Texas A&M Safety 'Grateful' For Outstanding Offense vs. Arkansas

For the first time in over a decade, Texas A&M traveled to Arkansas to play at Razorback Stadium instead of AT&T Stadium, where the Aggies were able to sneak away with a 45-42 win. A&M's defense was not as sharp as it has been in the last couple of games, yet they faced an Arkansas team who was hungry for a win.

"Elko always harps on the fact that like in the SEC like every game is a big game," Marcus Ratcliffe said postgame. "... We know every game is going to be a dog fight, so Elko does a really good job of giving that mentality to us."

With the Aggies being the No. 4 team in the country going to face a then 2-4 Arkansas team, many people believed this game would be a blowout, yet it came down to the wire like the Southwest Classic normally does, due to Arkansas quarterback Taylen Green who was outstanding during the matchup.

"He's a superior athlete," Ratcliffe said about Green. "Super fast, super quick, super long and so yeah obviously like you guys saw, that gave us some trouble."

How Did A&M's Defense Change From Weeks Prior?

Texas A&M Taurean Yor — Sep 27, 2025; College Station, Texas, USA; Texas A&M Aggies defensive end T.J. Searcy (18) congratulates linebacker Taurean York (21) after a sack in the second half against the Auburn Tigers at Kyle Field. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images

Not every game is going to go smoothly, yet the Aggies giving up 527 yards of offense to the Razorbacks was something new to this defense, as they once held the Auburn Tigers to just 177 earlier in the season. So what was working for Arkansas?

"Usually misfits in the run game is exactly that, like it's a misfit," Ratcliffe said. "One person should be in another gap rather than the gap they're in, and so I think that's usually the issue.

With the Aggies up 21-6 with just three minutes left to play in the first half, all of their hard work seemed to slip away as the Razorbacks managed to score two touchdowns before heading into halftime, as the Aggies now only had a 21-20 lead.

"I would say it was a wakeup call," Ratcliffe said. "I think maybe we relaxed a little bit, started giving up some stuff and then second half, halftime adjustments tightened it up, second half came in, got the stops."

All throughout the season, it seems like either the offense or defense is carrying the Aggies to a win, as the offense shined in the 45-42 victory over the Razorbacks.

"It's such a blessing to have an offense that can play complimentary football like that," Ratcliffe said. "When defense isn't doing so good, the offense steps up and makes plays throughout the entire game so yeah I'm grateful to play for an offense like that."