FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – The Arkansas Razorbacks traveled to College Station to face the 2- 2 Texas A&M Aggies in a Lone Star showdown on Saturday night, but it was far from a competitive meeting for the first time since 2020.
Whether it was penalties, turnovers, mistakes, or effort issues reared its ugly head once again as Arkansas has been outscored 122-34 against Power Conference opponents this season.
Arkansas Defensive Struggles
The Razorbacks’ defense looked jet-lagged Saturday night, struggling to stop the Aggies’ offense as a whole. The Aggies took advantage of the Razorbacks’ failure to fill gaps and maintain proper coverage, putting up over 400 yards of total offense.
Coming into Saturday night’s matchup, the Razorbacks ranked No. 56 in total defense at 324 yards per game, but that number will jump after the defensive breakdown at Kyle Field.
The Razorbacks’ run struggles stemmed from not all Razorbacks playing the right gap and making the right read on the defensive side of the ball, which led to the Aggies rushing for over 230 yards on the Hogs.
Ben Bogle was a factor for the Hogs tonight but couldn’t be everywhere at once, as Texas A&M took control of the game late in the first half and never looked back. As for Arkansas, the defense looked completely lost with what to do with the Aggies rushing attack that recorded 49 carries for 231 yards and four touchdowns.
“Not all guys, you know, were in the right gaps,” Bogle said after the game. “We weren’t able to execute, and we’re more capable, and we’re going to continue to get better.”
Lackluster Quarterback Play
Quarterback KJ Jackson once again struggled against a Power Four defense, constantly overthrowing receivers, failing to read the pocket or make the correct reads.
His two biggest mistakes came on overthrows, one to Antonio Jordan on the opening series, which led to a 39-yard interception return. That ultimately allowed to the Aggies to open up a 7-0 lead with a two-yard rushing touchdown by Carsyn Baker and never looked back.
Jackson failed to make the right read and get rid of the ball on a crucial third-down play for the Razorbacks in the second quarter when the Hogs were still trailing 14-7.
After he was sacked for a seven-yard loss that pushed them back to the Aggies’ 37-yard line, standout kicker Max Gilbert missed what would’ve been a 55-yard field goal to bring the Razorbacks within four of the Aggies.
Jackson finished the game connecting on 13-of-25 passes for 111 yards, one touchdown and an interception. First-year coach Ryan Silverfield still has faith in KJ as the starter moving forward as he continues to look to find his rhythm for the Razorbacks.
“KJ still needs to continue to learn, grow, and improve,” Silverfield said. “But there was never a thought of removing him.”
Arkansas Continues SEC Drought
Following tonight’s loss to the Aggies, the Razorbacks are now on a 13-game losing streak against SEC opponents, dating back to Oct. 26, 2024, when the Razorbacks dismantled the Mississippi State Bulldogs 58-25.
With the Razorbacks on the wrong side of the streak, their SEC schedule for the rest of the season appears to be a daunting one with few winnable games left. Arkansas will return to the gridiron next Saturday to face a tough Tennessee Volunteers team coming off a dominant victory over Auburn at home.
Kickoff inside Razorback Stadium next Saturday is slated for 3:15 p.m. CT and will be broadcast on the SEC Network.
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