Sloppy play and self-inflicted wounds end A&M's streak over Arkansas

Like a dutiful — or perhaps pitiful — farmer, the Aggies slopped the Hogs on Saturday.

Starving from a nine-year victory fast, the No. 16 Arkansas Razorbacks (4-0, 1-0) feasted on a trough full of Texas A&M slop to post a 20-10 Southeastern Conference college football win at AT&T Stadium.

A disgusting mixture of missed blocks, missed tackles, missed reads, missed opportunities, a rash of penalties and a back-breaking turnover also put an end to A&M’s 11-game winning streak.

If the No. 7-and-falling Aggies (3-1, 0-1) will have difficulty mounting another win streak if they don’t find quick fixes to inept quarterback play, an ineffective offensive line and a tendency to surrender big plays.

“We had 11 penalties in the game,” Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher lamented. “We self-inflicted ourselves in a lot of things. We didn’t play good and didn’t play together in the second half. We could have fed off each other and won that field position battle, shortened field, and got more points in what we did.”

Instead, the Aggies managed a single touchdown and field goal for the second time against a Power 5 opponent. Except, this time, the defense couldn’t bail them out like it did in a 10-7 victory over Colorado.

The defense allowed 307 yards in the first half alone. Arkansas quarterback KJ Jefferson threw an 85-yard touchdown pass to Treylon Bucks and a 48-yarder to AJ Green, who broke three pitiful tackle attempts and was practically pushed into the end zone.

That staked the Hogs to a 17-0 lead just a minute into the second quarter. The outcome appeared settled then.

The Aggies’ offense was in a deeper sleep than a snoozing A&M fan was frequently shown on the stadium’s enormous scoreboard.

However, the Aggies finally managed a 49-yard field Seth Small field goal just before halftime. Then, midway through the third quarter, star running back Isaiah Spiller broke away for a 67-yard touchdown dash.

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Isaiah Spiller’s 67-yard touchdown run in the third quarter was the tailback’s final carry of the contest.

“Aki [Ogunbiyi] made a great block, and it just opened up like the Red Sea for me,” Spiller said.

In that story, the Red Sea came back to wash away Pharaoh’s army. A&M’s comeback hopes were soon to be washed away, too.

A penalty thwarted the Aggies’ next series. A disastrous interception a few minutes later killed any chance of a rally.

A miserable afternoon for quarterback Zach Calzada got worse with 12 minutes remaining.

On first down at the A&M 33-yard line, Calzada tried to pass to Devon Achane coming out of the backfield. Instead, his pass deflected off center Bryce Foster’s helmet. Arkansas cornerback Montaric Brown made a diving interception at the A&M 48-yard line.

The Razorbacks parlayed the turnover into a win-clinching 24-yard field goal.

“I think when we did score, it was a little momentum,” Spiller said. “I feel like when we came back out and an interception kind of hurt us. It just goes back to self-inflicted wounds; just can’t have them. Every play matters.”

Blame could be placed on Calzada. He often seemed confused and indecisive. He passed for just 151 yards, ran for two and had the woeful pick.

But blame could also be on the offensive line, which gave up three sacks and committed penalties for false starts, holding and an ineligible man downfield.

Maybe that could be excused because two true freshmen — Foster and Reuben Fatheree — were in the starting lineup. Except most of those penalties were on more experienced players.

Blame could even be put on the defense for putting the Aggies in a 17-0 hole from which they’re not equipped to climb.

“You never win a game in the first quarter, but you can put yourself behind the 8-ball,” Fisher said. “That’s exactly what we did early in the game.”

Fisher was culpable in that, too.

Unlike Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who challenged A&M cornerback Myles Jones on Burks’ 85-yard touchdown pass, Fisher didn’t challenge the Razorbacks deep.

Calzada’s longest completion was 23 yards. The vast majority of his throws were underneath the Arkansas coverage.

The Aggies were taking what Arkansas would give them. They never attempted to take what they wanted.

Fisher argued that wasn’t the case.

“They were playing a really, really deep zone,” Fisher said. “They were bailing. They were trying to give you all underneath throws or all intermediate throws, like square ends, that type of stuff.

“The way they play, they take a lot of your deep balls away. We called about six shots in the game,
and they played them, and that’s why we were checking the ball. They had to check it down.”

There could be disagreements for why the Aggies lost: Sloppy passing, sloppy protection, sloppy tackling, sloppy coverages.

But all could agree the Aggies were sloppy, much to the hungry Hogs’ delight.