The 1947 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the

University of Arkansas The University of Arkansas (U of A, UArk, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Fayetteville, Arkansas. It is the flagship campus of the University of Arkansas System and the largest university in the state. Founded as Arkansas ...

in the

Southwest Conference The Southwest Conference (SWC) was an NCAA Division I college athletic conference in the United States that existed from 1914 to 1996. Composed primarily of schools from Texas, at various times the conference included schools from Oklahoma an ...

(SWC) during the

1947 college football season The 1947 college football season finished with Notre Dame, Michigan, and Penn State all unbeaten and untied, but the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame were the first place choice for 107 of the 142 voters in the final AP Poll in early December, and re ...

. In their second year under head coach John Barnhill, the Razorbacks compiled a 6–4–1 record (1–4–1 against SWC opponents), finished in a tie for fifth place in the SWC, and outscored their opponents by a combined total of 191 to 145.

Clyde Scott Clyde Luther Scott (August 29, 1924 – January 30, 2018) was an American athlete who competed professionally in the National Football League and earned an Olympic medal in the 110 meter hurdles. He was born in Dixie, Louisiana. Biography ...

led the Razorbacks in rushing in 1947 with 659 rushing yards on 152 carries (4.3 yard average).

Quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Kenny Holland was the leading passer, completing 25 of 46 passes for 360 yards.

Ross Pritchard Ross Pritchard (September 3, 1924 – July 8, 2020) served as the fourteenth chancellor of the University of Denver from 1978 to 1984. Background Pritchard was born September 3, 1924. He married Emily Gregg in 1948, and the couple had seven ...

was the team's leading receiver with 15 catches for 266 yards.

Schedule

Dixie Bowl

Arkansas was set to play in the inaugural

Dixie Bowl The Dixie Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game held New Year's Day at Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama.Foldesy, Jody. "Bowls burgeon as big business", ''The Washington Times''. December 21, 1997. Page A1. The game was only held tw ...

, which was the first of only two ever played, against a 9–1 William & Mary team. The Indians got on top early, recovering a Razorback fumbled quick-kick on the Arkansas six yard line, after which

Jack Cloud Jack Martin Cloud (January 1, 1925 – June 19, 2010) was an American football linebacker and fullback in the National Football League for the Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins. He was inducted into the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame ...

scored from the one to give fourteenth-ranked William & Mary a 7–0 lead. The Indians drove another 78 yards, with Cloud again hitting pay dirt, but QB Stan Magdziak could not convert the

extra point The conversion, try (American football, also known as a point(s) after touchdown, PAT, or (depending on the number of points) extra point/2-point conversion), or convert (Canadian football) occurs immediately after a touchdown during which the sc ...

, leaving the score 13–0. The Razorbacks answered with a 59-yard touchdown pass from Kenny Holland to Ross Pritchard. Moments later,

defensive halfback The halfback in Canadian football, and most commonly the Canadian Football League, currently refers to the defensive back rather than the running back, as in American football. The defensive halfback lines up inside covering the slotback. They ar ...

Melvin McGaha would intercept an errant Indian pass and returned it 70 yards for a touchdown. Aubrey Fowler's extra point was true, and the Razorbacks had a one-point lead. After halftime, William & Mary took back the lead with a six-yard strike from Magdziak to Henry Bland, but the extra point was again no good. A 97-yard Razorback drive was capped by

Leon Campbell Leon Campbell (January 20, 1881 – May 10, 1951) was an American astronomer. He is noted for his observations of variable stars at the Harvard College Observatory. He served as Recorder of Observations for the AAVSO from its earliest days in 19 ...

sprinting in from seven yards out with five minutes to play to give Arkansas a 21–19 lead, one that would not be relinquished. The crowd of 21,000 watched Arkansas push their record in bowl games to 1–0–2, which could have been 0–0–3 had the Indians converted two extra points. Arkansas rushed for 103 yards against a William & Mary team that was allowing 61.5 yards per contest, second behind only

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

's 17 yards per game.

Scoring summary

References

{{Arkansas Razorbacks football navbox

Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...

Arkansas Razorbacks football seasons

Arkansas Razorbacks football The Arkansas Razorbacks football program represents the University of Arkansas in the sport of American football. The Razorbacks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Weste ...