Arkansas vs. Texas A&M: Game Grades, Analysis for Razorbacks and Aggies
This game was billed as the one that could decide the true challenger to Alabama for the SEC West. We were supposed to see two contenders slug it out on a "neutral" field in Arlington, Texas, and we were not disappointed.
For three quarters, Arkansas and Texas A&M went up and down the field, punctuating long drives with explosive plays to make this an entertaining contest, even for those out there who weren't SEC football fans.
While the score got away from Arkansas in the fourth quarter, there's no doubt that this was an excellent game with plenty of positive (and negative) takeaways for both teams.
Let's dive right in and sort through our game grades for Arkansas and Texas A&M.
Arkansas Offense
1 of 6
We knew coming in that Austin Allen was a special quarterback, and walking out of AT&T Stadium, even with the loss, we're still convinced he is one amazing player.
Allen finished with 371 passing yards and a pair of touchdowns on a 28-of-42 passing performance. Those numbers are impressive enough, but consider that Allen was hurt early in the game and came back with a bruised chest muscle. Yet he still managed to put up those numbers, while being harassed and hit all night long, and it's all the more amazing.
Jared Cornelius led the Hogs' receiving corps with 126 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions, while Drew Morgan hauled in nine catches for 86 yards.
We are, however, going to dock a few points from the offense due to Arkansas' inability to convert a pair of important goal-to-go situations that could have drastically altered the outcome of this game.
The Hogs finished with 120 rushing yards on 40 attempts, or just three yards per carry.
Grade: B
Texas A&M Offense
2 of 6
The knock against Trevor Knight is that he's not the most accurate of passers.
Sure, he hovers around 53 percent when it comes to completion rate, but his offensive impact on the game goes far beyond his passing abilities. Saturday night was a prime example.
Knight finished with 225 yards on a 12-of-22 (.545) passing performance. Those aren't really numbers that will drastically improve his reputation. But look at the next stat line: 10 carries for 157 yards.
Yeah, that means Knight's contribution was 382 yards of total offense—and four combined touchdowns. All of a sudden, Knight is looking like he could put together a very special season at A&M.
We don't want to take away from Trayveon Williams and his 153 rushing yards and two scores on 12 carries, but it's Knight's dual-threat abilities that have opposing defensive coordinators losing sleep.
Grade: A-
Arkansas Defense
3 of 6
When it comes to winning in the SEC West, you have to be able to stop the run. Every team in the division loves to run the football, and most of them are very good at it.
Texas A&M is a team that's good at running the football, and we just saw Arkansas give up 366 yards on the ground to the Aggies. That's not going to win many games in the SEC—or any power conference.
Worse yet is the fact that A&M's 366 yards came on just 37 attempts for a 9.9 average. That won't win many games in any conference.
Granted, A&M is one of the most dynamic running teams in the nation, and we are by no means implying that Arkansas' run defense is pitiful. But after Saturday night, it's safe to say it's definitely not up to the standards of an SEC contender.
Grade: D+
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Texas A&M Defense
4 of 6
Here's how the Arkansas drives ended tonight: fumble, touchdown, punt, fumble, field goal, fumble, touchdown, downs, punt, fumble, touchdown, downs.
If you take away the three touchdowns, Arkansas still left about 21 points out on the field—or, more accurately, A&M's defense stole 21 points away from Arkansas. The field goal for Arkansas should have easily been a touchdown, starting with a very short field after an A&M turnover. But the truly game-changing performance came in the third quarter.
With the game tied at 17, Arkansas took over at its own five after an A&M fumble. The Razorbacks proceeded to methodically move down the field over the next nine minutes and 55 seconds, putting together a 19-play drive. Almost anyone would assume that, given that information, it resulted in seven points, right?
Wrong.
After starting with 1st-and-goal from the A&M 2-yard line, the Aggies defense found a new gear and managed to stop the Razorbacks for a gain of one, no gain, no gain and a loss of five on the ensuing plays.
It was the second epic goal-line stand of the night for the Aggies, and this one was a heartbreaker for the Razorbacks. As surely as anyone would tell you that most 19-play drives taking up nearly 10 minutes end in points, they'd also tell you that the ones that don't will leave a sour taste in your mouth.
From that moment on, it was all A&M—on both sides of the football.
Grade: A-
Arkansas Coaching
5 of 6
Outside of Arkansas, Bret Bielema has developed a reputation for running his mouth. But more often than not, he's been able to back it up on the field.
We'll give credit where it's due. For the majority of three quarters, Bielema had a game plan that battled A&M to a stalemate.
But at the end of the day, Arkansas just doesn't have the weapons on either side of the ball to be a true SEC West contender—yet. Bielema is certainly putting something special together, though, and anyone who continues to sleep on the Hogs does so at their own peril.
Bielema has a proven ability to win games, and sooner or later, his coaching skills will find the right mix of on-field talent. The SEC should beware.
Grade: B
Texas A&M Coaching
6 of 6
Unlike Bret Bielema, Kevin Sumlin doesn't need to coach around a relative lack of talent. Sumlin knows exactly what he has, and he coaches to his team's strengths.
Trevor Knight is one of those strengths, and you will continue to see a healthy dose of him on offense every week. But what should give teams like Alabama pause this season is A&M's defensive prowess.
The Aggies' ability to stop the run was on full display Saturday, giving up just 120 rushing yards in a game that should have seen quite a few more from Arkansas. The Aggies brought defensive pressure up the middle all night, and it not only bottled up the Razorbacks' running efforts over long stretches, it also had an added bonus of putting incredible pressure on Austin Allen—who was hit so many times, we lost count.
Sumlin is a proven winner, and he's making A&M fans very happy in College Station. The only remaining question for 2016 is whether or not A&M can translate ability into results against the Alabama Crimson Tide on October 22.
Grade: A
All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from NCAA.com, CFBStats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Featured Columnist and Notre Dame Live Correspondent David Luther on Twitter @davidrluther.
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