Aggies win on points

FAYETTEVILLE - Texas A&M and its loaded offense, with Johnny Manziel distributing to a big cast of playmakers, know all about offensive shootouts.

The Arkansas Razorbacks, happy to welcome back starting quarterback Brandon Allen on Saturday, got their first taste of a wild, back-and-forth SEC slugfest under Coach Bret Bielema on a rainy evening at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

Give the edge to the Aggies.

No. 10 Texas A&M flexed its experience in big-play atmospheres, turning a key defensive touchdown and a surprisingly strong second-half running game into a 45-33 victory over the Razorbacks before a crowd of 72,613.

Arkansas (3-2, 0-1 SEC) fell behind 17-7 in the first quarter and played catch-up the rest of the evening. The Razorbacks had three possessions in the second half with a chance to take the lead, but they threw an interception and went three and out the other two times.

“We knew we had to basically score every time we had it and had to monopolize the football,” Bielema said.

Texas A&M (4-1, 1-1 SEC) won its second in a row over the Hogs with a turnover-free performance on a slick surface and exceeded the 40-point mark for the eighth consecutive game, the longest current streak in the FBS.

“You come into this environment and it’s raining and it’s crazy,” Texas A&M Coach Kevin Sumlin said. “For our team to settle down and play through that, that says a lot and it’s going to help us.”

Bielema said he was disappointed in the Hogs’ second consecutive loss, but he still managed to sound optimistic.

“I can just tell you this, this team is going forward and it’s going to continue going forward,” he said. “As a head football coach I know where we’re going, and when we get there it’s going to be a really nice day.”

Texas A&M outgained the Razorbacks 523-483 in total offense and became the first team this season to win the time of possession against Arkansas (31:43 to 28:17).

Manziel, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, thrived in the messy conditions. The 6-1 sophomore was on his game in the first half, when he accounted for 253 total yards and two touchdown throws to 6-5 receiver Mike Evans. The Aggies stayed mostly on the ground in thesecond half with Evans seemingly slowed by a leg injury suffered late in the first half.

Manziel finished 23 of 30 for 261 yards with 2 touchdowns and 59 yards rushing, a big departure from his then-SEC record 557 total yards in a 58-10 rout of the Razorbacks last year in College Station, Texas.

The Razorbacks received a spark from the return of Allen from a sprained shoulder injury. True freshmen Denver Kirkland and Dan Skipper also started at guard in place of Brey Cook and Mitch Smothers.

Allen showed no ill effects from the right shoulder injury he suffered two weeks earlier against Southern Miss, throwing for a career-best 282 yards and 3 touchdowns on 17-of-36 passing. He was intercepted twice for the only turnovers of the night.

The game’s pivotal play came early in the third quarter with Texas A&M holding a 24-20 lead.

Arkansas had possession for the first time with a chance to take the lead when Allen stared down Keon Hatcher on a third-and-5 slant. Aggies safety DeShazor Everett read the route, bolted in front ofHatcher and had an easy 34-yard route to the end zone to give Texas A&M a 31-20 lead.

“I think our defense made enough plays to win the game,” Sumlin said. “They threw everything at us but the kitchen sink.”

Allen shouldered the blame for the interception return for a touchdown, but he liked the way the Razorbacks responded while fighting back from a deficit all night.

“I thought we moved the ball against them,” Allen said. “I thought any time we had adversity and we had to come up with a touchdown we did.

“I thought we responded well to them. We knew they had a high-powered offense and they were going to be moving the ball and putting points up, so we were ready to come back from anything they had going.”

Texas A&M controlled the tempo and held off Arkansas with a sturdy ground game in the second half, which churned for 150 of its 262 yards. The Aggies had a pair of touchdown drives - each after Arkansas had pulled within a touchdown - in the second half that were all on the ground.

“I feel like that’s what got us,” Arkansas defensive end Chris Smith said. “We thought they were going to do more pass situations and they had success on the run.”

The rain picked up in the third quarter, making ball security even more important.

“The coaches told us at halftime if we want to win the game we’re going to have the run the ball, so the offensive line got the message,” said Texas A&M tailback Ben Malena, who rushed for 40 yards and two touchdowns.

Trey Williams rushed for 83 yards and a 17-yard touchdown and averaged 9.2 yards per carry, while Tra Mason added 64 yards on nine attempts.

Arkansas freshman Alex Collins returned to his 100-yard form with 116 rushing yards and a 9-yard touchdown on 14 carries. Fellow freshman Hunter Henry had four catches for 109 yards for his first 100-yard game.

Arkansas tailback Jonathan Williams had two touchdown receptions, the last a spinning, tackle-breaking flare over the right side for a 19-yard score that pulled the Hogs within 38-33 with 1:09 left in the third quarter.

The Razorbacks opted to go for a two-point conversion pass, which fell incomplete, from Allen to freshman Drew Morgan.

Texas A&M got tough on the ground two possessions later, running on seven consecutive plays. The drive was capped by Ben Malena’s second touchdown, a 1-yard plunge, and the Aggies had distanced themselves for good.

The Aggies finished with 262 rushing yards, easily a season high against the Hogs, who had been allowing just 92.5 yards per game on the ground.

Texas A&M scored on its first four possessions to go up 24-10, but the Razorbacks hung in with a strong run-pass mix behind Allen.

Manziel had scrambles of 20, 23 and 21 yards to set up a pair of touchdowns and a field goal, the last a 7-yard flip to the 6-5 Evans, who was practically surrounded in the back of the end zone but won the jump ball to score his second touchdown and put the Aggies ahead by two touchdowns.

The Razorbacks, buoyed by Allen’s 29-yard throw to Javontee Herndon on thirdand-7, tied the Aggies at 7-7 when Hatcher leaned back to snare Allen’s 12-yard touchdown pass.

Manziel converted a thirdand-10 with a 20-yard run to set up Ben Malena’s 2-yard rushing touchdown and a 14-7 A&M lead. The Hogs couldn’t hold serve after Allen muffed a Shotgun snap against a corner blitz and lost 6 yards on the first snap of Arkansas’ second series.