Post Game Review: No. 24 Texas A&M 21, Arkansas 17
So long, Jerry World.
In the final year of the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium, No. 24 Texas A&M’s flawed day offensively was just enough to pull out a fourth straight win over Arkansas, 21-17.
Texas A&M’s pass rush appeared to be suffocating in the opening moments.
Nic Scourton got the Aggies going with a loss of two yards before Isaiah Sategna made up the yardage. On third-and-10, Arkansas QB Taylen Green found Isaac TeSlaa deep, who beat Jaydon Hill downhill and coasted into the end zone, 7-0.
Conversely, A&M’s offense went three-and-out on its first attempt.
With Arkansas back at their own 33, the Aggies returned the favor as Cashius Howell and Solomon DeShields chased down Green on two separate downs to force a wasted possession.
Le’Veon Moss gained the Aggies’ initial first down of the afternoon. On the next play, Marcel Reed hit Noah Thomas, who caught it 15 yards out and sped away for a career-long 58-yard play, finding the end zone and tying things up at 7-apiece.
Gains of seven, eight and 16 propelled the Razorbacks down field before A&M’s defense began to swarm. Scourton put pressure on Green, causing him to throw incomplete. Daymion Sanford tackled Green, only allowing a gain of three and Hill sacked the signal-caller, as the Aggies looked disruptive as a unit.
Yet, some trickery on fourth down allowed punter Devin Bale to scamper for 25, setting up Ja’Quinden Jackson to rush in the end zone from eight yards out and take back the lead, 14-7.
After the Aggie offense came up a yard short of the line to gain, Arkansas attempted to push their way out of their own territory, courtesy of a 27-yard pass. Two negative yardage plays ultimately set the Hogs behind the sticks, where they punted to start the second quarter.
On third-and-1, Amari Daniels bulldozed his way through the line of scrimmage to pick up a new set of downs. On another third-down situation, A&M converted on a 22-yard pass to Cyrus Allen before Reed used his feet to try to pick up another.
Going for it on fourth down, a false start penalty on Ar'maj Reed-Adams led the Aggies to punt.
Pinned on their own nine-yard line, Shemar Stewart blew up the handoff between Green and Jackson, and Scooby Williams fell on the fumble.
A&M capitalized on the turnover as Reed faked the jet sweep and hauled it in himself to knot the game at 14-14.
On Arkansas’ ensuing three-and-out drive, Green felt the impact of A&M’s pass rush as Shemar Stewart continued to chase down the quarterback. The Razorbacks did not gain a single yard before handing it back to the Maroon & White, who, three plays later, gave it right back.
A&M’s defense went right back to their lethal attack. Howell nearly picked off Green on what would have been an easy pick-six play. Scourton recorded his first sack of the day for a loss of five to shut down any positive momentum for the Hogs’ offense.
With great field position once again, Texas A&M failed to pick up a first down.
Just before the half expired, Arkansas was marching across midfield, yet Green threw it down field right into the hands of Aggie corner Dezz Ricks. Jabre Barber picked up a gain of 13 on third down.
However, A&M’s offensive line gave up just their fourth sack of the year to send both teams into their locker rooms despite having two unused timeouts.
With the ball to start the second half, Reed overthrew an open Thomas deep, yet the Aggies were gifted a first down because of a late hit. Reed missed another throw to Barber three plays later.
A 24-yard keeper from Green inched Arkansas toward the red zone. A third-down incompletion prevented six, and on a fake field goal attempt, A&M prevented any scoring.
Reed hit Thomas in stride to connect on a 20-yard pass but moved backward as Reed was sacked. On third-and-14 at midfield, the Aggies failed to convert yet again. Arkansas handed the ball right back. A&M’s ensuing drive was plagued by an international grounding call and a 10-yard tackle for loss.
Arkansas’ offense came back to life as the third frame dwindled down. Three plays of 11-plus yards moved the Razorbacks 58 yards, and the march ended with a field goal.
A pass to Thomas and a powerful back-to-back rushes by Moss provided subtle sparks on offense as Tre Watson caught the five-yard touchdown to put A&M on top. Arkansas responded by moving the ball rather quickly, but A&M’s pass rush brought the pressure to stall the Razorbacks out around midfield.
The Aggies’ final offensive drive began with efficiency as Barber grabbed a gain of 10 before Moss surpassed 100 yards on a 30-yard rush. Punting after multiple negative plays and a no-call on a post route to Thomas, Arkansas had 2:40 left to drive.
After a few short gains and a gift-wrapped pass interference call, Scourton caused a fumble, which Hill recovered.
A&M ran out the clock to secure the victory and put a bow on a chaotic — yet thrilling — era of the Southwest Classic.
RUMBLED: Texas A&M’s pass rush delivered. At the half, the dual-threat quarterback Taylen Green was held to negative-10 yards. He normally averages 81 rushing yards a game. Nic Scourton recorded a sack and four tackles-for-loss and forced a fumble, Shemar Turner kept the pressure on Green and Shemar Stewart had half a TFL, a quarterback hurry and forced a crucial fumble. A&M’s defense stepped up when the offense came out flat.
STUMBLED: The Aggies’ final three possessions to end the first half totaled just 14 yards while in their own territory. Marcel Reed completed 1-of-8 passes in that stretch. With the ball to start the second half, A&M attempted to strike, but Reed missed Noah Thomas down field. It was an abysmal stretch for the Maroon & White on offense on their own side of the field.
Additionally, it’s hard to win football games when you are 4-of-13 on third down. Luckily, Arkansas wasn’t much better, converting at a 33 percent clip.
TURNING POINT: With nine minutes to go, Texas A&M scored to go up four on the Razorbacks, and although one score in the Southwest Classic never feels safe, the four-point advantage was the difference.
UNSUNG HERO: Le’Veon Moss ignited Texas A&M’s must-have touchdown drive. A rush of 23 on third down set the Aggies up just outside the red zone, where in the next play, Moss fought hard for a gain of eight. Without those two plays from Moss, the ending looks different.
KEY STAT: Bye-bye AT&T Stadium. The Southwest Classic at Jerry World has come to an end, with Texas A&M winning 12 of the last 13 meetings against the Hogs.
Scoring Summary
First-quarter
ARK: 13:49 - Taylen Green 75-yard touchdown pass to Isaac TeSlaa. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 1:11. Arkansas 7, Texas A&M 0
A&M: 13:49 - Marcel Reed 58-yard touchdown pass to Noah Thomas. Drive: 3 plays, 70 yards. TOP: 1:06. Texas A&M 7, Arkansas 7
ARK: Ja’Quinden Jackson 8-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 5:38. Texas A&M 7, Arkansas 14
Second-quarter
A&M: Marcel Reed 5-yard rushing touchdown. Drive: 2 plays, 10 yards. TOP: 0:44. Texas A&M 14, Arkansas 14
Fourth-quarter
ARK: 13:24 - Kyle Ramsey 45-yard field goal. Drive: 10 plays, 58 yards. TOP 4:12. Texas A&M 14, Arkansas 17
A&M: 9:47 - Marcel Reed 5-yard touchdown pass to Tre Watson. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards. TOP: 4:26. Texas A&M 21, Arkansas 17