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The Arkansas-Ole Miss football rivalry resumed last season in...

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. -- The Arkansas-Ole Miss football rivalry resumed last season in Jackson, Miss., and Razorback coach Lou Holtz said his team realizes the importance of the game moving into Saturday's clash in Little Rock.

'They understand about the Ole Miss rivalry,' Holtz said. 'We don't need to talk to them too much about it. They know about the demand for tickets.'

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Mississippi coach Steve Sloan earlier this week said he planned to talk to his players about the rivalry and about the last game played at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. He also said his players were aware of the scarcity of tickets.

When Arkansas, ranked No. 9, resumed the rivalry last year with Ole Miss, Holtz brought in former players to discuss the earlier meetings. Before the 1981 meeting, the Razorbacks last played the Rebels 1970 Sugar Bowl, and Ole Miss took a 27-22 victory.

The Arkansas-Ole Miss regular season season ended in 1961, and the Rebels won that game 16-0. Overall, the series is tied with both schools having won 14 games each.

Their last meeting in Little Rock was in 1960, and Ole Miss won the game 10-7 on a controversial field goal that some said failed to go through the uprights.

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While Arkansas' Little Rock games have been sold out for months, tickets for most games usually can be found.

But that is not the case for Saturday's game, indicating that longtime Arkansas fans are eager to end their 22-year wait for Ole Miss to return to Little Rock.

Holtz kept his defensive unit on overtime Thursday, working on the multiple offenses used by Ole Miss.

'You worry about so many things,' Holtz said of Saturday's game. 'But overall, I think we'll play awfully well. We're looking forward to the game and I'm sure Ole Miss is too.'

The Razorbacks opened with a 38-0 victory over Tulsa and last week posted a 29-17 triumph over Navy. Immediately after the Navy game, Holtz expressed disappointment with his team's performance, but he tempered his position this week.

'After looking at the film, we had a pretty good day's work,' he said.

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