TEXAS A&M 58, ARKANSAS 10

Hogs gone mild

Arkansas (1-4) yields 716 yards, 3 turnovers, final 51 points to A&M

NWA Media/JASON IVESTER -- Arkansas running back Knile Davis fumbles the ball while being tackled by Texas A&M defensive lineman Damontre Moore (left) and linebacker Steven Jenkins during the third quarter on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.
NWA Media/JASON IVESTER -- Arkansas running back Knile Davis fumbles the ball while being tackled by Texas A&M defensive lineman Damontre Moore (left) and linebacker Steven Jenkins during the third quarter on Saturday, Sept. 29, 2012, at Kyle Field in College Station, Texas.

— Another rainy day, another sloppy, lopsided loss for the Arkansas Razorbacks, who are leaving a trail of firsts in their epic fall.

Texas A&M racked up 716 total yards and three takeaways to trounce the Razorbacks 58-10 before a crowd of 86,442 at Kyle Field on Saturday.

The Aggies (3-1, 1-1) notched their first SEC victory against their old Southwest Conference nemesis, posting their highest point total in the series, which dates to 1903, and beating the Hogs for the first time in four tries since 1991.

“We got the monkey off our back today,” Texas A&M Coach Kevin Sumlin said, referring to the first SEC victory. “Our older guys wanted it badly, and I think their performance showed it.”

So did the Aggies’ youngsters, led by redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel, who completed 29 of 38 passes for 453 yards and 3 touchdowns. Manziel also rushed for 104 yards and a score en route to a school-record 557 total yards in just over three quarters.

Arkansas (1-4, 0-2 SEC) followed a familiar script - full of turnovers, missed tackles, poor pass defense and more injuries - while falling to 1-4 for the first time since 1992, the last time it had a long-term interim coach. The Razorbacks hadn’t lost four games in a row since 2004.

The Aggies didn’t turn the ball over, scored 17 points off Arkansas turnovers and gouged the Hogs for 218 yards and three scores on the ground. Texas A&M’s total yards rank as the second-highest total ever against an Arkansas team. Southern California ran up 736 yards in its 70-17 victory over Arkansas in 2005.

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Quarterback Tyler Wilson (center) passed for 373 yards and a touchdown but had two passes intercepted by the Aggies.

“That’s very troubling,” Arkansas Coach John L. Smith said. “We couldn’t stop the vertical route. That hurt us, and then he [Manziel] ran around us.”

Arkansas’ descent has been rapid. No team in the preseason top 10 of The Associated Press poll has lost four games in September since Pittsburgh did it in 1984. The Razorbacks have been bludgeoned in SEC games, being outscored 110-10 by SEC West opponents Alabama and A&M, both on rainy days in what is fast becoming a gloomy season.

The Razorbacks have allowed 1,154 yards in their two SEC games.

“It can’t happen,” Arkansas defensive coordinator Paul Haynes said. “I give all the credit for them doing what they do, but we’re better than that. That’s the bottom line. We’re better than that.”

Arkansas has not had a takeaway in its past three games, has fallen behind 15-3 in the turnover count and did not post a sack for the second time in three games.

Then there were the injuries. Senior cornerback Kaelon Kelleybrew had to come out after making a hard tackle for loss and threw up on the field. Smith said Kelleybrew had an injury above the shoulders, a potential indication Kelleybrew suffered a concussion.

Replacement cornerback Davyon McKinney and safety Rohan Gaines were both injured as well, but managed to return.

Arkansas gained 515 total yards, including 373 passing by senior quarterback Tyler Wilson, but it didn’t translate to the scoreboard with a red-zone turnover and three failed fourth downs in Texas A&M territory in the fourth quarter.

“You don’t get points for first downs. You don’t get points for yardage,” Wilson said. “You get points for touchdowns, you know, and we didn’t have very many of those.”

Arkansas led 10-7 after the first quarter after a 64-yard swing pass to Knile Davis for a touchdown and Zach Hocker’s 26-yard field goal at the end of a 15-play, 79-yard drive that reached the Texas A&M 9.

The game slipped away from the Razorbacks late in the second quarter, after Arkansas moved to the Aggies’ 19 on Wilson’s 18-yard throw to Cobi Hamilton and Davis’ 28-yard run, his longest of the season.

Davis fumbled for a loss of 7 yards, with Arkansas receiver Demetrius Wilson recovering after a Texas A&M defender tried to scoop it on the run and lost control. On the next play, Wilson passed to Brandon Mitchell, who ran inside the 10, but an illegal formation penalty nullified the play. Steven Terrell intercepted Wilson on the next snap, and the Aggies put together two touchdown drives that totaled1:01 to lead 27-10 at halftime.

“We complete a ball, complete two or three in a row, we’re down inside the 5-yard line and about to score a touchdown and we get a penalty,” Wilson said. “We move back and then consequently throw a pick, so that’s a tough thing there.”

Arkansas rallied from a 35-17 deficit at halftime last year to beat the Aggies 42-38, but that game was inside Cowboys Stadium. This year’s game was played outdoors on a grass field, and a halftime downpour might have impacted footing and ball control.

Terrell intercepted Wilson again on the second half ’s second play, leading to a field goal. Texas A&M wrapped up the victory with two touchdowns in 12 seconds midway through the third quarter. Christine Michael scored on 10-yard run before Tramain Jacobs scooped a fumble that Damontre Moore forced from Davis and ran 28 yards to make it 44-10.

“We knew in that locker room they were thinking they were down 18 last year and could come back again,” Aggies linebacker Jonathan Stewart said. “But defensively we felt if we stopped them on the first series, it was going to start to take their will and they’re not going to really want to fight anymore. They’re just going to give up.”

Sports, Pages 24 on 09/30/2012

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