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Finally, Texas A&M and Arkansas get to play a Southeastern Conference game. These two teams played into overtime last season with the Aggies taking a 35-28 win. It was a physical game and this one should be as well as the teams meet in Arlington and inside AT&T Stadium.
This game is an important one for the SEC West race for both teams. Texas A&M is 3-0 and a victory keeps it atop the standings with Ole Miss and LSU. Although Arkansas is 1-2, there is no reason the Razorbacks could not get hot like they did last season and make a run at the title. The Hogs also remain 0-0 in the SEC.
Here are five impressive players to watch battle for the first league win:
1. Daylon Mack, Texas A&M, DL: Mack has gotten off to a good start in his collegiate career. He has 11 total tackles, six of them solo efforts. He has also spent a lot of time in opponent’s backfields, collecting four tackles for loss totaling 13 negative yards.
He came to Texas A&M as a touted recruit. Mack was an Under Armour All-American and earned first-team All-USA by USA Today and was an ESPN five-star recruit and finished No. 6 in the ESPN 300.
2. Alex Collins, Arkansas, RB: This season, Collins is leading the team in rushing with 358 yards good enough for 5.9 yards per carry. He has scored three touchdowns, ripped off a 70-yard run and averages 117 yards per game.
The Fort Lauderdale, Fla., native has the honor of joining Darren McFadden as the only two Razorbacks to have 1,000-yard seasons to begin their careers. Collins gained 1,026 yards as a freshman and 1,100 as a sophomore. The 5-foot-11, 215 pound back was the first SEC freshman to being his career with three 100-yard games. He was a preseason second-team All-SEC pick.
After his freshman campaign he was named the SEC Freshman of the Year and a Freshman All-American.
3. Tra Carson, Texas A&M, RB: Carson is a do-it-all type player for the Aggies. This season, he has run 61 times for 292 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He averages 4.8 yards per carry and 97.3 yards per game. Carson has caught two passes for 26 yards and a score as well as completing his only pass of the season for 28 yards.
The Texarkana, Texas, native has fun for 1,202 yards in his career.
He also has caught 14 passes for another 142 yards and a touchdown.
4. Henre’ Toliver, Arkansas, DB: Toliver is a versatile player who can play the run and pass equally well. He has one interception this season he returned 12 yards and has broken up two passes. In run support, the Marrero, La., product has 15 tackles — 10 of them unassisted — and has three tackles for loss.
As a freshman, he picked off two passes and had a defended pass as well as 18 tackles and a sack.
One of his interceptions came against Texas in the AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl that he returned 46 yards for a touchdown.
5. Speedy Noil, Texas A&M, WR: The scary thing about Noil is he hasn’t reached his full potential yet. But the aptly-named Speedy still has provided the Aggies with a weapon to stretch defenses.
This season he has six catches for 68 yards and a touchdown. He averages 11.3 yards a reception and 22.7 yards per game. He has returned five kickoffs for 57 yards and a pair of punts for 17.
In his two years in College Station, he has 52 receptions for 651 yards and six touchdowns. His kickoff returns have totaled 702 yards (24.2 average) and he has 197 yards in punt returns with a long effort of 86 yards.
Steve Barnes is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football.
