FAYETTEVILLE, Arkansas — The scrimmage started at 9:15 on a Saturday night in late August, which was the whole point. No media, save for one reporter, were allowed inside a scrimmage closed to everybody else. On the field of Donald W.
Reynolds Razorback Stadium was a 121-man roster, a full crew of SEC officials flown in to throw real flags, and a first-year head coach who had decided that if his team was going to play a football game in Salt Lake City at 9:15 p.m. CT on Sept. 12, they ought to find out what their legs feel like at that hour. Ryan Silverfield walked onto the field and looked over his team as they prepared to stretch.
The offense and defense were split into four teams. He named the teams Aura and Drip, made up of starters and backups. "You questioned my aura," he said, "so I figured I'd use it." Previously, the teams were called Cool and Rad.
Then, Arkansas posted a photograph of its new head coach on social media in July -- harsh lighting, red polo shirt, arms folded, jaw set, expression flat. The internet had a field day and decided Arkansas' Head Hog looked less like an SEC head coach than a man who sells tires. The man had no aura, they said, no drip.
The post drew 1.9 million views. Silverfield has since absorbed the joke and weaponized it. That is roughly how the entire operation works around here now.
Not a joke, not a minute, not a light bulb, not a zipper on a special teams jersey. Arkansas won two games last season. Sam Pittman was fired Sept. 28 after a 56-13 loss to Notre Dame.
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