HawgBeat - Arkansas defense did its part in Texas A&M loss
Arkansas' defense perfomed better than the score indicated in the Hogs' 34-22 loss to Texas A&M Saturday afternoon.
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The Arkansas Razorbacks dropped their third straight game and second SEC matchup in a row Saturday in a 34-22 loss to Texas A&M. Though the score may say otherwise, the Hogs' defense gave Arkansas a chance despite a putrid offensive performance through four quarters.
That's not to say the defense was perfect, however. After holding the Aggies to 75 total yards on eight plays in the first quarter, the Razorbacks' defense allowed 150 yards on 23 plays in the second quarter.
Heading into the Southwest Classic, Texas A&M ranked 22nd in the country in third down conversion percentage at 49.0%. That trend continued during Saturday's matchup, as the Aggies converted 6-of-8 attempts in the first half against Arkansas.
"Defensively, I didn't think we played well at all in the first half, and I thought we played well in the second half, a lot better, against what I think is a good offense," Arkansas head coach Sam Pittman said. "I thought we had too many wide-open guys in the first half and too many long conversions on third down that I didn't think we needed to get that. But I thought we really played a lot better in the second half."
During the second half, Arkansas' defense held Texas A&M to just 2-of-7 on third down attempts with three punts after failing to force any in the first 30 minutes of the game.
The biggest play of the game for the Razorbacks actually took place on the opening drive of the third quarter, as Lorando "Snaxx" Johnson jumped a pass in the flats from Aggies quarterback Max Johnson and returned it 20 yards for Arkansas' first touchdown of the game.
Sure, the Aggies scored 17 points in the second half. But only three of those points were allowed by the defense, as Texas A&M kicker Randy Bond nailed a 34-yard field goal on the second drive of the third quarter.
The other 14 came from a KJ Jefferson pick-six and a punt return touchdown by Aggies' playmaker Ainias Smith. Again, it wasn't perfect, but the Razorbacks' defense did more than enough in the second half for Arkansas to have a chance in the game.
"I think they can run the football," Pittman said. "Quarterback is a good player (Max Johnson). He made a mistake there on the bubble where Snaxx (Lorando Johnson) got it. He's played a lot of football. He's one that we lost to last year. But I think he took whatever we were giving him and did a nice job.
"We made some adjustments at halftime. I thought we were pretty good -- we played a little better ball in the second half on defense. But we basically didn't stop him on the first half. maybe out of four times, he scored three of the four. Missed a field goal. So his game plan was really good."
On top of only allowing three true offensive points in the second half, the Hogs' defense as a whole wasn't called for a single penalty and created three turnovers on the day. It wasn't enough to cover for a less-than-steller offensive performance, however.
"But Snaxx (Lorando Johnson) picking that pass and scoring, then we come back and we get an opportunity -- I mean, get a fumble on the 30-freaking 7 or 8," Pittman said. "And we kick a field goal, you know?
"But they're playing hard. Those guys got 'em motivated and they are playing hard and starting to play smarter and starting to cover better."
The Arkansas defense will have to continue to make plays, as the Razorbacks travel to Oxford, Mississippi, next Saturday to take on offensive guru Lane Kiffin and the Ole Miss Rebels. The game is set to kickoff at 6:30 p.m. CT and it will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
