Razorbacks slapped fine for rushing field after Texas win

Arkansas has possibly been handed the best fine it will ever have to pay. The SEC informed the Razorbacks on Monday they will be facing a $100,000 fine after fans stormed the field Saturday night after their 40-21 win over No. 15 Texas.

The game marked the first meeting between the two rivals since 2014, and Arkansas students and fans were not going to miss out on their chance to celebrate. Saturday night’s win put the Razorbacks at 2-0 and on Sunday they made their first AP top-25 appearance since 2016.

Per the SEC release, rushing the field violates the league’s access to competition area policy. Arkansas will incur a fine of $100,000 for a second offense under the league’s access to competition area policy. The last time the Razorbacks were fine for the violation was when they defeated LSU in 2014.

All of the money accumulated by the SEC from the fines are deposited into the SEC post-graduate scholarship fund.

The policy states “access to competition areas shall be limited to participating student-athletes, coaches, officials, support personnel and properly-credentialed individuals at all times. For the safety of participants and spectators alike, at no time before, during or after a contest shall spectators be permitted to enter the competition area. It is the responsibility of each member institution to implement procedures to ensure compliance with this policy.”

The SEC penalties range from $50,000 for a first offense to fines of up to $100,000 for a second offense and up to $250,000 for a third and subsequent offenses.

History of Texas-Arkansas rivalry

Arkansas and Texas have a rivalry which dates back to 1894. The two schools have met 78 times since that date with Texas leading the all-time tally 56-22. Arkansas won the most recent meeting in 2014 and last hosted Texas in 2004.

When Arkansas left the Southwest Conference for the Southeastern Conference in 1994, the rivalry stuttered becoming an occasional matchup on the non-conference schedule. Now, 27 years after the Arkansas move, Texas is set to join the SEC. The Longhorns are set to join the conference in 2025, renewing the old rivalry in a new way.