Texas A&M will hit the road for just the second time this season on Saturday, taking a quick trip north to face Bobby Petrino's Razorbacks in Fayetteville, Arkansas. The Aggies have been tested against some talented football programs so far this season, but they've yet to face a team quite like the one that will stand across from them this weekend.
Arkansas has been one of the more intriguing teams to watch this season — marrying a high-octane offense with a defense whose tank is running on empty. While that style has led them to a 2-4 start and a midseason coaching change, three of those losses have come by a combined 10 points and at the doorstep of two massive upsets.
They'll look to land their first major win of the season, but this Aggie team will be ready to play, so let's take a look at how these teams match up against one another and pave the path toward a potential victor.
Arkansas's passing game versus Texas A&M's pass defense
One thing about Bobby Petrino-led teams is that they're always going to throw the football well. He's operating an exceptionally balanced offense here at Arkansas, with Taylen Green turning into one of the better and more underrated quarterbacks in the country. He's thrown for 1,654 yards and 14 touchdowns, both top-20 metrics in the sport, and has 30 passing plays of 20-plus yards — the seventh-highest mark in the sport.
Green will be the best quarterback the Aggies have faced this season, and they'll be up against a very balanced receiving room with plenty of options to target. Seven players on this offense have topped the 100-yard threshold through the air, led by O'Mega Blake and his 464 yards, with five of those individuals scoring at least two touchdowns. Arkansas' offensive line and Green's mobility have done a decent job keeping the quarterback upright, sacked just 11 times on the year, but they've yet to face a pass rush that is as dominant as Texas A&M's.
Arkansas has looked great, but it's also important to note who they've played. Memphis and Tennessee have two of the worst pass defenses in the nation, and Ole Miss hasn't faced an aerial attack like Arkansas' since struggling to defend the Razorbacks. Even Notre Dame, a team that gave up 360 passing yards to Texas A&M, held Green to his worst start since early in the 2024 season.
Even though the numbers pop off the chart, there are a lot of empty calories here. Give me the Aggies' pass defense to halt this aerial attack in what will be Arkansas' first taste against a legitimate, cohesive secondary.
The edge goes to ... Texas A&M
Arkansas's run game versus Texas A&M's run defense
The Razorbacks are just as effective running the football as they are throwing it, with top-20 marks in rushing yards, yards per carry, and runs of 10-plus yards. Mike Washington has led the way at the tailback position, running for 524 yards at 6.6 yards per carry with five touchdowns, and Green has added 504 yards of his own with three scores.
SEC Rushing Yard Leaders after Week 7 pic.twitter.com/kocJq5ZEpr
— SEC Mike (@MichaelWBratton) October 14, 2025
Meanwhile, the Aggies are on a run of bottling up successful ground games — holding Florida, Mississippi State and Auburn to an average of 67 yards per game at just 2.6 yards per carry. Three of those teams' leading rushers find themselves atop the SEC leaderboard and, while Arkansas has two separate guys in that group, I still feel comfortable saying that the Aggie defense will pull this one out.
The edge goes to ... Texas A&M
Texas A&M's passing game versus Arkansas's pass defense
Sometimes, life brings you easy breakdowns. Arkansas has been one of the worst defenses in the nation, allowing 30.7 points and 435 yards per game. They've given up 251 of those yards through the air — allowing quarterbacks to throw for nine touchdowns on the season while giving up 11 passing plays of 20-plus yards. The Razorbacks have just 11 sacks on the season (83rd nationally) and allow red-zone scores at a 92 percent clip.
The Aggies have been potent through the air — averaging 250 yards per game and 15 yards per completion, led by a receiving duo of Mario Craver and KC Concepcion, who have combined for 1,079 yards and 10 total touchdowns. They've been incredibly effective at stretching the field and have 25 passing plays of 20-plus yards, which should lead to plenty of opportunities to create splash plays in this game.
Texas A&M has had its inconsistencies through the air at times, struggling to complete passes at a high rate and avoid turning the ball over, but this should not be a game where those issues arise. If anything, this should be best game we see from the Aggies this season, and a sizable advantage in their favor.
The edge goes to ... Texas A&M
Texas A&M's run game versus Arkansas's run defense
Let's continue on with our bashing of the Razorback defense here with a few more key numbers. Teams are running for 184 yards a game on the ground for an average of 4.82 yards per carry, good for 116th and 115th in the country, respectively, and have surrendered 14 touchdowns this season — the 14th worst mark in the sport. Their third down conversion rate allowed (44.59 percent) is good for 118th in the country, and teams are averaging 23.3 first downs per game on them.
Texas A&M will be without its star rusher Le'Veon Moss for the foreseeable future, but this game should give ample opportunity for the run game to sort itself out. Rueben Owens will take over the feature role, a player who's only gotten better with each passing week, with a trio of guys behind him that will aim to fill out complementary roles. Even amidst these changes, there is no argument that the Aggies don't hold a significant edge in this positional battle.
The edge goes to ... Texas A&M