Arkansas students hold impromptu post-practice pep rally to show support for players
This has already been a tough season for Arkansas, going back to a tumultuous offseason.
The first month has been heartbreaking, with the Razorbacks being upset in overtime by Louisiana-Monroe -- which led to a historic drop out of the polls -- and then a 52-0 loss to Alabama last Saturday.
While some schools have abandoned their teams after bad starts, Arkansas students went out of their way to show support after Wednesday's practice.
A huge crowd of fans joined together for a surprise pep rally outside Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium. They greeted the players by calling the Hogs, and the players seemed genuinely surprised and appreciative, slapping fives and smiling as they passed.
No matter where the rest of the season goes for Arkansas, I'm sure the players will always fondly recall that show of support. Here's some background from the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, which says Associated Student Government president Tori Pohlner organized the rally:
"Our ASG president sent out an email saying she felt bad because a lot of the fans left around or at halftime at the game on Saturday, so she said we should get together and show the team our support for this Saturday's game," freshman Abbey Martens said. "We're just trying to show them we still believe in them and that we're still fans even though they had to look up and see the empty stands."
This moment is part of what makes college football what it is. Arkansas fans deserve plenty of respect for it:
"That was really special," Razorbacks safety Ross Rasner said. "I've been here four years and I've never seen anything like that. It's good to know that all of the students still have our backs, especially just to come out after a simple practice like that and see their support. It's really good to see that."
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