For the first time in two weeks, the Aggies took a step in the right direction in Saturday night's win over Arkansas. After two tough losses, this team needed a strong and composed performance to get back on track for the middle portion of this season. Our Aggies needed to come out and play with the confidence and physicality that characterized last year’s squad, and for the most part, they did just that.
Saturday night, Texas A&M beat Arkansas 34-7 at Kyle Field, earning its first SEC win of the season and the 800th victory in program history. Our Aggies controlled the game on both sides of the football, outgaining the Razorbacks 401-214 and only allowing seven points in the first quarter of this matchup before shutting them out the rest of the night. After the inefficiencies that showed up over the past few weeks, it was good to see the offensive success throughout this game. The difference in this game was very clear on the offensive side of the ball. It was clear that the Aggies wanted to win this game with physicality by establishing the run and winning the line of scrimmage.
After rushing for just 68 yards against LSU the week before, the Aggies ran for 231 yards on Arkansas. That is a significant difference, and it changed the way the entire offense operated. When you can run the football effectively, you give yourself options. It takes pressure off your quarterback and keeps the defense from scheming against just the passing game. I’ve talked about this previously, but games in the SEC are won in the trenches, and the offensive line dictated how this game was played. Consistently establishing the run was something A&M had struggled to do in recent weeks, and it was encouraging to see the Aggies get back in rhythm.
But there was another part of Saturday night that I thought was just as important.
Marcel Reed started to look like himself again.
Not perfect. Not the version of himself that we saw at his absolute best last season. But there were several moments where you could see that confidence starting to come back.
Something that I wanted to see from Reed this week was comfort in the pocket, even under pressure. I feel that we saw Reed make strides in this area, and the play that best highlights this improvement from previous weeks came with 8:28 left in the second quarter.
The play call was a play-action off a power run scheme, which we called “Gap” protection when I was at A&M. Reed faked a handoff to his right, and Arkansas brought pressure to his backside. Razorback defensive end Quincy Rhodes Jr. came free off the edge of the scheme, beating the right guard who pulled his way. Reed's back was to Rhodes until he was within four yards of him, but when he turned and saw him, he didn’t panic. Reed avoided the sack, stepped up in the pocket, saw that the protection in front of him was solid and didn’t rush to get the ball out. He took his time and found his open checkdown, Rueben Owens II, for a solid pickup, turning a huge loss into a positive play.
Early in the game, Reed also took advantage of his opportunities to run the football. He had several designed QB runs throughout the night that forced Arkansas to account for him as a runner rather than simply sitting back and defending the pass. I really liked how Holmon Wiggins used Reed as a runner throughout the night. Reed finds his rhythm when he can use his legs throughout the game. I also think implementing more runs into the scheme helps him make quicker decisions to tuck and run the football when no one is open on a pass play. That is ultimately where Reed is the most dangerous to defenses, and that is what makes him such a difficult quarterback to defend.
When an offense has a QB they can design runs for, it makes defensive coordinators think about him a lot when deciding how to defend and fit our personnel packages. And I thought we saw more of that Saturday night.
Reed finished with 170 passing yards, completing 13 of 19 attempts, but he also ran for 66 yards and a touchdown. His 1-yard touchdown run late in the second quarter was another example of him using his athleticism to make a play when things break down.
While his performance was not perfect and there were still some throws throughout this game that I know he’ll want back, he looked like he was trending back in the right direction this week. While Reed's performance was encouraging, I also think the emergence of KJ Edwards was one of the most exciting things to come out of this game.
Edwards came into this season as a freshman everyone was excited about, but he hadn't yet had the opportunity to become a major part of this offense.
That changed Saturday.
Edwards showed his explosiveness on plenty of plays throughout this game. His quickness is electric, and he has natural vision in the backfield that you love to see from your running back. A perfect example of his quickness and vision came on the first drive in the second half. On a stretch play that should have been a TFL for Rhodes, Edwards made a quick cut upfield to make him miss. He then made another cut, avoiding two more defenders, before being dragged down for a 17-yard gain.
This was not his only impressive play. He had plenty of good runs that did not look like a freshman running back. He has elite quickness and talent that needs to be utilized. He needs to get more touches throughout the course of this season.
Edwards finished the night with 66 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns.
Our running back room is talented, and it appears that we have depth that can help us throughout this season.
This offense has the firepower to be a great unit, but one game cannot be what we base our future on. We need this game to be a momentum-builder for this team that we lean into next week with a big challenge on the road at Missouri.
I also want to point out the tight ends this week. I thought this unit did a great job capitalizing on opportunities when their names were called. Kiotti Armstrong showed off his athletic ability with a huge 54-yard catch-and-run that led to an A&M touchdown. Houston Thomas and Micah Riley also had good games in both receiving and blocking. This unit has solid depth, and I think they'll be used more as the season progresses.
Finally, the wide receiver room is one that we need to be healthy over the next few weeks. With Mario Craver battling an injury throughout this game and Ashton Bethel-Roman still trying to get back to 100 percent, we cannot afford any more injuries after losing Terry Bussey two weeks ago. We still have plenty of weapons, but depth is what wins you games late in the year.
The defense deserves just as much credit for the growth that we saw during this performance.
On the opening possession of the game for the Razorbacks, Dalton Brooks intercepted KJ Jackson's pass, returning it into Razorback territory and allowing the offense to capitalize. The defense continued to make life difficult for the Razorbacks throughout the night. Arkansas finished with just 214 total yards and was held scoreless in the second half.
The biggest defensive moment may have come early in the second half.
The Razorbacks drove all the way down to the Aggies' 1-yard line with a chance to cut into our lead. But the Aggies stood their ground and made a huge stop on fourth down. Arkansas had opportunities to build momentum, but ultimately the Aggie defense prevented the Razorbacks from getting into a rhythm.
One standout player for me this week was interior defensive lineman Landon Rink. He played a solid game, holding down the interior and tallying 1.5 TFLs throughout the game. He had a constant impact on the run defense all night, and he continues to grow into a great player. As a sophomore, his ceiling only continues to get higher, and I am excited to see the kind of player he can become.
While the Aggie defense did not play a perfect game, they showed improvement in an important area: the front seven. Over the past two weeks, we saw the Aggie defense give up over 150 yards of rushing against Kentucky and 190 yards against LSU. This group had also struggled to create pressure on the quarterback in a significant way throughout both of those games.
But this past Saturday was different. The defense pressured Jackson much better than in any of the other SEC games that they've played this year. Another positive sign was that defensive end Marco Jones recorded a sack. Defensive lines are critical for a great defense, and this group will be important as this year goes on.
This unit will be tested every week from here on out, especially as we continue to play better SEC opponents this season. If the defensive line continues to get more pressure on quarterbacks, ultimately, the entire defense will be able to perform at a higher level. This group will be key on the road this weekend against Missouri.
On special teams, David Olano also deserves credit for another impressive night, hitting field goals from 57 and 50 yards. The 57-yarder before halftime was especially important because it gave A&M a 24-7 lead heading into the locker room. His consistency from the kicking position needs to be acknowledged. He truly is a weapon with his ability to hit from over 50 yards consistently.
Arkansas is not a great team in this conference, but more than anything, I think Saturday gave A&M something it had been missing over the last two weeks: Confidence.
You could see it in Reed. You could see it in Edwards. You could see it in the offensive line. You could see it on the defensive side of the football.
And that matters moving forward.
I don't think this game means A&M has everything figured out. Arkansas is a different team than Missouri, Alabama, Tennessee or Texas, but this Aggie team has to grow to get where it wants to go. I believe we saw steps in the right direction this weekend.
But again, that’s all this was. One step.
For Reed, it was a step toward looking closer to the quarterback we saw last season.
For Edwards, it may have been the beginning of something much bigger for the rest of his season and the start of him solidifying himself in this offense for the foreseeable future.
And for A&M as a whole, this game is the momentum that we needed before going on the road for a top-25 matchup. This team has the tools to win this football game against Missouri, but ultimately, they have to band together and play high-level football that we know they are capable of.
Gig ‘Em and BTHO Missouri.
