By Steve Brawner, © 2019 by Steve Brawner Communications, Inc.

At the Little Rock Touchdown Club last month, University of Arkansas Athletic Director Hunter Yurachek was asked about playing Arkansas State, and his answer was … not exactly what former Athletic Director Frank Broyles used to say.

Yurachek’s appearance came two days after the Razorbacks’ embarrassing home loss Saturday to lowly San Jose State, and of course that’s what people wanted to hear about. He said it was a “step backwards” for a program struggling to gain momentum, and he continues to support Coach Chad Morris.

At this point, what else can he say? He can’t fire the coach after 16 games, despite a 4-12 record. That would be another step backwards, and Morris would be owed $12.25 million under his contract’s buyout terms. He’d be owed $9.8 million if fired after next year and $7.35 million if fired the year after that.

So no matter how bad it gets, Morris isn’t going anywhere for a while, which is fine. He needs a chance to build his program. And besides, who would take his place?

During Monday’s Little Rock Touchdown Club appearance, media personality David Bazzel asked Yurachek about playing Arkansas State. Yurachek replied, “Obviously, a game versus Arkansas State in any sport will have some interest across this state, so whether it happens or not, I’m not going to make any guarantees one way or the other as I sit here today.”

That’s not “No.” Broyles, in contrast, always shut down that conversation because he didn’t want Arkansas to become like Mississippi, where two programs divide a small state. His successor, Jeff Long, never opened the door to in-state matchups.

Yurachek, however, cracked it by scheduling in-state baseball games this year. In April, UA Little Rock routed the Hogs 17-7 on the Razorbacks’ home field, and Hog fans didn’t switch their allegiance to the Trojans. Later that month, the Hogs beat the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, 16-4. More significantly, the Razorbacks will play UAPB in football in 2021 and 2024.

Unlike A-State, those programs are part of the University of Arkansas System. Still, the Hogs previously wouldn’t play them either. According to Yuracheck, “What we’ve done now is just taken that first step, and we’ll see if there’s a second step after that first step.”

Why the softening? Perhaps Yurachek has realized the Red Wolves are no real threat to supplant the Razorbacks as the state’s unifying program.

But what would really make him decide to let the teams play football would be if the game makes financial sense. The UA Athletic Department has a $120 million budget (it’s one of the few financially self-sustaining programs nationwide), and football is a revenue-generating sport that pays for others. Schools are struggling to fill stadiums when every game is televised and big-screen TVs are cheap. Even the University of Alabama has empty seats, much to the frustration of Coach Nick Saban.

The announced attendance for the San Jose State game was 56,058 in a stadium built for 76,000. The actual attendance was lower, but even going with the higher figure, 20,000 empty seats represents a lot of lost money. Meanwhile, the program paid San Jose State $1.5 million so the Razorbacks could play a home game and get a win. And that didn’t work out too well.

An Arkansas-Arkansas State game would fill the stadium, at least at first, and A-State would come for a lot less money. The game could be played every year in Fayetteville. Or it permanently could be the one game a year the Razorbacks play at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock. That would settle another controversy Yurachek inherited when he became athletic director.

Broyles, of course, would adamantly oppose playing the Red Wolves anywhere. But he also changed with the times, as Yurachek must. An athletic director must put rear ends in the seats, particularly in football. Playing A-State would be one way to do that.

Granted, Broyles’ fear could be realized, and the Red Wolves might win. They’ve been pretty good lately, while the Hogs have been wandering in the wilderness.

On the other hand, there’s nothing written in stone that the Hogs will beat UAPB, either.