the stadium) and was met by UM safety Chris Mitchell at about the 1-2 yard line. The "hit" was so hard and vicious that it stopped the Ark. RB dead in his tracks and caused both players to be temporarily knocked out on the field. The officials did not signal a TD and indicated that the game was over in UM's favor. After it was determined that the players were ok, the party started in the stands with the Ole Miss faithful who had made the trip. The Arkansas fans were speechless, muttering incoherently as they quietly exited the stadium in stunned disbelief. My wife and I made our way toward the south endzone of the stadium to get as close to the other Rebel fans as we could to enjoy the party. We did not leave the stadium until about an hour later, after the players and coaches returned to the field to greet the fans. There is nothing quite like a big road win to galvanize the faithful fans in attendance with the team and coaches. After a little more tailgating later to allow the game crowd to disperse, we headed downtown to Juanita's to enjoy some great food and drink with other Reb fans ---Little Rock was rocking that night.

That was a true "classic" in the Rebs-Hogs series. Glad I was a witness to it. And I sure appreciated all the Hogs' fine pre-game and gametime hospitality in Hog Heaven and on the fifty with the Big Pigs.

[Po Monkey Lounger]

The old "Powder River Play" game was a tad before my time.