Key plays send Razorbacks spiraling in fifth straight loss to Aggies

The streak continues. For the first 30 minutes, it looked as though Arkansas may manufacture its first win against Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC.

But after Texas A&M quarterback Trevor Knight ran for a 48-yard touchdown in the final minute of the first half, and following the Aggies’ defensive stop of the Razorbacks on a 4th-and-inches at the goal line, Arkansas never could recover.

Ultimately, Texas A&M outscored the Razorbacks 28-7 in the second half before leaving AT&T Stadium with a lopsided win.

Here is an analysis of the Razorbacks’ 45-24 loss:

5 TAKEAWAYS

• Red zone struggles: It started in the second quarter when Rawleigh Williams III nearly ran in for a touchdown that would’ve given Arkansas a 16-7 lead, but Armani Watts punched the ball and forced a fumble at the Aggies’ 1-yard line. Then in the third quarter, the Razorbacks were stopped on four consecutive plays after starting first-and-goal at the Texas A&M 2-yard line. Williams ran for a 1-yard gain on first down before Austin Allen was stuffed on back-to-back quarterback sneaks. On fourth down, the Aggies stopped Keon Hatcher for a loss of five on a jet sweep. Throughout the night, Arkansas failed to finish drives.
• Allen is ready for SEC play: Even if the offense only scored one touchdown in the second half, it’s hard to criticize the first-year signal-caller. He completed 28-of-42 passes for a career-high 371 yards and a pair of scores, but it was the leadership he showed when he came back after injuring his chest in the first half and continuing to sling it after being dealt several big hits. Perhaps the injury affected his play in the final two quarters, but Allen proved once again he can lead the Razorbacks’ offense.
• Big plays are worrisome: Every SEC team has playmakers capable of busting big gains for touchdowns. On Saturday, Arkansas’ defense struggled to contain the Aggies’ biggest threat. Oklahoma graduate transfer Trevor Knight ran wild from behind center, racing for touchdowns from 42 and 48 yards out. Amazingly, the Texas A&M quarterback’s longest run of the night didn’t go for six as he added a 62-yard scamper in addition to his long touchdown runs.
• Allen has plenty of targets: Through the first three games, it was Keon Hatcher who was the signal-caller’s favorite reciever. Even though Drew Morgan and Jeremy Sprinkle have routinely been in the mix, Jared Cornelius was the No. 1 guy on Saturday night. Morgan (9 catches, 86 yards) hauled in the most passes, but Cornelius (7 catches, 126 yards, 1 TD) made the biggest impact of the pass-catchers.
• The defense has work to do: The unit looked sharp in the first half until Knight broke loose for his second score of the night right before the intermission. But in the last two quarters, the defense couldn’t get off the field as Texas A&M finished with 591 yards of total offense. If the Razorbacks continue to allow SEC opponents to rack up that many yards, the season may quickly take a turn for the worse.

REPORT CARD

Offense: C – The Razorbacks finished with 491 yards of total offense against the Aggies’ stout defense, but the unit struggled to turn its 27 first downs into points, especially in the second half when it couldn’t match Texas A&M’s explosive offense on the scoreboard.

Defense: C- – Had Arkansas been able to do a better job of bottling up Knight, the end result could have been entirely different. Instead, the Razorbacks’ defense struggled to get off the field and allowed Texas A&M to convert 8-of-12 third down attempts.

Special teams: B – Cole Hedlund went a perfect 3-for-3 on extra points and nailed his lone field goal from 25 yards out. However, Toby Baker was unimpressive with a 39.3 yard average on his three punts.

Coaching: C – Aside from going for it on 4th-and-inches at the goal line, offensive coordinator Dan Enos’ play calling was questionable on that entire sequence. After Williams gained a yard on first down, the coaches didn’t go back to him again the next three plays. The coaching staff also couldn’t find an answer for Knight, who carved up the defense.

Overall: C- – Arkansas simply didn’t play a full 60 minutes. For much of the game, it proved it can play with a top 10 team. However, as good as the Razorbacks looked in the first two quarters, they looked like a different team down the stretch.

GAME PLAN

Arkansas once again utilized both its running game and passing attack against the Aggies. While Allen had 42 pass attempts, the Razorbacks also ran the ball 40 times. Even though they were willing to try to get the running game in a rhythm, it only accounted for 120 of the team’s 491 yards of offense.

GAME BALLS

• QB Austin Allen: Even in defeat, the quarterback continued to show improvements in his fourth career start. Under the spotlight of a nationally televised audience, Allen showed that he is capable of not making mistakes.
• WR Jared Cornelius: The junior pass-catcher was a bright spot for the Razorbacks’ offense the entire night as his 7 catches and 126 yards was a major improvement after entering Saturday with 3 catches for 30 yards this season.
• LB Dre Greenlaw: Although the defense had a rough night, it wasn’t because of the play of Greenlaw. He recorded a team-high 11 tackles to lead the unit.

Brad Joyal