From @Jamesonevers
arkansas.rivals.com
After a heartbreaking loss on Saturday, Arkansas shifts its focus to the annual Southwest Classic against the Texas A&M Aggies at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Arkansas went into last year's match up with the Aggies boasting a 3-0 record and a No. 10 ranking before losing 23-21 in heartbreaking fashion.
The Razorbacks were up 14-0, and had second and goal at the Aggies' 3-yard line before a KJ Jefferson leap for the goal line resulted in a fumble and a Texas A&M scoop and score that helped turn the tides of the game away from Arkansas.
This year many of the same faces return for both sides in what should be an exciting game. Here is a preview of what to expect from the Aggies in Saturday's game, which will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT and be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Record: 3-1
Last Week: 27-10 vs Auburn
Offensive Coordinator: Bobby Petrino
Offensive Scheme: Spread, Inside Zone, RPO, lots of different personal groups
Defensive Coordinator: DJ Durkin
Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5
Understanding the Aggies is kind of weird, as they dominated two subpar teams in New Mexico and Louisiana-Monroe, gave up about a million yards to a so-so Miami team and then Auburn could barely complete a pass last week. The Tigers ended up with nine completions and seven sacks allowed.
Knowing what to expect from this Aggies team is pretty difficult, but I would expect something in between the two extremes they have experienced so far this year. Last week was one of the wildest anomalies I have ever seen, with Auburn only passing for 56 yards, yet, because the Tigers took eight sacks, they lost 26 yards when calling passing plays, netting just one (1) yard per pass attempt.
Offensive Diversity - The biggest change for the Aggies this season has been the addition of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who is a very complicated person to put it lightly, but he has never struggled at calling an offense.
Petrino has mastered the ability to change his offense to attack the defense he is facing for the week, which is magnified most in his usage of personal groups.
In 33 games at Missouri State, Petrino used 11 personnel on 34.8% of snaps, 12 personnel on 23.3% of snaps and 10 personnel (one running back, no tight ends, four receivers) on 19.3% of snaps, per TruMedia. Playing against a team with so many different personnel groups will be a substantial change for the Hogs both physically and mentally.
Pass Rush - Despite the reputation of LSU, the Texas A&M pass rush will most likely be the best pass rush Arkansas will have faced. A&M has seven players who have recorded at least four pressures and five players with multiple sacks. A&M is not a huge blitz team, but with its front four, it should be able to apply some pressure to KJ Jefferson.
QB Play - Even with starter Connor Weigman out for the season, A&M still has plenty of talent at quarterback this Saturday. Weigman had been really impressive so far this season, with 992 yards passing in just over three games, good for 8.2 yards per attempt and a PFF grade of 92.8. Even after Weigman left the game against Auburn, former starter Max Johnson came into the game and finished as the game's highest graded player with a 90.2 PFF grade.
Pass Blocking - Despite only having allowed four sacks all season, pass protection is not a strength for the Aggies. As a team, A&M has a pass blocking grade of 58.2, with only one game having a pass blocking grade above 56 (last week against Auburn). That was mitigated by Weigman, who had an average time to throw of 2.56 seconds. That is likely not to continue under Max Johnson, who has an average time to throw of about three seconds for his career, which should allow the Hogs to get more pressure than they did last week.
Tackling - A&M often has a ton of talent on defense, but has struggled to bring down ball carriers against Power Five opponents. A&M missed 16 tackles last week against Auburn, and 12 tackles against Miami. Both games were graded out below 50 per PFF, and offers a look into how Arkansas might be able to move the ball this Saturday, especially if Rocket Sanders is able to play for the first time since Week 1.
Rushing Efficiency - Texas A&M has been fairly efficient running the ball overall this season, but it has struggled more when running against higher-level competition. Against Miami, the Aggies averaged 3.3 yards per carry and failed to rush for 100 yards. A&M experienced more success against Auburn, with a much healthier six yards per carry on the day, but outside of a 79-yard scamper by Amari Daniels, it still struggled to move the ball with much consistency on the ground with an average of 4.0 yards per rush when looking at the 32 other carries the team had.
Arkansas put up a valiant effort in Baton Rouge last week, showing it does have the talent to compete. Too many questions remain for me to feel super confident in this team, though. The secondary and the pass rush had a rough day in Death Valley, and without consistent improvement on offense, I have to pick the Aggies this week
Texas A&M 30, Arkansas 24
HawgBeat - Scouting the Texas A&M Aggies
HawgBeat provides an in-depth look at the challenge Texas A&M presents for Arkansas.
arkansas.rivals.com
After a heartbreaking loss on Saturday, Arkansas shifts its focus to the annual Southwest Classic against the Texas A&M Aggies at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Arkansas went into last year's match up with the Aggies boasting a 3-0 record and a No. 10 ranking before losing 23-21 in heartbreaking fashion.
The Razorbacks were up 14-0, and had second and goal at the Aggies' 3-yard line before a KJ Jefferson leap for the goal line resulted in a fumble and a Texas A&M scoop and score that helped turn the tides of the game away from Arkansas.
This year many of the same faces return for both sides in what should be an exciting game. Here is a preview of what to expect from the Aggies in Saturday's game, which will kickoff at 11 a.m. CT and be broadcast on the SEC Network.
Texas A&M Resume
Coach: Jimbo Fisher (6th season)Record: 3-1
Last Week: 27-10 vs Auburn
Offensive Coordinator: Bobby Petrino
Offensive Scheme: Spread, Inside Zone, RPO, lots of different personal groups
Defensive Coordinator: DJ Durkin
Defensive Scheme: 4-2-5
Tale of the Tape
Understanding the Aggies is kind of weird, as they dominated two subpar teams in New Mexico and Louisiana-Monroe, gave up about a million yards to a so-so Miami team and then Auburn could barely complete a pass last week. The Tigers ended up with nine completions and seven sacks allowed.
Knowing what to expect from this Aggies team is pretty difficult, but I would expect something in between the two extremes they have experienced so far this year. Last week was one of the wildest anomalies I have ever seen, with Auburn only passing for 56 yards, yet, because the Tigers took eight sacks, they lost 26 yards when calling passing plays, netting just one (1) yard per pass attempt.
Strengths
Offensive Diversity - The biggest change for the Aggies this season has been the addition of offensive coordinator Bobby Petrino, who is a very complicated person to put it lightly, but he has never struggled at calling an offense.
Petrino has mastered the ability to change his offense to attack the defense he is facing for the week, which is magnified most in his usage of personal groups.
In 33 games at Missouri State, Petrino used 11 personnel on 34.8% of snaps, 12 personnel on 23.3% of snaps and 10 personnel (one running back, no tight ends, four receivers) on 19.3% of snaps, per TruMedia. Playing against a team with so many different personnel groups will be a substantial change for the Hogs both physically and mentally.
Pass Rush - Despite the reputation of LSU, the Texas A&M pass rush will most likely be the best pass rush Arkansas will have faced. A&M has seven players who have recorded at least four pressures and five players with multiple sacks. A&M is not a huge blitz team, but with its front four, it should be able to apply some pressure to KJ Jefferson.
QB Play - Even with starter Connor Weigman out for the season, A&M still has plenty of talent at quarterback this Saturday. Weigman had been really impressive so far this season, with 992 yards passing in just over three games, good for 8.2 yards per attempt and a PFF grade of 92.8. Even after Weigman left the game against Auburn, former starter Max Johnson came into the game and finished as the game's highest graded player with a 90.2 PFF grade.
Weaknesses
Pass Blocking - Despite only having allowed four sacks all season, pass protection is not a strength for the Aggies. As a team, A&M has a pass blocking grade of 58.2, with only one game having a pass blocking grade above 56 (last week against Auburn). That was mitigated by Weigman, who had an average time to throw of 2.56 seconds. That is likely not to continue under Max Johnson, who has an average time to throw of about three seconds for his career, which should allow the Hogs to get more pressure than they did last week.
Tackling - A&M often has a ton of talent on defense, but has struggled to bring down ball carriers against Power Five opponents. A&M missed 16 tackles last week against Auburn, and 12 tackles against Miami. Both games were graded out below 50 per PFF, and offers a look into how Arkansas might be able to move the ball this Saturday, especially if Rocket Sanders is able to play for the first time since Week 1.
Rushing Efficiency - Texas A&M has been fairly efficient running the ball overall this season, but it has struggled more when running against higher-level competition. Against Miami, the Aggies averaged 3.3 yards per carry and failed to rush for 100 yards. A&M experienced more success against Auburn, with a much healthier six yards per carry on the day, but outside of a 79-yard scamper by Amari Daniels, it still struggled to move the ball with much consistency on the ground with an average of 4.0 yards per rush when looking at the 32 other carries the team had.
Prediction
Arkansas put up a valiant effort in Baton Rouge last week, showing it does have the talent to compete. Too many questions remain for me to feel super confident in this team, though. The secondary and the pass rush had a rough day in Death Valley, and without consistent improvement on offense, I have to pick the Aggies this week
Texas A&M 30, Arkansas 24
