2012 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

American college football season February 2026 August 2012 2012 Arkansas Razorbacks football Southeastern Conference Western Division SEC 4–8 2–6 John L. Smith 1st Paul Petrino 3rd Multiple Paul Haynes 1st 4–3 Alfred Davis Knile Davis Alonzo Highsmith Jr. Travis Swanson Tyler Wilson Tenarius Wright Donald W. Reynolds Razorback StadiumWar Memorial Stadium The 2012 Arkansas Razorbacks football team represented the University of Arkansas as a member of the Southeastern Conference (SEC) during the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by John L. Smith in his first and only season as head coach, the Razorbacks compiled an overall record of 4–8 with a mark of 2–6 in conference play, placing sixth in the SEC's Western Division. The team played five home games at Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium in Fayetteville, Arkansas and two home games at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Arkansas. The Razorbacks entered the season coming off of a win in the 2012 Cotton Bowl Classic, finishing the season with an 11–2 record and a No. 5 ranking in the AP poll. However, head coach Bobby Petrino 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 hired former special teams coordinator John L. Smith, who had recently left to become the head football coach at Weber State University, to replace Petrino on a ten-month contract. Despite these circumstances, the Razorbacks were ranked No. 10 in the preseason AP poll. The Razorbacks started the season with a win over Jacksonville State, coached by former Arkansas head coach Jack Crowe, 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 never reentered the rankings, as the loss began a four-game losing streak. After the season, Smith's contract was not renewed. Instead, Arkansas chose to hire Wisconsin head coach Bret Bielema.2012-12-05 Wisconsin Coach Headed to Arkansas https://www.nytimes.com/2012/12/05/sports/ncaafootball/college-football-briefings.html 2025-04-21 The New York Times Associated Press en-US Schedule 2012 AP Central September 1 6:00 pm w y 10 Jacksonville State 22 (FCS) Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR ARSN PPV 49–24 71,062 September 8 6:00 pm l y 8 Louisiana–Monroe War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR ESPNU 31–34 OT 53,089 September 15 2:30 pm l Alabama 1 Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR CBS 0–52 74,617 September 22 6:00 pm l y Rutgers Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR ESPNU 26–35 72,543 September 29 11:00 am l y Texas A&M Kyle Field College Station, TX rivalry SECN 10–58 86,442 October 6 11:00 am w y Auburn Jordan–Hare Stadium Auburn, AL ESPN2 24–7 85,813 October 13 6:00 pm w Kentucky Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR SECRN 49–7 67,153 October 27 11:21 am l Ole Miss War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR rivalry SECN 27–30 55,378 November 3 11:21 am w y y Tulsa Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR SECN 19–15 64,451 November 10 11:00 am l y South Carolina 12 Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC CBS 20–38 78,772 November 17 11:21 am l y Mississippi State Davis Wade Stadium Starkville, MS SECN 14–45 54,838 November 23 1:30 pm l LSU 8 Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, AR rivalry CBS 13–20 71,117 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule 2012 https://www.espn.com/college-football/team/schedule/_/id/8/season/2012 ESPN August 26, 2025 2012 Arkansas Razorbacks Schedule and Results https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/schools/arkansas/2012-schedule.html College Football at Sports-Reference.com Sports Reference August 26, 2025 2012 Football Schedule https://arkansasrazorbacks.com/sport/m-footbl/schedule/?season=2012-13 University of Arkansas August 26, 2025 Rankings right|thumb|The 2012 Razorbacks football team snaps the ball in War Memorial Stadium 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings 6 7 10 10 8 10 RV 21 NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Game summaries No. 22 (FCS) Jacksonville State No. 22 (FCS) Gamecocks 7 14 3 0 No. 10 Razorbacks 7 28 14 0 2012 Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks 7 0 7 14 6 No. 8 Razorbacks 7 14 7 0 3 2012 Louisiana–Monroe Warhawks football team No. 1 Alabama No. 1 Crimson Tide 7 17 14 14 Razorbacks 0 0 0 0 2012 Alabama Crimson Tide football team Rutgers Scarlet Knights 0 14 14 7 Razorbacks 10 0 3 13 2012 Rutgers Scarlet Knights football team At Texas A&M Razorbacks 10 0 0 0 Aggies 7 20 17 14 2012 Texas A&M Aggies football team At Auburn Razorbacks 7 3 0 14 Tigers 0 0 7 0 2012 Auburn Tigers football team Kentucky Wildcats 0 0 7 0 Razorbacks 28 14 7 0 2012 Kentucky Wildcats football team Ole Miss Rebels 0 21 3 6 Razorbacks 10 7 0 10 2012 Ole Miss Rebels football team Tulsa Golden Hurricane 0 12 3 0 Razorbacks 10 3 0 6 2012 Tulsa Golden Hurricane football team At No. 12 South Carolina Razorbacks 0 10 3 7 No. 12 Gamecocks 7 14 17 0 2012 South Carolina Gamecocks football team At Mississippi State Razorbacks 7 7 0 0 Bulldogs 7 10 14 14 2012 Mississippi State Bulldogs football team No. 8 LSU No. 8 Tigers 3 7 7 3 Razorbacks 0 0 10 3 2012 LSU Tigers football team Personnel Coaching staff Name Position Seasons atArkansas Alma mater John L. Smith Head coach 1 Weber State Wildcats (1970) Paul Haynes Defensive coordinator, Secondary 1 Kent State (1992) Paul Petrino Offensive coordinator, Quarterbacks 1 Carroll College (1988) Tim Horton Running Backs, Recruiting Coordinator 5 Arkansas (1990) Kris Cinkovich Wide receivers 3 Carroll College (1984) Kevin Peoples Defensive line 1 Carroll College (1989) Steve Caldwell Special Teams, Defensive ends 3 Arkansas State (1977) Taver Johnson Linebackers 1 Wittenberg (1994)Reference:http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=6100&SPID=2419&SPSID=30722 Football – 2012 Coaches arkansasrazorbacks.com November 19, 2012 https://web.archive.org/web/20121018163202/http://www.arkansasrazorbacks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=6100&SPID=2419&SPSID=30722 October 18, 2012 dead Recruits yes 2012 Vin Ascolese LB North Bergen, NJ North Bergen HS 6 2 215 4.6 January 27, 2012 3 2 74 Cordale Boyd OL Memphis, TN Ridgeway HS 6 4 290 N/A April 20, 2011 3 3 79 Ray Buchanan Jr. DB Suwanee, GA Peachtree Ridge HS 5 11 178 4.5 August 20, 2011 3 3 77 Jared Collins DB Tulsa, OK Booker T. Washington HS 6 0 170 4.4 August 1, 2011 3 3 73 D'Arthur Cowan WR Olive Branch, MS Olive Branch HS 6 3 175 4.6 July 27, 2011 3 3 80 Austin Flynn DE Wilmington, CA Los Angeles Harbor C.C. 6 4 260 4.5 December 21, 2011 3 3 JC Keon Hatcher WR Owasso, OK Owasso HS 6 2 205 4.5 August 1, 2011 4 3 80 Eric Hawkins WR Longview, TX Longview HS 5 11 172 4.5 July 16, 2011 3 3 NR Will Hines DB Waco, TX Waco HS 6 1 175 4.5 January 19, 2012 3 3 75 Nathan Holmes ATH Port Arthur, TX Port Arthur Memorial HS 6 1 185 4.49 April 6, 2011 3 3 78 Taiwan Johnson DE Manvel, TX Manvel HS 6 3 240 4.8 December 21, 2011 4 3 79 Brandon Lewis DE Memphis, TN Ridgeway HS 6 5 225 4.7 July 16, 2011 3 3 79 Defonta Lowe DB Bearden, AR Bearden HS 6 3 185 4.5 September 7, 2011 3 3 77 Mekale McKay WR Louisville, KY Moore HS 6 6 192 4.45 March 8, 2012 3 3 79 Otha Peters LB Covington, LA Covington HS 6 1 221 4.6 January 31, 2012 3 4 79 Darius Philon DE Prichard, AL Vigor 6 1 282 4.78 February 1, 2012 3 3 79 Trevor Williams WR Norman, OK Norman HS 6 2 188 0.1 April 27, 2011 71 83 79 Jeremy Sprinkle DE White Hall, AR White Hall HS 6 6 210 4.6 June 16, 2011 3 3 77 A. J. Turner LB Lepanto, AR East Poinsett County HS 6 3 205 4.5 April 16, 2011 3 3 NR Jeremy Ward OL Pottsville, AR Pottsville HS 6 4 290 5.3 February 4, 2011 3 3 79 Jonathan Williams RB Allen, TX Allen HS 5 11 205 4.51 November 11, 2011 4 4 79 Demetrius Wilson WR Glendale, AZ Glendale CC 6 1 175 4.4 January 29, 2012 3 3 JC JaMichael Winston DE Prichard, AL Vigor HS 6 5 226 N/A October 11, 2011 3 3 78 Deatrich Wise DE Carrollton, TX Hebron HS 6 5 235 4.7 August 6, 2011 4 3 75 yes 2012 Arkansas 2012 Football Commitments 2012 Arkansas Commits 2012 Player Commitments - Arkansas arkansas 73 8 19 34 November 19, 2012 References Arkansas Category:Arkansas Razorbacks football seasons Arkansas Razorbacks football