ARLINGTON, Texas – Texas A&M looks to bounce back from a drubbing by No. 1 Alabama when it plays Arkansas in an SEC contest at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Saturday. The Aggies -- whose two losses have come to the Crimson Tide and No. 2 Clemson -- fell 45-23 last week, while the Razorbacks dropped their conference opener, 34-3 at No. 10 Auburn.
TV: Noon ET, ESPN. LINE: Texas A&M -20.5
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Arkansas coach Chad Morris is looking for answers after a slow start to the season, with an offense that has averaged 15.7 points in its three contests against FBS opponents and ranks 12th in the SEC in total offense (374 yards per game). Defensively, the Razorbacks have been solid against the run, leading the conference by giving up 88.3 yards per game (seventh nationally), but opponents are still averaging 33 points. Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond (1,020 yards, seven touchdowns) keeps the Aggies moving through the air, while running back Trayveon Williams (430 yards, four TDs) is the workhorse in the ground attack. Coach Jimbo Fisher would like to see Williams show more consistency as he's averaged 184 yards against Northwestern State and Louisiana-Monroe but 31 against Clemson and Alabama.
ABOUT ARKANSAS (1-3, 0-1 SEC)
There are a lot of areas for the Razorbacks to improve, but coach Chad Morris specifically pointed at his team's special teams play as an area that must get better in a hurry. Against Auburn, Arkansas gave up a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and a 48-yard punt return and had a punt blocked. For the season, the Razorbacks rank 126th among the 129 FBS teams in opponents' punt return average (20.9 yards) and 113th in opponents' kickoff return average (25.6), putting more pressure on the team's defense to hold up when allowing good field position to start drives.
ABOUT TEXAS A&M (2-2, 0-1)
The Texas A&M defense hasn't had a big season making big plays thus far, with one turnover -- tied for the fewest in the nation -- and five sacks through four games. Fisher has been working on getting his defensive backs to play tighter coverage, which could lead to more interceptions, as well as better tackling angles which could lead to possible strips of ball carriers. Playing against Alabama and Clemson has made it difficult to rack up turnover and sack numbers, but the hope is playing a team such as Arkansas (10 turnovers, nine sacks allowed) will help the team get some big plays and start the momentum going for the rest of the season.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Arkansas SS Kamren Curl set a career high with nine tackles against Auburn last week.
2. The Aggies' offense is first in the SEC and seventh nationally, averaging 545.5 yards per game.
3. Texas A&M P Braden Mann set an NCAA record for single-game punt average, with 60.8 yards per punt on five kicks against Alabama.
PREDICTION: Texas A&M 38, Arkansas 20