The Arkansas Razorbacks (3-1, 1-0 SEC) are set to play the No. 24 Texas A&M Aggies (3-1, 1-0 SEC) at 2:30 p.m. CT Saturday at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Both teams began conference play with wins, as Arkansas earned a 24-14 victory at Auburn last weekend and the Aggies picked up a 33-20 win at Florida on Sept. 14. Texas A&M beat Bowling Green, 26-20, last Saturday.
Arkansas is a 4.5-point underdog against the Aggies (BetSaracen). Last season, Texas A&M beat the Hogs, 34-22, with former head coach Jimbo Fisher.
First-year head coach Mike Elko will look to give the Aggies their 12th win in the last 13 meetings between these two programs.
Here is how the HawgBeat staff is predicting Saturday's game, which will be broadcast on ESPN:
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- Sam Pittman previews Texas A&M game on SEC Teleconference
- Arkansas vs Texas A&M: Fast Facts
- Arkansas football availability report - Texas A&M week
- Arkansas announces team captains for Texas A&M game
- Know the Foe: Gaining Texas A&M insight with AggieYell's Mark Passwaters
- Arkansas Football Notebook: Dubinion Suspended, Hasz Blocking Well
- Pittman not giving excuses for Arkansas' protection struggles
- Arkansas' official depth chart for Texas A&M game
- VIDEO: Sam Pittman press conference - Texas A&M preview
- VIDEO: Arkansas players press conference - Texas A&M week
- What Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said about Arkansas
- Braylen Russell earning more playing time in Arkansas offense
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The Aggies have been solid against the run aside from some chunk plays this season, but they’ll also have to defend Taylen Green through the air and I think their secondary could be exploited. I do worry about the defense limiting Marcel Reed — assuming A&M starts him at quarterback — as a dual threat, but last week’s performance at Auburn was very encouraging for that group.
Arkansas opened as a 2.5-point underdog on BetSaracen and that has since gone up to 4.5 points. I think that line is going in the wrong direction.
Arkansas 31, Texas A&M 28
Go ahead and put stat comparisons, season records and other intangibles for Arkansas and Texas A&M out of your mind, because these two teams almost always end up in a dog fight regardless of skill, talent and the like.
Weirdly enough, the Razorbacks and Aggies have had similar seasons up to this point. Blowouts over bad FCS teams? Check. Disappointing losses to ranked non-conference foes? Check. Ugly victories over Group of Five programs? Check. Double-digit wins against an SEC opponent? Check.
The difference here lies on the sidelines, as one staff has a first-year head coach in the program (Mike Elko, Texas A&M) and the other has one in his fifth season (Sam Pittman, Arkansas). Not to mention, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is 3-0 against the Aggies all-time and 4-0 at AT&T Stadium after defeating the Hogs on Jimbo Fisher's staff last season.
With all things fairly equal, give me the more experienced quarterback, SEC rushing leader, second-ranked conference receiver in yards and team coming off the (slightly) better-looking win.
Arkansas 28, Texas A&M 27
AT&T Stadium has not been kind to the Razorbacks in the last 10 years, but the Hogs have a chance to end the Southwest Classic on a high note with a win over Texas A&M on Saturday.
As much as Arkansas struggled against Auburn last weekend, Texas A&M also had a tough time putting away Bowling Green, so while the Aggies should provide a tougher opponent than the Tigers, they’re very much beatable.
In my opinion, this game is going to come down to the run game. Arkansas has the SEC’s leading rusher in Ja’Quinden Jackson and quarterback Taylen Green is always a threat with his legs. Texas A&M’s run defense is 13th in the SEC and gives up 129.8 yards per game on the ground.
At the same time, the Aggies’ rushing attack has been very solid and is ranked second in the SEC with 256 yards per game. Le’Veon Moss had a strong game for the Aggies last year against Arkansas with 107 yards on 17 carries, and he’s back for more in 2024.
Because both teams are going to rely heavily on the run game, I think this game is low-scoring and the Hogs drop the final iteration of the Southwest Classic.
Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 24
Arkansas squeaked out a road SEC victory against Auburn last weekend, despite the usual mistakes making the game a lot closer than it could've been. The Razorback defense stepped up in a big way, forcing five turnovers and limiting the Tigers' rushing attack.
Games between Texas A&M and Arkansas in Arlington have been weird, to put it lightly. A lot of close games, penalties, crazy plays like a fumble recovery for a touchdown on a quarterback dive, etc. I expect the same this year.
Since the series started back up in 2009, only two Arkansas coaches have defeated the Aggies in Arlington, and both will be on the sidelines for the Razorbacks Saturday. Arkansas OC Bobby Petrino was 3-0 as the Razorbacks' head coach against Texas A&M at Cowboy Stadium. He also improved to 5-0 in that stadium by defeating Kansas State in the 2011 Cotton Bowl and defeating Arkansas as the Aggies' OC last season.
Sam Pittman is 1-2 against the Aggies in the neutral site game, marking a combined 4-2 record in Arlington between the head coach and Petrino. Does any of that matter, though? Trends can be trends for a reason - but the trend is also that the Aggies have dominated the matchup since 2012.
If the Razorbacks can manage to close out drives, not turn the ball over on offense, and avoid the mental mistakes, they should win. Those are the same issues that cost them the Oklahoma State game and kept the Auburn game close. I still think the Hogs pick up the victory riding the momentum from the SEC opening win.
Arkansas 24, Texas A&M 18
I have no idea what to expect from the Razorback offense in this one. I think Taylen Green was exposed a little more last week as just an average passer. I was happy to see Isaiah Sategna more involved in the offense. A second weapon to Andrew Armstrong needed to manifest, and the Fayetteville product is a game-changer.
I expect the Hogs to establish the run early with Bobby Petrino finding the pressure points he can exploit with multiple motions and misdirection. If Arkansas has to throw the ball more than 25 times, it will be playing from behind.
We bid farewell to the Southwest Classic at Jerry’s World with another one score loss to the Aggies…Good riddance.
Texas A&M 24, Arkansas 21
Riley McFerran: 3-1 overall, 2-2 ATS
Daniel Fair: 2-2 overall, 2-2 ATS
Jackson Collier: 3-1 overall, 2-2 ATS
Kevin Bohannon: 3-1 overall, 2-2 ATS
Both teams began conference play with wins, as Arkansas earned a 24-14 victory at Auburn last weekend and the Aggies picked up a 33-20 win at Florida on Sept. 14. Texas A&M beat Bowling Green, 26-20, last Saturday.
Arkansas is a 4.5-point underdog against the Aggies (BetSaracen). Last season, Texas A&M beat the Hogs, 34-22, with former head coach Jimbo Fisher.
First-year head coach Mike Elko will look to give the Aggies their 12th win in the last 13 meetings between these two programs.
Here is how the HawgBeat staff is predicting Saturday's game, which will be broadcast on ESPN:
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More Arkansas vs Texas A&M Preview Content
- Arkansas vs Texas A&M: Star comparison, PFF grades, season stats- Sam Pittman previews Texas A&M game on SEC Teleconference
- Arkansas vs Texas A&M: Fast Facts
- Arkansas football availability report - Texas A&M week
- Arkansas announces team captains for Texas A&M game
- Know the Foe: Gaining Texas A&M insight with AggieYell's Mark Passwaters
- Arkansas Football Notebook: Dubinion Suspended, Hasz Blocking Well
- Pittman not giving excuses for Arkansas' protection struggles
- Arkansas' official depth chart for Texas A&M game
- VIDEO: Sam Pittman press conference - Texas A&M preview
- VIDEO: Arkansas players press conference - Texas A&M week
- What Texas A&M head coach Mike Elko said about Arkansas
- Braylen Russell earning more playing time in Arkansas offense
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Mason Choate - Publisher
Going into the Auburn game, I felt like the Razorbacks had a real shot to knock off a team that had an unstable quarterback situation and a fairly even amount of talent. It was one of those games where I needed to see them prove they could win one like that. The situation this weekend is pretty similar.The Aggies have been solid against the run aside from some chunk plays this season, but they’ll also have to defend Taylen Green through the air and I think their secondary could be exploited. I do worry about the defense limiting Marcel Reed — assuming A&M starts him at quarterback — as a dual threat, but last week’s performance at Auburn was very encouraging for that group.
Arkansas opened as a 2.5-point underdog on BetSaracen and that has since gone up to 4.5 points. I think that line is going in the wrong direction.
Arkansas 31, Texas A&M 28
Riley McFerran - Managing Editor
Go ahead and put stat comparisons, season records and other intangibles for Arkansas and Texas A&M out of your mind, because these two teams almost always end up in a dog fight regardless of skill, talent and the like.
Weirdly enough, the Razorbacks and Aggies have had similar seasons up to this point. Blowouts over bad FCS teams? Check. Disappointing losses to ranked non-conference foes? Check. Ugly victories over Group of Five programs? Check. Double-digit wins against an SEC opponent? Check.
The difference here lies on the sidelines, as one staff has a first-year head coach in the program (Mike Elko, Texas A&M) and the other has one in his fifth season (Sam Pittman, Arkansas). Not to mention, offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino is 3-0 against the Aggies all-time and 4-0 at AT&T Stadium after defeating the Hogs on Jimbo Fisher's staff last season.
With all things fairly equal, give me the more experienced quarterback, SEC rushing leader, second-ranked conference receiver in yards and team coming off the (slightly) better-looking win.
Arkansas 28, Texas A&M 27
Daniel Fair - Football Recruiting Analyst
AT&T Stadium has not been kind to the Razorbacks in the last 10 years, but the Hogs have a chance to end the Southwest Classic on a high note with a win over Texas A&M on Saturday.
As much as Arkansas struggled against Auburn last weekend, Texas A&M also had a tough time putting away Bowling Green, so while the Aggies should provide a tougher opponent than the Tigers, they’re very much beatable.
In my opinion, this game is going to come down to the run game. Arkansas has the SEC’s leading rusher in Ja’Quinden Jackson and quarterback Taylen Green is always a threat with his legs. Texas A&M’s run defense is 13th in the SEC and gives up 129.8 yards per game on the ground.
At the same time, the Aggies’ rushing attack has been very solid and is ranked second in the SEC with 256 yards per game. Le’Veon Moss had a strong game for the Aggies last year against Arkansas with 107 yards on 17 carries, and he’s back for more in 2024.
Because both teams are going to rely heavily on the run game, I think this game is low-scoring and the Hogs drop the final iteration of the Southwest Classic.
Texas A&M 31, Arkansas 24
Jackson Collier - Basketball Recruiting Analyst
Arkansas squeaked out a road SEC victory against Auburn last weekend, despite the usual mistakes making the game a lot closer than it could've been. The Razorback defense stepped up in a big way, forcing five turnovers and limiting the Tigers' rushing attack.
Games between Texas A&M and Arkansas in Arlington have been weird, to put it lightly. A lot of close games, penalties, crazy plays like a fumble recovery for a touchdown on a quarterback dive, etc. I expect the same this year.
Since the series started back up in 2009, only two Arkansas coaches have defeated the Aggies in Arlington, and both will be on the sidelines for the Razorbacks Saturday. Arkansas OC Bobby Petrino was 3-0 as the Razorbacks' head coach against Texas A&M at Cowboy Stadium. He also improved to 5-0 in that stadium by defeating Kansas State in the 2011 Cotton Bowl and defeating Arkansas as the Aggies' OC last season.
Sam Pittman is 1-2 against the Aggies in the neutral site game, marking a combined 4-2 record in Arlington between the head coach and Petrino. Does any of that matter, though? Trends can be trends for a reason - but the trend is also that the Aggies have dominated the matchup since 2012.
If the Razorbacks can manage to close out drives, not turn the ball over on offense, and avoid the mental mistakes, they should win. Those are the same issues that cost them the Oklahoma State game and kept the Auburn game close. I still think the Hogs pick up the victory riding the momentum from the SEC opening win.
Arkansas 24, Texas A&M 18
Kevin Bohannon - Baseball Recruiting Analyst
I have no idea what to expect from the Razorback offense in this one. I think Taylen Green was exposed a little more last week as just an average passer. I was happy to see Isaiah Sategna more involved in the offense. A second weapon to Andrew Armstrong needed to manifest, and the Fayetteville product is a game-changer.
I expect the Hogs to establish the run early with Bobby Petrino finding the pressure points he can exploit with multiple motions and misdirection. If Arkansas has to throw the ball more than 25 times, it will be playing from behind.
We bid farewell to the Southwest Classic at Jerry’s World with another one score loss to the Aggies…Good riddance.
Texas A&M 24, Arkansas 21
RECORDS (Overall, Against the Spread)
Mason Choate: 3-1 overall, 1-3 ATSRiley McFerran: 3-1 overall, 2-2 ATS
Daniel Fair: 2-2 overall, 2-2 ATS
Jackson Collier: 3-1 overall, 2-2 ATS
Kevin Bohannon: 3-1 overall, 2-2 ATS
