A late-game sack and fumble by the Texas A&M defense sealed their 21-17 victory over Arkansas. But neither team was impressive. The two dual-threat quarterbacks were middling to bad. The offenses were inconsistent yet again. Both teams were heavily penalized. The Aggies escaped to move to 4-1 while Arkansas dropped to 3-2, but both teams still have a lot of questions.
Defense Lifts Texas A&M Over Arkansas
Fast Start
The Razorbacks started fast. Quarterback Taylen Green avoided a sack and hit Isaac TeSlaa for a 75-yard touchdown on the third play of the game. After the teams exchanged punts, Aggies quarterback Marcel Reed threw a pass to Noah Thomas that should have gained 20 yards. But a horribly missed tackle turned it into a 58-yard touchdown to tie it. Arkansas answered with a 10-play, 75-yard drive capped by an eight-yard Ja’Quinden Jackson touchdown run. With a seven-point lead, defensive lineman Shemar Stewart went in untouched and blew up Green while he tried to hand the ball off. Texas A&M recovered the fumble at the Arkansas nine-yard line. Two plays later, Reed ran it in from five yards out to tie it 14-14.
Defense Steps Up
Defenses locked it down and neither team scored in the third quarter. Early in the fourth, Arkansas finally got more points on the board with a 45-yard field goal from Kyle Ramsey to go up three. Texas A&M woke up putting together their own 75-yard drive ending on a Reed touchdown pass to Tre Watson. That gave the Aggies a 21-17 lead. That was still the score with 1:30 left in the game and Arkansas had the ball. Green dropped back, rolled out, and was sacked by Nic Scourton causing a fumble. The Aggies recovered it and ran out the clock to win 21-17.
The Quarterbacks
This could have been a marquee matchup between two of the more exciting quarterbacks in the SEC, but it didn’t live up to the hype. Green turned over the ball three times and couldn’t get his run game going at all. His counterpart Reed was better but not spectacular. He did have three touchdowns, including one rushing. But he only completed 50 percent of his passes and was otherwise shut down in the run game. The two quarterbacks combined for only 21 rushing yards. There was hope that they could each take the next step, but neither did on Saturday.
What’s Next
Texas A&M will need to play better next week if they want to keep winning. They face 11th-ranked Missouri who is coming off of a bye, giving them a week more of preparation. The Aggies have a bye the following week so upsetting the Tigers would provide great momentum into the break. Arkansas can’t take their foot off the gas either. They play fifth-ranked Tennessee next weekend followed by their bye week. Things can change quickly in college football. But both of these teams look like they need a lot more work before they’re ready to truly compete in the SEC.
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