The University of Arkansas (3-2, 1-1 SEC) takes on No. 24 Texas A&M (4-1, 2-0 SEC) in the annual Southwest Classic on Saturday at AT&T Stadium. It was the 12th loss in the last 13 years. The Razorback offense got off to a strong start, scoring two touchdowns on its first three drives, but was unable to get into the end zone the rest of the afternoon. The main reason for this was relentless Aggie pressure and falling back into their own territory. Over and over again.
Punters Devin Vail and Tyler White drew attention in Arlington. Vail punted six times for 263 yards (43.8 average) and White punted nine times for 388 yards (43.1 average). However, White made eight kicks beyond the 20-yard line on zero, including five punts on or beyond the Arkansas 10-yard line. Arkansas’ average starting position was at its own 17-yard line, while Texas A&M’s average starting position was at its own 36-yard line.
“That was huge,” head coach Sam Pittman said. “It seemed like we were starting every drive around the 10-yard line. Once we got to the 25, we were like, ‘Hey, we’re in a really good position.’ The problem is, we’re not doing anything. We had to convert on the offensive end as well. He got a few first downs, but then seemed to stall. ”
With 5:05 left in the first half, Arkansas began its attack from its own 7-yard line. Quarterback Tylen Green ran for 41 yards in nine plays before being picked off by freshman Aggie cornerback Dez Ricks with 1:31 left in the quarter. And on the opening drive of the third quarter with their own 20 points up, Arkansas went 43 yards on 10 plays before turning the ball over on downs after a failed fake field goal attempt with 9:06 left in the third quarter. I made it through.
The Hogs’ longest drive from inside the 20 began with a one-play, 58-yard drive with 2:36 left in the third quarter, followed by a 45-yard field goal by Kyle Ramsey with 13:24 left. The only time Arkansas was able to score after being nailed deep down the field. Outside of the scoring drive and the two aforementioned turnovers, Arkansas lost 16 plays after starting the drive inside its own 20-yard line, including a game-clinching fumble recovery by DL Nick Skorton with 1:30 left. He finished with 36 yards and two turnovers. game.
“If we get a couple first downs, we’ll punt it,” Pittman said. “Ultimately, we had 90 yards in a row a few times. That doesn’t mean we can’t go 90 yards. It just means we never did. If we could have gone, we would have changed position on the field, but that’s all we did.”We never could. ”
The University of Arkansas is currently looking at No. 5 Tennessee. The Volunteers will arrive in Fayetteville next Saturday, with the game taking place at 6:00 PM or 6:30 PM (CDT). The game will be televised on ESPN or ABC.
