Three reasons Texas A&M football takes out Arkansas in Jerryworld to move to 4-1 on the season
Last week’s performance for Texas A&M football was less than satisfactory, to say the least, in the minds of fans. Struggling with a team like Bowling Green, no matter how veteran of a squad they are, will always chafe at the sensibilities of the fans of a major program.
Of course, a win is a win. It wasn’t always fun to watch, but the Aggies emerged on the right side of the game; the difference between a learning experience and an embarrassment.
Now, though, they must once more rise to the occasion. The Aggies are 1-0 in the SEC after vanquishing Florida, but the Gators seem like they’re possibly even less of a challenge than Bowling Green at this point.
But this is Texas A&M and Arkansas, a series that, over the past twelve years, has seen the Hogs snatch defeat from the jaws of victory several different times. Here are three reasons the Aggies continue this dominant run against the Hogs.
Three reasons Texas A&M football defeats the Hogs: Arkansas’s run defense is fool’s gold
After breaking down the numbers, the strength of Arkansas’s defense may not be that much of a strength at all. The Razorbacks have put up some impressive numbers on first glance, but I’m not sure they hold up in the final analysis.
The Hogs have held three of their four opponents under 3.5 YPC, which is a pretty dominant showing, including holding UAPB to 0.3 YPC. However, in their most recent matchup, they allowed 5.6 YPC to Auburn, which got my gears turning.
The Tigers have padded their rushing statistics with nearly 10 YPC against Alabama A&M and 6.7 YPC against New Mexico; however, they were held to 4 YPC against California; which, on a sack-adjusted basis, is similar to the number that the Bears allowed to San Diego State.
I know it’s about matchups and the transitive property can be flawed, but the eye test, as well as some of these comparisons, tell me that the Arkansas run defense may have more issues than it may appear on first blush. If I’m right, then it could be another big day on the ground for the Agiges.