Scatter Shooting: Arkansas vs. Texas A&M

Various tid-bits shape Satuday's showdown between old SWC rivals

Arkansas Razorbacks quarterback KJ Jefferson tries to jump the Texas A&M Aggies but loses a fumble that was returned to the other side of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. | Ted McClenning-Hogs on SI Images

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — The last time Arkansas interim coach Bobby Petrino led the Hogs against Texas A&M the world was very different.

Sure, there's the whole NIL and transfer portal stuff, but this is more about the mental aspect when it comes to how the Razorbacks view the Aggies. When the Hogs walked away with Petrino's final win in the series, it wrapped a perfect record as a coach at 3-0 that put a point of emphasis on the tail end of a 13-5 stretch in favor of Arkansas.

Texas A&M was still a Big 12 team, although Petrino's 42-38 win in Arlington in 2011 was the last before the Aggies would join Missouri in moving to the SEC to get away from the politics and drama of the Texas Longhorns. At that time, it was considered an embarassment that a Big 12 team, especially Texas A&M, could hang with an SEC team like Arkansas in that last game.

Once A&M joined the SEC, the Aggies stumbled upon a bravado brought on by quarterback Johnny Manziel and receiver Mike Evans that provided an edge against Arkansas that the Razorbacks never got back. Texas A&M has dominated the series since.

Trivia

Name the only coach to defeat Texas A&M since the Aggies joined the SEC back in 2012.
— Sam Pittman (2021)

Name the only two coaches to defeat Missouri after the Tigers joined Texas A&M in coming to the SEC in 2012.
— Bret Bielema (2015)
— Sam Pittman (2021)

Playing at home

After playing in Arlington in 13 of the last 16 years, including 10 of the past 11 seasons, Arkansas will finally host the Aggies in Fayetteville for the first time since the second Manziel season in 2013. That game took place in Razorback Stadium because the first two conference games were held on campus as an introductory of Texas A&M to the league for both fan bases.

That was Bret Bielema's first season after stunning the college football world by leaving Wisconsin and after collecting three consecutive Big Ten titles. It was viewed in some corners of the media as a coup similar to the one that landed John Calipari in Fayetteville as basketball coach.

Things started off well with three consecutive wins over cupcakes. However, there was a fourth cupcake who didn't cooperate.

Rutgers stunned the Razorbacks, 28-24, in New Jersey. That set the stage for the SEC opener against Texas A&M.

It was a rainy day leading up to kick-off. Arkansas wasn't expected to be competitive.

That idea was supported more by an injury to starting quarterback Brandon Allen that had him as a last second on-field decision to see if he could go. It was decided Allen would play, setting the stage for an evening showdown between a future star who wasn't quite to that point yet against all the hype that came with Manziel.

The guts shown by Allen spread through to the team as Arkansas made a strong show of an expected blowout. He threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns, and had it not been for a pair of interceptions, he would have out-dueled Manziel.

The Aggie QB was an efficient 23-for-30 for 261 yards and a pair of touchdowns, but it was clear to everyone present that it wasn't Manziel's magic that drove Texas A&M. Instead, it was Evans, who managed to block out defenders to pull down poorly thrown pass after poorly thrown pass that were just tossed into his general direction to bail Manziel out play after play.

The Hogs battled back to 38-33 in the final minute of the third quarter, but ran out of juice in the fourth. The Aggies got a rushing touchdown early in the fourth to close it out after Arkansas couldn't convert on 4th & 10 from the A&M 16 on the following drive.

The loss set up a string of nine consecutive to close out the inauguarl season of the Bielema era.

Turnovers

If Petrino is going to join Pittman on the list of coaches to defeat Texas A&M in its SEC run, then the Hogs will have to cut down on turnovers, specifically fumbles. The four fumbles against Tennessee were by far the most of the season.

Pittman's final stretch became synonymous with fumbles, but his teams only fumbled once in losses. They were just great at making sure they came in the most dramatic fashion at the most inopportuned time to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

The four fumbles doubled the most fumbles in a game over the past two seasons. You have to go back to the 2023 game against Missouri, a miserable 48-14 loss in Fayetteville, to find that many fumbles.

On that day, the Hogs dropped the ball five times, setting into motion the events that would lead to Petrino's return to Arkansas. Of course, it should be noted that it was an infamous fumble by KJ Jefferson while diving for the end zone with Arkansas in firm control against the Aggies in Arlington that led to a fumble return for a touchdown at sent the entire Pittman era tailspin into motion.