Arkansas vs. Texas A&M: Game Grades, Analysis for Razorbacks, Aggies

The Texas A&M Aggies were able to rebound from a two-touchdown deficit to upend the Arkansas Razorbacks by a score of 35-28 on Saturday.

Kenny "Trill" Hill threw for 386 yards and four touchdowns in the win. Although the talented signal-caller started slowly, he came through when his team needed him the most. 

It was a tough loss for Arkansas. Bret Bielema's team was the better side for the majority of the afternoon. However, foolish penalties and mental errors ultimately extended the Hogs' streak of losses in SEC play to 14. 

A full box score can be found here, courtesy of NCAA.com.

Check out first-half grades and final grades for the Aggies and Razorbacks. Additional analysis for different positional units will also be addressed.

Position Units	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	B	B
Pass Defense	A-	C
Rushing Offense	A	A
Rush Defense	C+	C+
Special Teams	A	B
Coaching	A	B

Arkansas Razorbacks Game Grades Analysis

Passing Offense

The play-action game was working very effectively through the first three quarters. Brandon Allen found elite tight end Hunter Henry early and often. Allen made a beautiful touchdown throw to A.J. Derby for a 44-yard touchdown. 

As the game progressed, the A&M pressure was hindering the signal-caller's ability to stand in the pocket. Although efficient throughout the contest, Allen wasn't able to truly test the Aggies defense down the field. 

Pass Defense

The unit in the first half was very good. Cornerbacks were challenging the vaunted A&M stable of receivers, making it difficult to get separation. Holding Hill to 96 yards passing in one half is an impressive feat. 

It was a different story in the second portion of the game. A&M scored on touchdown throws of 86 and 59 yards. A busted coverage also led to a 50-yard completion. It was a tale of two halves for the secondary. 

Rushing Offense

In terms of a rushing output, racking up 285 yards on the ground versus the No. 6 team in the country is very good. Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams combined for more than 220 yards and two touchdowns. 

If we're including the offensive line within this unit, there were some flubs. A poor snap to Allen late in the fourth quarter killed the last drive, ultimately leading to the missed field goal.

A bizarre tripping penalty by tackle Dan Skipper wiped out a touchdown. The potential score would have put the Razorbacks up by three touchdowns late in the second half. False-start penalties also hindered the offense and put Allen behind the chains. 

Rush Defense

The unit as a whole was relatively solid. It bottled up Trey Williams, holding him to 26 yards on nine carries. More than anything, it got consistent pressure on Hill. Trey Flowers in particular was a force all afternoon. 

As the afternoon wore on, the pressure lessened. Tra Carson was able to pick up big chunks of yardage. Much like the team, the unit somewhat wilted in the fourth quarter. A&M rushed for 137 yards on 27 carries for a respectable 5.1 yards-per-carry average. 

Special Teams

The fake punt for a touchdown by Sam Irwin-Hill was a wonderful play. Not only did the Australian punter display some surprising quickness and elusiveness in space, but the touchdown gave the team a lot of momentum. 

Unfortunately for the Razorbacks, kicker John Henson badly missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt in the fourth quarter. The score would have put Arkansas up by 10 points with less than two minutes remaining. As we know, the miss proved to be costly. 

Coaching

Kudos to Bielema for devising a solid plan. The fake punt call was a truly brilliant move. 

In the second half (namely the fourth quarter), the play-calling was strange. Clock management was the biggest issue on the day for the staff.

Arkansas has the identity of being a running team. Late in the fourth quarter, the team decided to throw the football. It resulted in incompletions, which ultimately gave A&M a chance to equalize. 

Position Units	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	C	B+
Pass Defense	B+	B
Rushing Offense	B+	B+
Rush Defense	F	D
Special Teams	D	D
Coaching	B-	B

Texas A&M Aggies Game Grades Analysis

Passing Offense

Hill started the game very slowly. He went 10-of-22 for 96 yards in the first half. Arkansas did a nice job of driving the tempo way down. As a result, Hill and the offense weren't able to get into any sort of a rhythm. 

In the second half, the pace picked up considerably. Hill was able to make throws down the field to his talented receivers. Impressive touchdown throws to Edward Pope and Josh Reynolds displayed Hill's immense ability in terms of both touch and arm strength. He finished 21-of-41 for 386 yards and four touchdowns. 

Pass Defense

The Aggies got bitten by the play-action bug. With Arkansas running the ball so well in the first half, safeties were forced to play up closer to the line of scrimmage. The unit was burned by a big 44-yard touchdown reception to Derby. 

Safety Armani Watts in particular had a tough day. He had problems diagnosing the play on the touchdown throw and also had issues tackling the likes of Williams and Collins. 

Rushing Offense

Rushing for 5.1 yards per carry is a solid output against a good defensive front. Hill wasn't really involved running the football until late in the contest.

Carson looks like a very good option going forward. As a big, physical back, he helped to get tough yardage. The Oregon transfer led the team with 55 yards on eight carries. 

Rush Defense

Giving up 285 yards on the ground is never good. Alex Collins and Jonathan Williams were giving the young defensive front fits for most of the day. Collins in particular was extremely effective, tallying 131 yards on the day.

In the second half, however, the defensive line was more effective in getting off blocks. Arkansas had 198 yards rushing in the first half but only 88 after halftime. This is a case where the statistical output doesn't necessarily tell the entire story. A&M stiffened when it needed to and made critical stops. 

Special Teams

Allowing the fake punt touchdown run obviously wasn't a great development. The score occurred right before halftime, giving Arkansas a ton of momentum. Curiously, the very reliable Josh Lambo missed a very makeable field goal from 40 yards. 

This wasn't the best day for the Aggies' special teams unit. 

Coaching

Hill was having trouble dealing with the Arkansas pressure early. The play-calling had the signal-caller exclusively sitting in the pocket. Getting him on the move could have helped to combat the Arkansas defensive line. 

In the second half, the play-calling was much better. A&M was taking shots down the field and also rolling Hill out in order to buy time to throw the ball. Defensively, A&M put the clamps down on the Arkansas rushing attack in the second half.

After allowing nearly 200 yards rushing in the first half, the Aggies allowed only 87 after the break.