FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football first-year coach Ryan Silverfield has been consistent in his view about the program's failures in the seasons preceding his arrival.
Silverfield wants the Hogs to ignore any potential noise about how those struggles might impact the 2026 campaign. He doesn't want to use them as motivation.
As the Razorbacks (3-4, 1-3 SEC) officially turn their attention to the first matchup with a permanent rival this fall, Silverfield isn't making any changes to his approach.
Arkansas will host No. 23 Missouri (5-2, 2-2) on Saturday, Oct. 31, looking to change the tide in the Battle Line Rivalry. The Tigers have won the last four meetings and are 10-2 against Arkansas since they joined the SEC in 2014.
"I always appreciate former players. I always appreciate the entire history of Arkansas football. I think everybody realizes how important that is to me and this program," Silverfield said. "But we have not talked about the recent failures between us and our opponent, right, versus Missouri. So that is zero reflection or zero effect on what we're going to do moving forward."
Texas and LSU are the other permanent rivals. Those two schools have long histories playing against the Razorbacks, and the joint animosity with the Longhorns dates back to both programs' early days in the Southwest Conference.
LSU was a long-time matchup on Thanksgiving weekend, and the Battle for the Golden Boot is back in its once-normal spot this fall for the last week of the regular season.
Silverfield was asked during his weekly press conference on Monday, Oct. 26, if there is a hierarchy to Arkansas' rivalries. Texas is the obvious No. 1, but the head coach declined to provide a ranking.
"The one thing about our fans, I think they hate every one of our opponents, which I love. I like that mindset," Silverfield said.
He asked the local media to ask him the question after the season. Arkansas finishes the year with back-to-back games against Texas and LSU.
Similar to the rivalry with the Tigers from Louisiana, Arkansas' game against Missouri comes with a trophy rewarded to the winner.
It's the one aspect of this week's contest that Silverfield admitted toward relishing.
"I think more than anything, right, we appreciate the trophy," he said. "A lot of respect for that, but ultimately, it's the next game. It's very, very important for us to go out there, in a rivalry game, and put our best foot forward, just like it would be any game."
Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: What Ryan Silverfield said about Arkansas football rivalry vs Missouri