Arkansas AD responds to Texas A&M AD’s comments about site of 2021 game
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
The coronavirus pandemic has forced the annual Arkansas-Texas A&M game from its usual spot of AT&T Stadium in Arlington to Kyle Field. The former Southwest Conference foes have met 76 times prior, with the Aggies holding a 41-32-3 edge.
On Tuesday afternoon, Texas A&M athletic director Ross Bjork remarked on a Facebook Live session that while the game is scheduled to return to Arlington in 2021, it could potentially return to each program’s respective campus when the current contract with the stadium ends after the 2024 season.
“We think this game deserves to be on campus, it’s an SEC game, we need to play as many of those games on our campus as possible,” Bjork said.
However, on his Twitter account, Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek would not directly mention the possibility of a return to campus, but did echo Bjork’s comments that the game would return to AT&T Stadium next year and that things would be evaluated when the time comes.
“As a result of the ongoing pandemic and SEC only schedule, all parties agreed to move the Southwest Classic game with A&M to campus in 2020,” Yurachek tweeted Tuesday. “The current plan is for 2021 SWC game to remain in Arlington per contract. We will actively access future circumstances that may alter these plans.”
It appears to be a reversal of a statement Yurachek made earlier in the year when he said that he would like to see the game in Fayetteville next year and then back to Arlington from 2022-2024.
Texas A&M has won the last 8 games in the series, including a 31-27 victory last season. Kickoff of the latest chapter of the series is set for 7:30 pm ET on the SEC Network.
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
