9/24 Arkansas @ AT&T Stadium (Dallas)
This game hurt last year. The offense was very stale, predictable, and just flat-out bad. The defense left a lot to be desired considering Arkansas QBs completed nine passes all game… for 246 yards.
But hats off to Sam Pittman — he is building something special in Fayetteville and it does not seem to be slowing down. Last year this team was a relatively young team not expecting to have much of a successful season but, outside of the Georgia and Auburn game, they gave everyone else a run for their money as they finished with their best record since 2011. They are looking to return a good amount of their talent this year and make a run for the West again. Only this time they will not surprise anyone.
Players to Watch:
KJ Jefferson QB #1 2021 Stats (2,676 Passing Yards, 664 Rushing Yards, 27 Total TDs, 4 INTs)
Bumper Pool LB #10 2021 Stats (125 Total Tackles, 7.5 Tackles for Loss)
Jadon Haselwood WR #11 2021 Stats (39 Receptions, 339 Receiving Yards, 6 TDs)
Analysis:
Arkansas relies on KJ Jefferson a lot. He lead the team last year in running yards as well as passing yards. The good news is the WR that burned A&M for 167 yards last year went on to the draft so Arkansas will need to break in a new go-to WR as not one receiver on their roster including transfers got more than 400 yards last year. Trelon Smith, who lead the Razorbacks in rushing last year outside of Jefferson, also transferred out but Arkansas has two other 500+ yards rushers to round out the backfield.
Considering the new amount of WRs they are breaking in I believe they will be a more run-heavy offense again this year. Which I believe will favor the Aggies this year as I expect their run defense to be stout. Last year Arkansas ran a lot of RPOs, Options plays, and QB Sneaks. If they were not forced to pass the ball they were going to run whenever they could.
I think this is a revenge game for Jimbo and the Aggies. This loss was was pretty deflating as it seemed like outside of the Spiller 67 yard touchdown was a very poor performance. Just like last year, we will be breaking in a relatively new QB but with the number of offensive weapons we have coming back and that are stepping foot on campus, I think this game will be a lot kinder to the Aggies.
My keys to this game will be getting the running game going early. I like what Smith and Achane can do when they get to the outside — they bring enough speed and intelligence to win 1v1 with tacklers and are always dangerous once they get to the second level. Keep a QB spy on KJ Jefferson and do not let him run the ball without hitting him hard. And prevent the big plays as Arkansas had two 45+ yard passing TDs last year. That can not happen again.
Prediction: Texas A&M 24-21 (Texas A&M 4-0)