The 2011 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represents 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 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Razorbacks were led by fourth year head coach

Bobby Petrino Robert Patrick Petrino (born March 10, 1961) is an American football coach. He currently serves as the Offensive Coordinator for the Texas A&M Aggies. He is the former head coach for the Missouri State Bears. Previously, he served as the head coa ...

and played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium and two at

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), ...

. They are a member of the Western Division of the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities of ...

. They finished the season with an 11–2 overall record, 6–2 in SEC West Division play, finishing in 3rd place with losses to

LSU Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) is a public land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The university was founded in 1860 near ...

and

Alabama (We dare defend our rights) , anthem = "Alabama (state song), Alabama" , image_map = Alabama in United States.svg , seat = Montgomery, Alabama, Montgomery , LargestCity = Huntsville, Alabama, Huntsville , LargestCounty = Baldwin County, Al ...

, the two teams that played in the BCS National Championship Game. They were invited to 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, 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season, 2012 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas as part of the 2011– ...

and defeated

Kansas State Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

29–16. The win capped off only the third 11-win season in Arkansas' 119-year football history. They also finished fifth in the final AP Poll—their highest national ranking since finishing third in

1977 Events January * January 8 – Three bombs explode in Moscow within 37 minutes, killing seven. The bombings are attributed to an Armenian separatist group. * January 10 – Mount Nyiragongo erupts in eastern Zaire (now the Democratic R ...

. Tyler Wilson became the first Arkansas QB to be voted 1st Team All-SEC. Although this season was very successful, this would ultimately be Petrino's final season as head coach at Arkansas, as he was fired in the offseason. After a motorcycle accident on April 1, 2012 lead to the discovery that he had covered up an extramarital affair with a member of his staff, and that Petrino had hired the young lady in question over several other applicants for the position. It was also revealed that he paid her money as a "gift", and then lied about the entire incident to then Athletic Director Jeff Long, prompting Long to release Petrino with cause.

Schedule

Personnel

Coaching staff

Roster

Rankings

Game summaries

Missouri State

New Mexico

Troy

Alabama

Tyler Wilson and the Arkansas Razorbacks

Texas A&M

On September 25, 2011 (six days prior to the game) Texas A&M announced that it would once again become conference mates with Arkansas, by joining the Southeastern Conference as a full member beginning in 2012. Near the end of the game, Arkansas fans acknowledged A&M's announcement by appearing on the Cowboys Stadium jumbotron with a large sign saying "Welcome to the SEC".

Auburn

Ole Miss

Vanderbilt

South Carolina

Tennessee

Mississippi State

A day after the game, tight end Garrett Uekman was found dead in his dorm room of heart problems.

LSU

Kansas State

Arkansas and Kansas State met for the first time in postseason and for the fifth time overall. The Razorbacks netted their first Cotton Bowl Classic win since

2000 File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...

. The 2012 Cotton Bowl was the only non-BCS bowl that featured two Top 10 opponents.

Notes

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 Cotton Bowl Classic champion 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 ...