Getty Image
A video showing Arkansas players watching Polar Express during halftime of the Auburn game is now going viral. The Razorbacks trailed the Tigers 27-3 at the midway break.
The holiday spirit did little to inspire the group as Auburn’s lead would grow to 48-3 in the second half of action before the game eventually ended at 48-10.
The vibe was all but jolly on Saturday with Arkansas posting its worst performance of the year. After landing a huge win over Florida the week prior, fans were hoping to see the team turn the corner.
It’s been a disappointing season thus far in Fayetteville with the Hogs starting 3-6. Those hopes wouldn’t come to fruition with Sam Pittman’s bunch dropping its sixth game in the last seven tries.
A number of those defeats have been close, losing one-score games to Alabama, BYU, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and LSU. That said, there was an expectation to build on the momentum of that Florida win with the 5-4 Tigers coming to town under first-year coach Hugh Freeze.
Unfortunately, it didn’t seem the Razorbacks were too invested in pulling out a win.
Auburn jumped out to a quick 21-0 lead midway through the first quarter, taking a 24-point advantage into halftime. Razorback players looked checked out judging by the locker room scene with some opting to get into the holiday spirit early.
Videos of those players watching Polar Express were posted online, sparking a reaction from social media.
Polar Express at halftime is good for team morale pic.twitter.com/aFWPh5oQjF
— Dylan Holt (@DylanHolt_) November 12, 2023
The Christmas movie made its debut 19 years ago this week, leading television networks to air the film over the weekend. The Razorbacks were apparently enjoying that rerun rather than worrying about that silly Saturday afternoon matchup.
Questions immediately began to arise surrounding the video clip, as many wondered if it was actually from this weekend. Sports Illustrated did some digging, and they seemed to confirm.
The young man standing at the screen lost deep in the magic of the North Pole is Anton Pierce, a freshman defensive back from Mills University Studies High School in Little Rock. That rules out this being from a past season…
TBS was running its family Christmas programming Saturday afternoon and guess what was showing at halftime of the Razorback game with Auburn? That’s right. Polar Express.
SI’s sources state that the movie was being played in the redshirt locker room, so these players weren’t playing in the Auburn game.
The video of Arkansas players watching the Polar Express on TV during the Auburn game came from the redshirt locker room, which is not attached to the main locker room, a team rep told HawgBeat.
— Mason Choate (@ChoateMason) November 12, 2023
Still, it’s not a great look for the group of players that will soon be leading the program on the field.