Hogs snap 9-Game skid to Aggies in Southwest Classic, move to 4-0 for first time since 2003

The Arkansas Razorbacks and the Texas A&M Aggies clashed Saturday in Arlington in one of if not the biggest games between the two schools. Both teams came into the game 3-0 but unexpectedly it felt like the Razorbacks were the team who had everything going for them. Texas A&M, like almost every year since joining the SEC were one of the teams to beat and projected to contend for a playoff spot. In their 2nd game of the season against Colorado their starting Quarterback suffered a lower body injury that will likely sideline him for at least another month. Most everyone knew coming into this game backup Quarterback Zach Calzada would have to play his best game of his short career as a starter for the Aggies to have a chance to win. Arkansas entered the game as slight underdogs, and still had plenty of doubters as to if this team was legit. The Arkansas offense exploded in the first half, scoring 17 points in what seemed liked a blink of an eye. Arkansas Quarterback KJ Jefferson once again proved he could throw the deep ball, connecting with Treylon Burks for an 85 yard touchdown along the sideline late in the first quarter making the score 10-0. KJ Jefferson led his team on a nice drive early in the 2nd quarter, capping it off with a 48 yard short pass to running back AJ Green who maneuvered past Texas A&M defenders to reach the end zone. Up 17-0 Arkansas was totally in control of the game in large part because of how the defense was playing. Texas A&M would add a field goal right before half, and Arkansas took a 17-3 lead into the locker room. The Arkansas defense dominated the 2nd half for the most part only allowing one touchdown which came from the Aggies star running back Isaiah Spiller who broke off a 67 yard run mid way through the 3rd quarter. Arkansas Quarterback KJ Jefferson had to leave the game on their next drive after suffering an injury which was later ruled a bruised knee. Backup quarterback Malik Hornsby stepped up and made some plays with his legs, but for the most part was shut down by the Texas A&M defense. Hornsby would lead the Razorbacks to a field goal after the Arkansas defense intercepted Zach Calzada early in the 4th quarter off a pass that ricocheted off of one of his own offensive linemen. The only turnover of the game proved to be a huge one, as the Arkansas offense was able to capitalize on it and make the score 20-10 on a 24-yard field goal by kicker Cam Little. Arkansas Quarterback KJ Jefferson did return late in the 4th quarter, helping seal the game with a few big runs. The stingy Arkansas defense stole the show however, and Arkansas was finally able to knock off the Aggies in arguably the biggest game of Sam Pittman’s short career as head coach at Arkansas. The 4-0 Razorbacks ranked number eight in the country will travel to Athens next Saturday to play the 4-0 Georgia Bulldogs who are ranked number two in the country. Sam Pittman returns to his old stomping grounds, where he was an assistant and offensive line coach at Georgia from 2016 to 2018 before being named associate head coach in February of 2019. The matchup next Saturday is appealing enough that College Gameday will be also be making the trip to Athens.