Presented by Bud Light
Razorbacks’ Sam Pittman recapping another loss to Aggies in Arlington
Hogs struggle to run against Texas A&M’s defense but problems in other areas big part of 21-17 loss.
Razorbacks Isaac TeSlaa and Landon Jackson after loss to Texas A&M
Recapping Arkansas’ 11th loss in the last 12 games against the Aggies in the final Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium.
LIVE BLOG: Hogs never find running game, but A&M did at end for 21-17 win
ARLINGTON, Texas — In the fourth quarter, No. 24 Texas A&M discovered it’s running game while Arkansas never found one consistently all days. At the end, when they needed to run to win, the Aggies could do it in a 21-17 win in the final Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium.
A&M has won 11 of the last 12 meetings between the two schools and they will start playing the games on-campus next season.
The Razorbacks are now 3-2 and will host Tennessee next Saturday at either 6 or 6:30 p.m. on ESPN or ABC.
The two teams started playing here in 2009 and with only three exceptions have played here every year since then. The Aggies have won 10 of the last 11 games, some of them in bizarre fashion.
Q1 14:00 Arkansas has started about as fast as possible. Quarterback Taylen Green moved up into the pocket on a third-and-10 and found wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa breaking free on a crossing route and he out-ran and Aggies’ defensive back for a 75-yard scoring play. Hogs 7, Aggies 0
Q1 10:28: If you thought this was going to be a blowout, there are apparently two offenses capable of big plays. A&M responds with quarterback Marcel Reed throwing to Noah Thomas and Kee’yon Stewart whiffed a tackle attempt and the Aggies had a 58-yard scoring play. Hogs 7, Aggies 7
Q1 4:50: Razorbacks run a fake punt and it worked almost as well as it did 10 years ago when punter Devin Bale scooted 25 yards to keep a drive alive and Ja’Quinden Jackson ran 8 yards for the score. Isaiah Sategna had a 15-yard run on the jet sweep and caught a pass for 6 to set up the scoring play. Hogs 14, Aggies 7
Q2 8:58: After a punt backed the Razorbacks to the 9, A&M’s Shemar Stewart took advantage of a lack of interest in any of the Hogs blocking him and blew up a handoff from Green to Jackson and Scooby Williams recovered at the 8. Two plays later Reed walked into the end zone over the left side from the 5 and we’re tied again. Hogs 14, Aggies 14
Q4 13:24: After the defenses on both sides managed to pile stops at key times, the Razorbacks finally get one close enough to give Kyle Ramsey a shot at a 45-yard field goal after turning down a previous chance for a fake that totally collapsed. Hogs 17, Aggies 14
Q4 9:00: Texas A&M takes the kickoff after the field goal at the 25 and cover the 75 yards in seven plays to take the lead on a 5-yard pass from Reed to Tre Washington and grab a lead. Aggies 21, Hogs 17
The Razorbacks got the ball back late and had a key first down on a fourth-down sneak by Green. They got a first down and an 11-yard sack on Green forced a fumble and Williams recovered with 1:30 to play in the game. The Aggies were penalized twice in the wildness of the fumble and backed up on their own 42 instead of nearly being in field goal range.
ANDY’S PICKS: Hogs finally done playing AT&T Stadium regular-season games
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Maybe there was a time when Arkansas playing a football game at AT&T Stadium made sense. All of that changed for a variety of reasons and it will be over Saturday evening.
In the final game of the Southwest Classic that has a trophy and a fancy name, the Razorbacks and Texas A&M will start playing at each other’s campuses every other year. That’s going to work out for everyone except for the folks who like to make the trip to Arlington, Texas, in dwindling numbers each year. Now it’s down in the 50-something thousand every year.
In other words just slightly more than could fit in War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, Ark., which is also down the last few years. It’s in the Hogs’ best interests these days to play as many games as possible on their home campus.
Now they are trying to halt a revolting set of circumstances against the Aggies. Arkansas has lost 10 of the last 11 games. So much for folks that said it would take A&M a decade to be competitive when they joined the SEC in 2012.
Say what you want, but Jimbo Fisher didn’t get fired at A&M because he couldn’t get the players there. He just didn’t win enough games. Different numbers, but the same bottom-line reason the coach before Sam Pittman got fired at Arkansas.
There ae still a couple of players on the current roster recruited by the previous head coach of the Hogs. Others got drafted into the NFL … in the first round. Defensive lineman Landon Jackson may be the only Arkansas player projected to be in the top couple of rounds of the draft in April.
A&M has more than that. The Aggies still have a lot of the players Fisher rounded up a couple of years ago that launched a hillbilly argument between a couple of West Virginia natives that went into coach when Jimbo and Nick Saban started trading jabs.
That’s what makes up the lines of scrimmage at A&M. While the Hogs have definitely improved over last year, on paper they don’t have the same players. The Aggies may be sorting things out with a new coach in Mike Elko, but they are ranked No. 25 in the country right now.
It’s headlines when the Razorbacks get three votes just to be in the poll.
No, this game won’t be a blowout because it never is. Arkansas has found creative ways to lose games over the last 11 years. Dropping overtime games and even bouncing a field goal at the end off the top of the upright come immediately to mind. Maybe it would be the most Razorback thing ever to be the winner in a blowout of epic proportions.
Then start a stretch of really big games against Tennessee, LSU, Ole Miss, Texas and Missouri with Mississippi State and Louisiana Tech mixed in there for good measure.
Right now the Hogs are sitting at 3-1. Auburn was worse than most projected before the season and the Hogs just might be better. But there are still questions searching for answers we will have by next week.
For now, though, the questions are if the Razorbacks can run the ball on the Aggies’ talented defensive front or handle A&M’s offensive line to get pressure on whichever quarterback they’re going to play. Despite what Sam Pittman said earlier this week, that’s a dilemma for any defensive coordinator.
Taylen Green is going to face the best defense he’s seen this year and he’s going to have to find somebody else to throw the ball to other than Andrew Armstrong. Maybe he finds that in Arlington, but somehow I don’t think that’s what will happen. This one probably won’t be a thing of beauty in terms of a game and will either be a wild, high-scoring affair, or an old-fashioned slugfest.
Either way, I’m not much for picking trends to be broken and A&M is on the upside of that trend these days.
Aggies 27, Hogs 23
Apparently, Pete Morgan is feeling cocky after one of those weeks when things went wrong. Apparently he’s forgetting the first couple of weeks when I’m probably up with enough cushion to take some chances.
He offered some ridiculous back-handed thing on placing your hard-earned money using his picks as a guide. Do as you wish. I do not make any offers like that, but do have a warning. If you wager real money off my picks you deserve whatever happens to you.
Just be aware if I didn’t catch it, he didn’t even pick the Aggies-Hogs game by the same margin in two different places. Keep that between us.
On the surface, this week’s SEC slate has one really good matchup, a coupl ethat could be intriguing and Texas’ introduction to the league may be in a blowout win.
Kentucky at (6) Ole Miss: If Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart doesn’t forget what he’s doing, this one could be a blowout. Because of the Wildcats’ strong defensive front, the Rebels probably won’t be able to run, which is fine. Kentucky struggles against good passing teams and they are going on the road against a Heisman candidate on a hot streak. Rebels 41, Wildcats 9.
(21) Oklahoma at Auburn: The Tigers may be jettisoning Hugh Freeze into the hot seat zone occupied by every coach there since Shug Jordan’s days. Sooner or later, it happens to every one that has been in charge there. After a loss to Arkansas last week, the eagle may refuse to fly out of the cage. The Sooners, meanwhile, didn’t show up that badly against Tennessee in a loss and aren’t that bad. Sooners 24, Tigers 21.
Mississippi State at (1) Texas: The Bulldogs are struggling in Jeff Lebby’s first year. The main thing State folks need to remember is Bevo charged the last Bulldog from the SEC that wandered too close to him at the Sugar Bowl a few years ago. It didn’t look good for UGA, so Bully needs to stay away Saturday because the football team is going to be taking a trampling. Longhorns 51, Bulldogs 13.
(2) Georgia at (4) Alabama: The best game in the league by far and will be in the prime time slot on ABC at 6:30. The Crimson Tide are a very, very good team and there’s not a whole lot of drop-off in the coaching change, despite what you may think. Even Saban thinks that, saying Friday some things have changed he should have thought about. But the Bulldogs want to get over their Alabama Problem. They are still burned by last season’s end. Bulldogs 24, Crimson Tide 21.
South Alabama at (14) LSU “Pete’s Good Grief Game:” I would actually put the Texas-Mississippi State blowout into this category. South Alabama is an improved team and they probably won’t win the game, but it may not be the blowout most expect. The Tigers are still trying to figure out what kind of team they really have. Tigers 42, Jaguars 23.
PETE’S PICKS: Picking winner of final Hogs-Aggies game at AT&T Stadium
You’ve heard this one: Hogs fan sitting in a bar exchanging exaggerations and jokes with a group of slightly inebriated guys states, “Hey, I have an Aggies joke.”
He is quickly cut off by one of his new drinking buddies with a, “Whoooooa… Let me tell you something. Do you see that big guy in the maroon shirt near the end of the bar? He’s an Aggies fan. And that muscular guy sitting in the corner … he’s an Aggie.
“My friend here beside me, he’s got a very bad temper, and he’s an Aggie fan. The bartender? Well, he’s a die-hard Aggie, and he keeps a bat behind the bar. As a matter of fact, I feel I should tell you, I am an Aggie, too. So let me ask you, my man, do you still want to tell your Aggies joke?”
“No,” said the Razorbacks fan, “I really do not feel like having to explain it five times.”
Some things bear repeating, but other occurrences, such as the Hogs losing streak to Texas A&M, need to never take place again. Oddly, one thing needed repeating, and the football gods ensured we got it: the Arkansas versus Texas A&M rivalry from the Southwest Conference days.
I hate them. I really do. I cannot stand the Aggies. I have no idea why really. Perhaps my distaste dates back to the frequently close contests we had with them in the now defunct SWC. Maybe it is their putrid colors.
Or, more than most likely, it’s simply because they have the word “Texas” in their name. Guilt by association perhaps? I will ask one thing, and it’s something I seem to harp on, and that is why do the networks seem obligated to mention weekly that damned yell practice the students attend the night prior to the game? It annoys me to no end.
Add to all that, A&M has beaten us 10 out of the past 11 times we have met, and the one with Johnny Manziel in Fayetteville still sticks in my craw more than most of all recent losses. In fact, there was a time directly prior to him playing with them I was starting to soften and had found myself quietly rooting for the Aggies. But because of that guy… that sniveling … Well, that is all I will say.
Bygones need to be bygones, and I look forward to putting some bad memories behind me. Specifically, I want to dissolve any recollection of the trend of losses to the guys from College Station.
My fear is even though A&M is still on a down curve for them, we may be miles apart talent-wise to beat them at a neutral site and this will be another wash, rinse, repeat. But that is just a fear, and not a talking point. The time has come to break trends.
Final reflection: the Hogs help me alleviate some of the unresolved anger, but it will take a nerve-wracking game to get it done. Well, that’s more of a prediction than a reflection.
Arkansas 34-28
Random Thoughts
I spoke with my friend Jim Moore the other day, and he informed me he had not been to a victory over the Aggies in five times watching the games. Please, please, please, someone make plans with Jim to keep him away from Dallas this weekend.
TRIVIA QUESTION: What is the lowest point total in Arkansas vs Texas A&M history?
Despite the losing trend, Arkansas leads the series against the Aggies, 42-35-3. Ironically, that’s also the average measurement for an Aggies cheerleader.
I’m still in limbo on what to think about the quarterback and running back both leaving UNLV.
TRIVIA ANSWER: The Razorbacks scored only 5 points – and, believe it or not, that’s all we needed – in a 5-0 beatdown of the Aggies in 1910.
There is a possibility Texas A&M may be without starting quarterback Conner Weigman due to an AC sprain.
Be certain to listen to the game Saturday at 2:30 P.M. via HitThatLine.com and on the air at ESPN Arkansas 99.5 in Fayetteville, 95.3 in the River Valley, 96.3 in Hot Springs, and 104.3 in Harrison-Mountain Home.
SEC Picks for Week 5
Before I get into this week’s six-game slate, I want to clarify something I stated last week. If you read my “SEC Sunday Recap”, I mentioned it there, and when I made the (loose) prediction the Florida versus Mississippi State game “will be either one coach’s last game, or one coach’s invitation into the athletic director’s office to seriously discuss the future.”
That was more of an insinuation Billy Napier’s job at Florida is on the line (and will continue to be) if he loses to a “lesser than” team. Jeff Lebby will be the head coach at Mississippi State for the remainder of this season, and he will be the coach next year. He will, however, be under scrutiny until he proves he can make continuing improvements, and if he cannot, he will find himself getting the Chad Morris treatment.
Andy Hodges took some gambles last week on his predictions, and, unfortunately, they did not pay off. He will look to be laser focused this week, no doubt. So will I. On a side note, if you wager with my picks, I get one-sixth of your profits. Andy will not offer you that kind of action. Also, If you lose (which you will not), well, that’s the risk you take.
Kentucky at (6) Ole Miss: The Wildcats gave Georgia a run for their money a couple of weeks ago, but I feel their role as spoiler reached its peak in that game. The Rebels are better than their current ranking of 6th. Rebels by 10.
Arkansas at (24) Texas A&M: This is the last game of the Southwest Class under contract to be played in AT&T stadium in Dallas. The Hogs bring the tro0hy home. Razorbacks by 6.
(21) Oklahoma at Auburn: I am surprised how many social media “experts” I have seen stating this one will be close. They may be right. Injuries may be a factor. The weather may be a factor. Hugh Freeze whining to the officials nine out of nine times may be a factor. It will be a good look for Arkansas if the Tigers can pull the upset, so maybe that will be a factor in my decision. Auburn by 3.
Mississippi State at (1) Texas: The last I checked, Jeff Lebby plans on facing Arch Manning this week. That’s good, because when the Bulldogs travel to Austin to play in the Longhorns’ first ever SEC conference game, his Mississippi State defense will see Manning; either in the (to be announced decision) starting role for a recovering Quinn Ewers, or in the second half when Texas is up by 30. Longhorns by 38.
GAME OF THE WEEK
(2) Georgia at (4) Alabama: The schedulers gave both teams the week off last season in preparation for what will be one of the top matchups in 2024. As mentioned, the Bulldogs did not look sharp in their last game versus a far lesser Kentucky team. No doubt head coach Kirby Smart used the off week to reinforce the importance of winning and winning big. Kalen DeBoer’s Crimson Tide has looked superb in their first three games. The will give Georgia quarterback Carson Beck his first real road test of the season. It seems almost effortless to pick the Bulldogs based upon their all-star players, but we all know it is not. In fact, it would be a mistake. Bama by 4.
South Alabama at (14) LSU “Good Grief Game:” The Jaguars may be No. 1 in their SBC West conference, but that is not going to save them from the wrath that is Death Valley. Tigers by 28.
Memories are being made every day and I have grown to cherish so many, and look forward to repeating and reflecting upon some great ones in the future.
Eastside Liquor Halftime Podcast: 9-27-24
The anticipation is building for a monumental game against A&M that COULD springboard an overachieving season for the Hogs.
Guests: Aaron Torres, Andrew Monaco (Aggies PxP), and comedian Killer Beaz
Bud Light Morning Rush Podcast: 9-27-24
Tye is at a wedding (it’s family, cut the guy some slack). Tommy’s off scouting future talent. The cats are away, but Christian and Colton fill in and worry mostly about how the Razorbacks are going to play tomorrow. There will be time for mice later. Clay Henry joins! C3!
Guests: Shawn Brasuell / The Fenceman, Clay Henry.
Democrat-Gazette’s Tom Murphy’s preview of Razorbacks-Aggies
After getting a big win over Auburn on the road last week, picking up a win at AT&T Stadium over Texas A&M would be huge.
