Arkansas accomplishes something it hasn't done in nearly a decade

Arkansas has a big lead over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in Little Rock on Saturday afternoon. That was expected heading into the game.

However, what wasn’t expected was a huge special teams play from Nathan Parodi.

In the second quarter, Parodi went back to field a punt and ended up taking it 81 yards to the house, as you can see in the video below:

Mr. Parodi to the HOUSE pic.twitter.com/IYZ16uSYJ7

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) October 23, 2021

That was a notable play not only because it made the score 31-0 in favor of the Hogs. It was also the Razorbacks’ first punt-return TD in nearly a decade.

The last time the Hogs returned a punt for a TD was back in the 2012 Cotton Bowl:

Nathan Parodi for 81 yards on the punt return. First punt return TD for the Hogs since Joe Adams in the 2012 Cotton Bowl. It had been a long time

— Thomas Murphy (@TomMurphyADG) October 23, 2021

Not only was it the first since the bowl game following the 2011 season, it also snapped the seventh-longest active punt-return drought in the FBS:

Nathan Parodi's 80-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first punt return TD by Arkansas since Joe Adams in the Cotton Bowl following the 2011 season.

It snaps a 116-game drought for the Hogs, which was the seventh-longest active drought in the FBS.

— Andrew Hutchinson (@NWAHutch) October 23, 2021

Now, we’ll see how long it takes the Hogs to return another punt for a score.