FAYETTEVILLE — TEXAS A&M !" In Mike Sherman's second year at the helm in College Station, the Aggies are off to a 3-0 start after blasting Alabama Birmingham, 56-19, last Saturday.Texas A&M opened the season with a 41-6 victory over New Mexico and defeated Utah State, 38-30, two weeks ago.
OFFENSE !"The Aggies continue to lead the nation in total offense, averaging 574.3 yards per game with 330 of that coming through the air and 244 on the ground. A&M is ranked fourth in scoring offense with 45 points per game. Quarterback Jerrod Johnson tied a school record Saturday against UAB, rushing for three touchdowns and passing for three more TDs. He completed 23 of 29 passes for 290 yards. A total of nine Aggies caught passes a week after leading receiver Jeff Fuller broke his right leg.
DEFENSE !" Coordinated by former Arkansas interim head coach and defensive coordinator Joe Kines, the Aggies are ranked 62nd in the nation in total defense, giving up 352 yards per game and are ranked third in the nation in scoring defense, giving up 18.3 ppg.
A&M is leading the nation in sacks per gamewith 4.67. Individually,Von Miller leads the nation in sacks with 2.67 per game. In the Aggies multiple defensive package, Miller can line up either as a defensive end or at linebacker. The Aggies give up an average of 145.7 yards on the ground and 206 through the air.
SPECIAL TEAMS !"The Aggies are solid, but not exceptional on special teams. Placekicker Randy Bullock has hit three of four field goals on the season and all 18 of the squad's extra-point attempts. His longest field goal is 34 yards.
Punter Ken Wood has a solid 44-yard average with a long of 55. Punt returner Dustin Harris is averaging 12.7 yards per return, while the Aggies are averaging 21.6 yards per kick-off return SERIES !"The Southwest Classic is a resumption of one of both schools' oldest opposing series.Though the programs have not met since 1991 - the year Arkansas left the Southwest Conference to join the Southeastern Conference - the series has a rich history dating back to 1903 and the creation of the SWC in 1915. The Razorbacks own a 38-24-3 series advantage over the Aggies.
In the 1980s, the series reachedrivalry proportions when Ken Hatfield's Razorbacks and R.C. Slocum's Aggies battled each other for the SWC title from 1984-89.
The Razorbacks also pulled off one of the school's bigger upsets over Texas A&M in 1975. The Aggies were ranked No. 2 in the nation and seemed to be on their way to the Cotton Bowl, but a determined bunch of Hogs led by quarterback Scott Bull and a Jimmy Johnson-coordinated defense ambushed the Aggies, 31-6, in an ABC nationally televised tilt on Dec. 6.
The Hogs went on to make their first Cotton Bowl appearance since 1966, when they defeated Vince Dooley's Georgia Bulldogs, 31-10, for the final bowl victory of Frank Broyles' career as the UA's head coach.
OUTLOOK !" The 3-0 Aggies should carry a ton of confidence into Cowboys Stadium on Saturday, while the 1-2 Razorbacks may be searching for answers after a tough 52-41 loss to Georgia two weeks ago and 35-7 pummeling from Alabama last week.
The game should sparkle with offense, but the unit that can cobble together the best defensive performance will no doubt win this game.
It's gut-check time for the Razorbacks if they hope to keep their bowl aspirations alive into the second half of the season.
PREDICTION Arkansas 42,Texas A&M 38
Sports, Pages 8, 7 on 09/28/2009