The 2012 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the
University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States. It is the Flagship campus, flagship campus of the University of Arkan ...
during the
2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season was the highest level of college football competition in the United States organized by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).
The regular season began on August 30, 2012, and ended on D ...
. The Razorbacks played their home games at
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium is an American football stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and serves as the home field of the University of Arkansas Razorbacks football team since its opening in 1938. The stadium was formerly known as Razor ...
in
Fayetteville Fayetteville may refer to:
*Fayetteville, Alabama
*Fayetteville, Arkansas
** The Fayetteville Formation
*Fayetteville, Georgia
*Fayetteville, Illinois
*Fayetteville, Indiana
*Fayetteville, Washington County, Indiana
*Fayetteville, Missouri
*Fayette ...
and
War Memorial Stadium War Memorial Stadium may refer to:
* Ada War Memorial Stadium, in Ada, Ohio, also known as ''War Memorial Stadium''
* War Memorial Stadium (Arkansas), Little Rock, Arkansas
* War Memorial Stadium (Austin, Texas) (former official name 1924–1947), ...
in
Little Rock, Arkansas
Little Rock is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Arkansas, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arkansas. The city's population was 202,591 as of the 2020 census. The six-county Central Arkan ...
. They were a member of the Western Division of the
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is a collegiate List of NCAA conferences, athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central United States, South Central and Southeastern United States. Its 16 members in ...
.
The Razorbacks entered the season coming off of a win in the
2012 Cotton Bowl Classic
The 2012 AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic, the 76th edition of the game, was a post-season American college football bowl game, held on January 6, 2012 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas as part of the 2011–12 NCAA Bowl season.
The game, which wa ...
, finishing the season with an 11–2 record and a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll. However, head coach
Bobby Petrino
Robert Patrick Petrino (born March 10, 1961) is an American college football coach who is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Arkansas. He served as the head football coach at Missouri State from 2020 to 2022. P ...
was fired in the offseason after it was discovered that he covered up an extramarital affair with a member of his staff. Athletic director
Jeff Long decided to hire former special teams coordinator
John L. Smith, who had recently left to become the head coach at
Weber State, as their head coach on a 10-month contract. Despite these circumstances, the Razorbacks were ranked No. 10 in the AP preseason poll.
The Razorbacks started their season with a win over Jacksonville State, defeating former head coach
Jack Crowe
Jack Crowe (born May 2, 1947) is an American former college football coach. He played quarterback at West End High School in Birmingham, Alabama. He was most recently the head coach at Jacksonville State University in Alabama, a position he held ...
, and rose to No. 8 in the AP poll. However, after an upset loss to unranked Louisiana–Monroe in overtime, they dropped out of the poll. The Razorbacks would never re-enter the poll, as this loss began a 4-game losing streak, and an eventual 4–8 finish. After the season, it was decided that Smith's contract would not be renewed. Instead, the Razorbacks chose to hire
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
head coach
Bret Bielema
Bret Arnold Bielema (; born January 13, 1970) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a position he has held since the 2021 season. Bielema served as the head football coach at ...
.
Personnel
Coaching staff
Recruits
Schedule
*
Source: ArkansasRazorbacks.com: 2012 Arkansas football schedule
Game summaries
No. 22 (FCS) Jacksonville State
Louisiana–Monroe
No. 1 Alabama
Rutgers
At Texas A&M
At Auburn
Kentucky
Ole Miss
Tulsa
At No. 12 South Carolina
At Mississippi State
No. 8 LSU
Rankings
Notes
* December 4, 2012 –
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
head coach
Bret Bielema
Bret Arnold Bielema (; born January 13, 1970) is an American football coach. He is the head football coach at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, a position he has held since the 2021 season. Bielema served as the head football coach at ...
has accepted the vacant coaching position at Arkansas for next season.
References
{{Arkansas Razorbacks football navbox
Arkansas
Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the West South Central region of the Southern United States. It borders Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, Texas to the southwest, and Oklahoma ...
Arkansas Razorbacks football seasons
Arkansas Razorbacks football
The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Arkansas Razorbacks, Razorbacks compete in the
Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association ...