FAYETTEVILLE — Rawleigh Williams still has some work to do if he wants to get the number of tickets he needs for Saturday night's showdown with No. 10 Texas A&M at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Arkansas' sophomore running back started with the four-ticket allotment he receives for each game. He’s roughly halfway toward his goal of 15 thanks to some help from teammates who've given up theirs for him, including defensive lineman T.J. Smith.
It’s a pretty modest goal for the Dallas native playing in his hometown for the second time in three weeks, this time coming off back-to-back 100-yard performances. But that’s by design. The demand for tickets could have been overwhelming, but he has a reliable team vetting requests for him.
“My parents take care of all that stuff,” Williams said. “They just give me the name and I write it down on the list and we get it situated.”
Williams is spending his time focusing on the matchup with the Aggies, intent on producing a third straight 100-plus yard performance. He’s emerged as a bellcow for Arkansas’ offense, ranking third in the SEC in rushing yards (354), tied for first in carries (71) and tied for second in rushing touchdowns (three).
Williams' 71 carries through three games are more than twice as many attempts as senior Kody Walker and true freshman Devwah Whaley have combined for (35). The Razorbacks will likely again count on him to be a workhorse Saturday against an A&M defense that has surrendered some big rushing efforts in Arlington the last two years.
Two seasons ago, Arkansas ran for 285 yards, with Alex Collins racking up 131 and Jonathan Williams chipping in 95.
Arkansas ran for 232 yards a year ago. Collins led the way with 151 yards, with another Williams, Rawleigh, easing his workload by running for 46 yards and his first collegiate touchdown, essentially in his hometown and in front of family and friends.
If recent history for Williams and past history against the Aggies repeat themselves, he’ll have a chance to score a few touchdowns in a much bigger role as the Hogs try to snap their four-game skid against the Aggies.
“In terms of this year, we’re looking forward and keeping that behind us and trying to get a ‘W’ this year,” Williams said.
Either way, he’ll have a larger-than-usual cheering base in the stands.