Reeling from consecutive Southeastern Conference football losses, Texas A&M could use an easy win to get back on track.
Alas, history shows the Aggies (2-2, 0-2) won’t get one on Saturday when they face Arkansas (2-2, 0-1) in a 6 p.m. CT kickoff at Kyle Field.
The Aggies might win. They usually do in SEC play vs. Arkansas. But it’s rarely easy.
A&M is 13-1 vs. Arkansas since joining the SEC. Eight game wins were by a touchdown or less. Three of the last four were decided by four points or less, including last year’s 45-42 victory.
A&M coach Mike Elko anticipates more of the same.
“I’ve played six of them now, and all six have been that way. There’s not one of the six that I’ve played — we’re 5-1 in them — but every single one of them has been that,” Elko said. “The first one I played in was Donovan Wilson intercepting a ball to end the game on a two-minute drive. To last year, the shootout, going back and forth, and my first year as the head coach, Nic Scourton getting the sack.”
Wilson’s interception secured a 24-17 victory in 2018. Scourton’s fumble-causing sack clinched a 21-17 victory in 2024. Last year, Rueben Owens II’s 12-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter provided the winning points.
“That, to me, is just how this game has consistently played out,” Elko said. “I don’t know if you project what Saturday will look like or play like, but certainly that’s been my history with this series. An extremely competitive game.
“They’re a really good program. They’ve gotten up for this game. They’ve always played really well against us. And so, certainly I don’t anticipate that being different.”
Elko does hope for a different showing from quarterback Marcel Reed, who completed just 48 percent (36 of 75) and netted just 342 passing yards in losses to Kentucky and LSU.
Also, in that 35-6 loss to LSU, the Aggies managed just 197 yards of total offense. That was A&M’s lowest output since gaining just 186 yards in a 2022 loss to Appalachian State.
Elko said the offensive struggles aren’t limited to Reed.
“The struggles in the LSU game were really deep,” he said. “(Reed is) a part of it. I don’t think he’s the only part of it. I think there were struggles at so many levels in the LSU game that it’s hard to pinpoint one guy and what he did wrong.”
Indeed, the Aggies' struggles aren’t limited to offense. Pass defense has been almost non-existent in SEC play.
Opposing SEC starting quarterbacks have completed 75.6 percent (31 of 41) of passes for 564 yards and four touchdowns against the Aggies. That’s a whopping 18.2 yards per catch.
That’s especially alarming because Arkansas wide receiver Chris Marshall leads the SEC with 473 yards and averages 16.9 yards per catch.
A strong pass rush could help a beleaguered secondary, but A&M’s has been anemic. The Aggies have managed only four sacks.
Elko acknowledged the Aggies must put pressure on Arkansas quarterback KJ Jackson, who has often been under pressure. Arkansas has allowed at least three sacks to every opponent, including FCS member North Alabama.
“I’ve got to figure out a way to attack and blitz better,” Elko said. “We’ve got to figure out ways to make the quarterback more uncomfortable. There’s no doubt about that.”
If not, the Aggies will likely be quite uncomfortable with an uncertain outcome late in the game.
That’s often the case because when A&M faces Arkansas, typically nothing comes easy.
