Mother nature hinders renewal of Razorbacks, Aggies with thunderstorms

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas fans will have to wait a little longer for kickoff between the Razorbacks and No. 4 Texas A&M Aggies.

Thunderstorms in the area have pushed the game back 2 hours from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. CDT. The game will still be broadcast on ESPN.

Exactly how the television works on this one remains uncertain. The network had Texas and Kentucky scheduled in the 6 p.m. time slot so there will be some shuffling on something.

Florida State's cross-country trip to face Stanford is starting at 9:30 CDT. It's probably a relatively safe assumption something's going to end up — at least for a little bit — on one of the alternate channels or even on ESPN+.

Arkansas is currently a 7.5-point underdog to the Aggies and a +250 on the moneyline. The over-under is set for 58 points and may have some late movement due to the weather and delays.

The National Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for the area from 11:20 a.m. to 6 p.m. HogTown, the pregame street festival, was already canceled Saturday night in anticipation for weather throughout the morning.

Even with the delayed kickoff, weather will continue to play a factor. According to the NWS more showers are likely up until 10 p.m. with thunderstorms likely before 7 p.m.

The game, which will now start two hours late is a series of first for the Razorbacks. It is the first time that Bobby Petrino will be the head coach of Arkansas in a game played at Razorback Stadium since Nov. 12, 2011 when the No. 8 Razorbacks beat Tennessee 49-7.

It is also the first time that Arkansas welcomes the Aggies to Fayetteville since 2013. 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two teams were played in Arlington, Texas with Texas A&M hosting the lone game in College Station during the shortened COVID season in 2020.

Arkansas is looking for its first win over the Aggies in Fayetteville since 1988 when the Razorbacks won 25-20.

Texas A&M has dominated the series ever since Petrino left the post in 2011 as head coach. Arkansas' lone win the series was a 20-10 win in 2021, but Petrino was 3-0 against the Aggies, outscoring the opponent by a combined 113-74.

The two teams also come in with their seasons going in different directions. Texas A&M is off to its best start since 2016 at 6-0 and will have a chance to crack into the top 3 of the AP Poll for the first time in 30 years following No. 2 Miami's 24-21 loss to Louisiville Friday.

The Razorbacks have lost four in a row for the first time since 2023 and are still looking for its first win against a Power Four school on the season.

Arkansas will honor former running back Darren McFadden at halftime. The two-time Doak Walker Award winner in 2006 and 2007. His iconic No. 5 will be honored, but not retired. Defensive lineman Cam Ball and wide receiver Ja’Kayden Ferguson currently wear No. 5 on the roster.

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