Everything really is bigger in Texas. New Cowboys Stadium is built to epically large proportions, but the Arkansas Razorbacks felt right at home in their first appearance on the new field, defeating the Texas A&M Aggies, 47-19.
The real attraction of the game was no doubt, the venue in which it was played. Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, an Arkansas alum, spared no expense during construction of football’s crown jewel.
While official figures have put the stadium’s cost at $1.15 billion, a tour of the mammoth confines puts the number at an astounding $1.4 billion and even suggests the inflated number could still climb.
The 60-yard video screen is mesmerizing and the cascading levels of seats and luxury boxes stretches to towering heights.
The view from outside may be the most spectacular. The exterior is almost entirely glass and the structure itself is so colossal it can be seen for tens of miles.
Nothing quite like it has ever been built and it’s hard to believe it is real even when you are standing in its shadows.
“Jerry World” or “The Death Star” is something truly incredible to behold even if the sheer size of it conjures up frightening images of an alien spaceship concocted in Hollywood.
On a cold, rainy day in Arlington, the Hogs burned up the turf inside the stadium during their rout of the Aggies.
A&M took an early 10-0 lead as the Arkansas offense was forced to punt on its first three possessions. Once they got going, it was a very one-sided affair.
Hogs quarterback Ryan Mallet threw four touchdowns to four different receivers and Arkansas seized control of the game in the second quarter racing to a 30-10 lead at halftime.
Texas A&M came in undefeated and featured the nation’s leading offense that was generating almost 575 yards a game and also led the country with 4.67 sacks a game.
But Arkansas proved stronger than the weak opposition the Aggies had racked up stats against. A&M wore white helmets for the first time in more than 30 years and had its half of the 71,872 fans in attendance rocking back in forth in the spirit of their famous “12th Man” early on, but Mallet was too much.
The sophomore transfer from Michigan grew up going to Arkansas football games before moving to Texas where he led Texarkana to a state title in 2006. In four games, he has thrown for 1,148 yards and 11 TDs.
The biggest play of the game happened halfway through the second quarter. Trailing 14-10 but inside Arkansas’ red zone, A&M fumbled and Razorback linebacker Jerry Franklin scooped it up and took it 85 yards the other way for a touchdown.
What could have been at least three points for the Aggies ended up being seven the other way and they never threatened again.
The Southwest Classic, named for the now defunct Southwest Conference of which both teams used to routinely battle for supremacy, has a 10-year commitment from both schools and Cowboys Stadium.
Texas has always been a mecca for football and all the passion and craze that goes with it. The pilgrimage to the new altar was every bit the once-in-a lifetime experience the trip entails.