Game To Watch: #7 Texas A&M vs #16 Arkansas: September 25, 2021

Texas A&M will play Arkansas in Arlington, Texas on Saturday at 3:30 EST. The Aggies have relied on their dominant defense en route to a 3 – 0 start. Arkansas is also undefeated, including a dominant win over Texas in week two. The two SEC West foes will look to get an early leg-up in the conference standings with a win on Saturday.

Recent History

Arkansas is 41 – 33 – 3 all time against Texas A&M, though the Aggies hold the advantage recently. Texas A&M has won nine straight in the series, including a 42 – 31 win in College Station last year. Arkansas’ last win came in 2011 by a 42 – 38 score, it was their third straight win over the Aggies at the time.

Top 25 Players

What To Watch For…

Battle of Excellent Defenses

Texas A&M’s defense has carried the team early on. The Aggies haven’t allowed more than ten points in any of their three games and have held their opponents to 3.6 yards per play. The defensive line has been as good as advertised, dominating at the point of attack to create negative plays in the running game and get pressure on the quarterback. The opposition has not been very good but the Aggies are leading the country in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 5.7 points per game. Arkansas’ defense has also been stout to start the year. They are allowing 16 points per game and held Texas’ offense to just 21 in their week two win. The Razorbacks have used their depth to create negative plays for opponents and are holding the opposition to just 4 yards per play. These two defenses have the ability to dominate the game and will set the tone for their respective teams on Saturday.

Diversity in the Running Game

Arkansas and Texas A&M both have an effective running game and do it with more than just one key player. Arkansas has spread the ball around to their young backs this year, keeping them fresh and wearing down the defense to find lanes for their talented backs to exploit. The Razorbacks have four running backs that have over 100 yards rushing this season and all four have averaged over five yards per carry. Add in quarterback KJ Jefferson, who has run for 180 yards at 7.5 yards per carry himself and it is easy to see why Arkansas’ running attack is difficult to prepare for, the defense doesn’t know who is getting the ball and all of the players that carry it are dangerous. The Aggies do have a lead back in Isaiah Spiller who is more than capable of carrying the load, but they mix in Devon Achane as a change of pace with his speed. Spiller and Achane are both over 200 yards on the season and they both average over 6 yards per carry. Texas A&M will also use Ainias Smith as a running threat from the slot and he has made plenty of big plays on the ground for the Aggies as well. Both teams feature a diverse running game that can be challenging to prepare for and contain for four quarters, they will both attempt to control the game with their running attack on Saturday.

Which QB Makes the Big Plays?

Texas A&M’s offense suffered a big blow in the Colorado game when starting quarterback Haynes King was injured. Zach Calzada has stepped in for the Aggies, but he has not shown the big play ability King did early on. Calzada is only completing 51 percent of his passes and averaging just 6.7 yards per pass attempt. He has thrown two interceptions against four touchdowns and has not added much as a running threat either. It will be difficult to beat a good Arkansas defense if the offense is one dimensional so Calzada will have to play better for the Aggies on Saturday. The Razorbacks have a new starter this year as well, but KJ Jefferson has been an excellent run threat and he has made some big plays through the air. He averages 10 yards per attempt and is hitting over 60 percent of his passes. Most of that production came against Georgia Southern in week three, which could mean Jefferson is more comfortable or it could just be a matter of playing an over-matched opponent. Jefferson will need to prove on Saturday he can take care of the ball and make big plays with his arm against a good Aggies’ defense. With Treylon Burks and Jaylen Wydermyer at their disposal, both quarterbacks have a game changing weapon in the passing game to get the ball to. The quarterback who can better use his weapons in the passing game is going to give his team a big advantage in this game.

Prediction

The defenses are good enough to control the game early, while the offenses figure out how they want to attack. Neither of these teams will give up on their running game and will continue to pound the opposition hoping to wear them down. The Aggies defense has proven it can hold up for four quarters as they did against Colorado and their offensive line will wear Arkansas down enough to get the win. Texas A&M 23 Arkansas 20.

Alabama at Arkansas 2014, 001.jpg image taken by Brandonrush is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

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